Personalized flight screens are becoming more prevalent, but there are still many airlines without these entertainment options – leaving many parents wondering how to keep their children occupied during long-haul flights and extensive waits in the airport.
ISRAEL21c suggests these five Israeli games and apps to keep the kids creatively engaged from point of departure to destination.
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- Interstar building blocks
Interstar building blocks will make any preschooler a master builder. Most Israeli kids will have come across these toys in kindergarten, as they’ve been on the market since 1991. The ridged plastic pieces – which are BPA and lead-free — are easy to attach and can be formed into people, buildings, cars, animals and anything else imaginable. The construction sets are made in Israel by Tip Top Toys and are sold the world over. Unlike LEGO, if a piece does get lost or left behind, construction can still proceed uninterrupted.
- GoVinci backpack/trolley
The GoVinci backpack and trolley is a great travel accessory for kids. It’s a piece of luggage, drawing board and display frame meshed together. Pack markers, stickers and paper inside the case let your children create new designs to display on the outside of the bag. GoVinci is created by BenBat, a children’s toy designer based at Kibbutz Shefayim.
- Last Mouse Lost
Mini versions of board games are often too small to play properly and pieces can get lost mid-flight. ButLast Mouse Lost is perfectly sized for travel. Created by Tel Aviv’s Theora Design team and published by FoxMind Games, this award-winning game of strategy, in which players take turns pressing down rubber mice in a row, is guaranteed to entertain parents and children for at least a couple of hours. The $7 game is geared toward all ages.
- Pirate Kings
The FAA has relaxed its rules on using electronics on airplanes. That means screen time – depending on each family’s policy – can begin even before takeoff. If your kids are not among the millions already playing Pirate Kings, the mobile game that’s all about conquering empires and winning stashes of gold, then the flight is a great time to be introduced to this beautifully designed pirate world of exotic islands. Created by Jelly Button Games in Tel Aviv, Pirate Kings can be played online or offline.
- Matific
Matific is one of those games you’ll love watching your kids play. Winner of the 2016 SIIA CODiE Award for Best Mathematics Instructional Solution, it’s an educational set of mobile activities covering the K-6 math curriculum. Matific was created by the Israeli Slate Science educational technology company that offers STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education products for tablets. The app games are fun and quick and combine animation, tactile gestures, textual guidelines and an (optional) audio voice-over.
