Printable Airport Activity Packet for Kids (free!)
Airports with kids can be a challenge. Long waits, limited entertainment…the energy! Having an airport activity packet for the kids can be a lifesaver! Not only will it keep the kids entertained, but it’ll also encourage learning through creative & hands-on activities.
Being able to travel more often is one of the reasons we decided to start homeschooling. There’s just something about learning through hands-on, immersive experiences, don’t you think? Now, I’m not saying we travel too far very often – most of our trips are day trips & field trips. From time to time, we’ll take an extended road trip. And sometimes…sometimes…we’ll fly to our destination (hopefully to a cruise port).
One of the last times the boys and I flew, on our way home from a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, our airplane ended up departing 7 hours later than the originally scheduled time. Can you imagine being “trapped” in an airport with the kids for that long?? Actually…it was even longer since we had arrived early for the original flight time.
Either way – there is typically quite a bit of time to fill in between arriving to and departing from an airport. How I wish I had thought to make an airport activity packet in time for past flights!
Lucky you, though, you’ll be able to snag my free printable airport activity sheets for kids toward the end of this article after I’ve shared a few additional trips for making the most of your time while at the airport with kids.
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Learning at the Airport
Going to the airport is an educational experience in itself! There’s the sequence of checking in luggage, figuring out if we’re supposed to keep shoes on or off during security (I swear it’s different at every airport location), managing time while figuring out the maze of hallways leading to the correct terminal. They’re all important life skills, that’s for sure!
While a good amount of time at the airport can be spent traveling to and from, you & the kids will likely have some “free” time to burn while waiting to board the plane, right? To make the most of your time at the airport, and to encourage a bit of learning, here are a few things you and the kids might enjoy doing while waiting to board the plane:
- Read an E-Book: As much as I love hard copies of books, I don’t love schlepping around multiple books in my carryon bag. Instead, the kids and I will read e-books. There are a number of ways to access e-books for free, especially through your local library, but I have found the Kindle Unlimited membership to have the best selection. E-Books can be read on a variety of devices, from Kindles, to tablets, to laptops…even phones! For some added educational value, consider bringing along my book summary printables.
- Play a Card Game: While card games are a fun way to pass the time, playing card games also have educational value! Some of our favorite (travel-friendly) card games are: Phase 10 and Uno. I also like to bring along a standard deck of cards or two because there are SO many games that can be played with standard cards.
- Play Q-Less: Nearly everyone on my Christmas shopping list got a set of Q-Less last year. It’s a solitaire dice game where you need to use up all the dice to create sort of a DIY crossword puzzle. It really gets the wheels turning and is the perfect size for on-the-go fun!
- Get Creative: Bring along a notebook and some colored pencils or crayons – the kids can create their own characters and storyline, play simple pen & paper games, or even try making some paper airplanes (to fly at a respectable distance from the other passengers)
- Play a Brain Game: We’re all aware of the “I Spy” game, right? I swear I have played that game for hours! The airport is a great place to play “I Spy” and a number of other fun, brain-building games that require no materials!
What little-to-no-supplies-needed activities would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments at the end of the article!
About the Airport Activity Packet
If you’ve been around here a bit, you likely know that I tend to make my activity packets somewhat similar – that makes it easy for me to create new resources for you and it can also help the kids because they’re already familiar with the activity packets from That Homeschool Family!
In order to get the most bang for your invisible buck (you know…because my printables are free), I definitely suggest investing in a cost-effective printer, like the Epson Eco-Tank, and stocking up on printer paper & cardstock. Pair the packet with some fun writing tools (I will sing the praises of washable Crayola markers & Ticonderoga pencils until the day I cease to exist), and you’re good to go!
As for the contents of the airport activity packet? Well, it includes:
- 1 cover page: using only black ink, the cover page has plenty of room for doodle & personalization
- 1 airport scavenger hunt: full color, the scavenger hunt has plenty of items typically found in an airport
- 1 airport word search: includes 12 words from the airport vocabulary list and 12 hidden/bonus words! Of course, I’ve also included a page with the answers.
- 1 vocabulary word page: containing 20 airport-themed vocabulary words, this is one of the airport activity sheets that encourages kids to do a deep dive on the airport-theme! Break out the dictionary for this one (or use a dictionary app)
- 1 vocabulary & definition word page: 20 airport-themed vocabulary words (same as above), but with the definitions as well.
- 5 writing prompts: quite possibly my favorite of the airport activity sheets, the writing prompts page contains 5 writing prompts with 1 from each category: Descriptive Writing, Persuasive Writing, Narrative Writing, Informational Writing, and Reflective Writing.
Get the Airport Activity Packet!
It’s my goal to make accessing my free printables as easy as possible! When it comes to downloading your free airport activity pack, you have two simple options:
- Fill out the form below – Once you submit it, the PDF link will be sent straight to your inbox. Quick and hassle-free!
- Join the Printable Playground – This gives you access to my ever-growing collection of free printables! The Printable Playground is password-protected, so you’ll need the monthly password to log in. As long as you’re subscribed, you’ll have unlimited access to everything inside.
After submitting the form or requesting access to the Printable Playground, you’ll need to confirm your request—this helps ensure you’re a real person, not a bot! The confirmation email should arrive in your main inbox, but if you don’t see it, check your spam or junk folder. Gmail users, be sure to check the “Promotions” tab. Still can’t find it? Send me an email, and I’ll be happy to help!
Have a Great Trip!
Whether you’re taking a quick weekend trip, flying to attend a homeschool convention (yay!!) or heading off for a longer world schooling adventure across the globe, the airport activity packet can really help to make the most of the downtime spent at the airport. At the very least, it’ll keep the kids occupied for a bit!
So, what sort of travel do you have planned for the future? Share your adventures in the comments or, better yet, come chat over in That Homeschool Family Hangout – our free Facebook community! I know I’d definitely love living vicariously through your adventures!
Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,
Elizabeth Dukart is a proud Florida based born and raised Jersey Girl, wife, and mom of 2 human boys & 1 canine boy.
Created in 2021, Elizabeth owns and publishes That Homeschool Family: a free resource for homeschooling parents and beyond! A seasoned blogger, Elizabeth previously published a popular location-specific family resource blog, but decided to “Pivot!” her blogging focus after she started homeschooling her two boys in 2020. In addition to this blog, you can follow Elizabeth’s homeschooling and family adventures on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She can also be found in her Facebook Group: That Homeschool Family Hangout.
When she’s not busy taking over the world or homeschooling, Elizabeth can be found listening to music (especially The Beatles & Harry Styles!), being silly with her boys, watching movies with family, shopping, or traveling!
Have a question or want to work with Elizabeth? Send her an email!
