Are you traveling for the holidays and stressing out about how to keep your kids busy on a long car ride or plane ride? Visiting family members who don’t have a lot of toys or books and not sure how to keep your kids entertained? Perhaps like many parents in our community, you rely on the library to provide programs, books, and entertainment to your family and you’re not sure how to survive without us! I have good news! I have been personally testing library media for travel with a toddler, and I’m here today to give you my top library recommendations for travel this holiday season.
Let’s start with something easy for the grownups: be sure to download Libby or Hoopla before your trip- you can listen to audio books in the car (or in headphones when you need a break!) and download books to your kindle or other reading devices. If you have older kids, they may enjoy having their own audio books for the trip too! Another easy way to stay connected to library fun while you’re away is through music. Did you know you can follow us on Spotify? Just search “Handley Regional Library System,” and you will be able to access all our fun playlists that we use in programming. Is your extended family dying to know what Dance Party is all about? Let your kids lead their favorite songs for a family dance party!
Now for some physical recommendations- remember that all of these items will cost you money if they are lost or damaged during your travel. Be sure to make a travel plan for how you will keep track of everything! I suggest keeping books and toys in one bag or small box that you can easily pack up and leave in a car for safekeeping. Only take with you what you are sure you will not loose!
- Read-a-Longs! These super fun books read a story outloud, with a chime noise for each page turn to help young readers follow along. Many have a sing-a-long function or “learning mode” which encourages discussion after the story. We have recently changed our check out limit to 10 read-a-longs on one account! I highly recommend these books for long car travel. They promote independence and literacy for your youngest readers. Read-a-Longs can be found behind the youth services desk on the second floor. They include a volume button as well as a headphone port, and can be charged with a mini-usb universal charger. (We do charge them before they go out, and they have a long battery life.) We have both picture books and chapter books in this collection, as well as books in several languages.
- Launch Pads! These pre-loaded tablets are a great way to allow highly controlled screen time. They included videos, games, and stories with animated pictures, and serve a range of ages from pre-k to 10+. They come in a rubber sleeve and are stored in a large plastic case for extra protection. We do provide you with a charger, though they have a pretty long battery life. (Pro tip: this charger will also work on your Read-a-Longs!) Each tablet can have the screen time set on it, so you can customize it to fit your family’s needs. There is a limit of 5 launch pads per card, and you cannot put these on hold, so you will just have to see what’s on the shelf when you visit the library next. Note: we do ask you to fill out an agreement before checking out your first Launch Pad.
- Grab and Grow Kits! (Handley branch only.) This is our newest collection of toy and activity bags that you can check out! Though I would not recommend all of these for travel since many of them have MANY small pieces, there are a few that would be great for a road trip. Going on a Road trip is a specially curated kit for a road trip, including several books about travel, mini magnatiles, and a portable table for drawing on in the car. I also highly recommend either a Tonie kit or a Yoto kit for a road trip. These speakers come with preloaded stories and songs that are easy for your child to control. I do recommend setting these speakers up at home when you’re connected to wifi, and then you should have no issues with them in the car. Just like the launch pads, these cannot be put on hold, and you will need to fill out an agreement before you check out your first kit.
Check out our “Gadgets and More” page to see more items like the above list, many of which could be helpful to you this holiday season.
I hope this lists provides some help to you if you’re preparing to spend the holidays away from home. We will miss you at the library, and wish you safe travels this holiday season!