I Let My Kid Wander Freely Around the Airport. Here’s Why.

Article Summary:

• The airport is one of the safest places for kids to wander freely. It’s a controlled environment where children can have a taste of real-life experiences.  
• Being at the airport can provide simple tasks with healthy boundaries, giving your child the autonomy to explore. 
• Every kid can be given agency. I recommend budgeting extra time for kids to participate in real-life situations at the airport.

The airport tends to be a place that gives me a mix of excitement and a bit of anxiety when I’m traveling alone. However, when I travel with my daughter, I experience a sense of wonder through her eyes. 

After eight years of traveling together, I’ve learned that the airport is an excellent place to let her have a little freedom to gain a lot of confidence. 

Is the Airport Safe? Here’s What I think

Giving children complete freedom sounds a bit scary, right? At first, you might imagine the worst possible scenario – like your child boarding the wrong plane. However, I can assure you that allowing your children to roam while you wait to board your flight will go a long way.

When you think about it, the airport is one of the safest places for a child to wander. Past security checkpoints are cameras, guards, friendly gate agents, speaker systems, and many signs. The airport is a prepared environment for parents to give their kiddos a taste of freedom and real-life experiences.

I say, let your children go on ahead. 

This doesn’t mean letting them run loose and go crazy. Of course, we should be mindful of other travelers. However, encourage them to wander and be curious. 

My daughter has a ritual where she drifts over to the window as soon as we settle at our gate. She is within my sight and sets herself up with snacks, her tablet, and the best view of planes on the taxiway. 

Trust in your kids to explore the gift shops on their own, ride the moving sidewalk, and interact with other children at the gate while you wait for your flight to board. These experiences open their ability to understand, feel capable, and have agency over their lives. 

How I Provide Freedom With Boundaries When We Are at the Airport

Providing children some freedom within boundaries offers them a sense of security while developing self-sufficiency. Offering a simple task with healthy boundaries is a great way to start! 

For example, I provided my daughter with a simple task on a recent trip to Atlanta. I asked her a very basic question. “What do you want to eat?”

Her answer was Starbucks. Yet this task required a little more than just making the choice. It required her to look at the map with me to find the location of the cafe, follow signs to get there, and budget our time before the flight boarded. 

I was by her side offering support each step of the way. The more small victories she had on her own, the more confident she became. The idea was to make her feel more than capable and develop greater self-awareness. 

Doing something like this gives kids the autonomy to explore. When they understand the limits involved, they have more awareness of their own needs and the needs of others. [Source]

Age-Appropriate Ways I Offer Agency

Age (specifically developmental age) plays a definite role when giving your children freedom at the airport. It also determines how much a child can understand and how they can respond to certain situations. [Source]

Not every child is ready to wander on their own and meet you at the departing gate – mine included. Readiness also plays a role in giving your child freedom at the airport. Some kids might not be ready to meet certain challenges, and that’s ok!

However, every kid can be given agency. 

I recommend budgeting extra time for kids to participate in real-life situations at the airport. Communicate limits, offer choices, and remind them of natural consequences. Set healthy boundaries that your child can understand. 

Here are some of the ways I offer age-appropriate agency when we travel together: 

• Pack a backpack. When my daughter was three, I would assign her a small backpack to be responsible for. She packed her toys, tablet, books, coloring books, crayons, snacks, and water bottle. She carried it through the airport and onto the airplane. She had access to everything she needed when she felt she needed it. She was also well aware that if she forgot her bag, her personal things would be lost. 

• Print the boarding pass. My daughter was helping me print her boarding pass at the airport by the time she was five. She identified letters and numbers as she entered the confirmation codes and verified her name on the screens. 

• Carry the passport and boarding pass in hand. My daughter loves to carry her passport and boarding pass before boarding the aircraft. The gate agents are always appreciative and are super friendly to her as they scan her boarding pass. Not only does it make her feel special, but it helps me out from scrambling to pass multiple boarding passes to the gate agents. 

• Find the assigned seats. My daughter is usually in front of me and leads us down the jetway onto the aircraft. She keeps her boarding pass in hand and reads our seating assignments on her own. She looks at the letters and numbers above each row and quickly guides us to our seats. 

• Find connecting flights. I’ve been inviting my daughter to lead the way when we have connecting flights since she was seven. She is tasked to find the flight number on the departure boards as soon as we are off the plane. Once we find the gate number, I follow her lead. We navigate the airport together as she actively follows signs and bravely asks for directions in moments we feel lost. 

• Meet at the gate. As she gets older and has a cellphone, I will feel more confident in giving her the gate number and saying “See you there!” I’m sure there is a possibility she may feel lost. However, I know there will always be a security guard or an overzealous stranger who would be more than willing to point her in the right direction. 

✈️ Read Next: Tips for Airport Anxiety, from a Flight Attendant

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At the end of the day, each airport is unique and offers an unfamiliar environment full of new experiences. There are plenty of opportunities and challenges for your child to leave the airport feeling more confident and capable than before they arrived. 

Another great way to cultivate confidence and learn new skills is through trip planning. I let my daughter plan her own “solo” trip and she gained so much from the experience. Read that article next.