The prospect of heading off on a long haul flight with the kids in tow is enough to send parents’ head into a spin. It’s for exactly this reason that mum and dad put their onboard toys at the top of their holiday checklist, ensuring that flights and fun can sit happily in the same sentence.
And to help parents get the in-flight toy mix just right, British Airways (BA) has enlisted the help of famed scientist and TV personality Professor Robert Winston. Prof Winston led a social experiment which saw 30 youngsters aged between two and 10 take to the skies on a two-hour flight with a selection of toys. With Prof Winston and a team of educational psychologists in observance the children were given 90 minutes playtime. the weather.
And the results of the experiment are unlikely to come as a surprise to parents in the know. Loom Bands are currently the latest toy craze capturing the attention of youngsters the globe over, and this also proved true during the experiment with 80% of parents saying they would take the colourful bands on future flights. The top ten was completed by a list of classic toy items, all of which are likely to cost parents less than tablets and other new fangled creations.
Play-Doh, Lego, Top Trumps, Uno, Usborne Activity Cards, Magnetic travel game, Aquadoodle, Finger puppets, Sticker book
Both Loom Bands and Play-Doh managed to command more than half of the children’s attention for over 40 minutes and cost just 74 pence and £1.99 respectively. Professor Winston said: "Although the temptation is for parents to play a film in the hope that their child falls asleep, activity based toys, such as Lego, sticker books and travel games are also a great way to keep them engaged. Bringing out a different toy at regular intervals is guaranteed to keep them quiet for longer than 90 minutes."Date Created: 01/08/2014
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