Kids From Manchester Bored 49 Minutes Into Their Long-Haul Flight
| 24th October 2017
According to new research released this week it will take young fliers from Manchester just 49 minutes to ask the dreaded question: ‘’Are we nearly there yet?’’
With parents battling the boredom threshold when travelling with kids, psychologist and boredom expert Dr Sandi Mann at the University of Central Lancashire is helping weary travellers to find a solution.
Dr Mann has worked with Emirates to create the Child Boredom Quotient (CBQ) helping parents identify the exact moment their kids will get bored so they can enjoy stress-free travel this winter.
The study of more than 2,000 UK parents of under 12s alongside observations of children during their playtime helped Dr Sandi Mann categorise activities to formulate the CBQ and ultimately help parents mix the perfect blend of activities to catch boredom before it sets in.
The findings which also saw over two thirds of Manchester parents (65%) worry about entertaining their children and 42% expressing concern about their children disturbing other passengers, found little travellers aged 3 – 4 to be the most volatile.
Bribery techniques such as giving out snacks (38%) in exchange for good behaviour were often used just to keep the peace. Other tried and tested methods of distraction for parents include employing electronic devices (40%) even if they’re not allowed at home, handing out new toys (31%) to keep their tots happy or trying to tire out their children by running around the airport before boarding (16%).
Dr Sandi Mann, psychologist and boredom specialist, University of Central Lancashire comments: “Parents of children aged 3-4 will start to find that this is when their children are physically very active, gaining independence and when they need more sophisticated things to entertain them than they did when they were younger.
“For instance, the ‘electronic babysitter’ whilst popular for a flight may not work for all age groups and parents of younger children will find that they have less attention span for this than older ones. Breaking up this passive activity for active or creative ones will stop children becoming bored, restless and less disruptive.’’
However, it’s not just bribery that parents in the North West resort to when travelling with their children on a plane. An honest 5% revealed that that they simply try to relax with an eye mask to block out the disturbance.
When engaging in an activity onboard, films are the most popular keeping children occupied from around 42 minutes for the youngest age group (0-2) to 1 hour 41 minutes for the oldest (11-12). This is followed by games either on a smart device or on the inflight entertainment system (keeping kids of all age groups occupied for about 62 minutes).
Meanwhile, creative pursuits such as drawing was the most popular until age 9 when quizzes and puzzles became more engaging whilst colouring and sticker books had most appeal to the younger ages.
“Very young children don’t need very sophisticated toys for a plane journey and will be most amused by things in the environment – including people and of course their parents. For example, this could be ‘I Spy’ whilst, regular walks up the aisle are good for toddlers for exercise and for pre-toddles to change the visual environment. Don’t forget singing and interactive games like peekaboo are also great.
“Older children can be given simple materials like notebooks and pens, puzzle books and comics. Ensure that they take breaks every so often to walk up and down the plane and try to restrict the passive viewing just like you might at home. Don’t be afraid of them being bored as left to their own devices with a few basic materials, they will find creative ways to engage their brains”, Dr Sandi Mann added.”
To find out more about the Emirates Child Boredom Quotient and how comedians and parenting influencers, Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn, Scummy Mummies react to the research, watch this video:
You can fly to 83 destinations worldwide with Emirates from Manchester Airport.