Airport bingo

Airport bingo tips

• Hand out cards and crayons before security, then pause the game while you go through screening. Kids can mark the security line once they're through, which keeps their attention on the screening steps while it matters.
• Find a seat by the windows at the gate. From there, kids can usually spot the fuel truck, the airplane wing, the jet bridge and, with some luck, the control tower and a plane taking off. Explain that the tower is where controllers guide planes on and off the runway.
• The baggage carousel is an arrivals square, so on the way out it usually waits until you land. Keep the card in a carry-on pocket for the other end, or agree that a carousel spotted through a glass wall counts.
• Pilots and flight attendants often walk through the concourse in uniform pulling their own bags. Teach kids to spot the uniform and the pin-on wings, and remind them that pointing quietly works better than chasing anyone down the hallway.
• If the flight is delayed, start a second card rather than stretching the first one. A fresh card brings back easy squares like the sleeping passenger, the coffee cup and the snack kiosk, which can lift the mood at a crowded gate.

Best for

Ages

4 to 9 years

Group size

2 to 6 children, with an adult supervising

Duration

20 to 40 minutes, depending on terminal wait times