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How to keep the kids happy this Bank Holiday

Bank Holiday
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Written by Tim Barnes-Clay

Find out how a kids’ TV travel playlist could be the way forward on long car journeys this Bank Holiday weekend.

With UK staycations on the rise and 13 million cars expected to hit the roads this August Bank Holiday, parents are facing an average journey time of five hours and 30 minutes. To ease parents’ minds, TalkTalk TV has created TV travel playlists with child development expert Dr Jacqueline Harding designed to keep kids entertained during long journeys.

While personal interaction is best for children, when they grow bored of playing I-spy for the millionth time, TalkTalk TV’s travel playlists are there to either keep them engaged or help them to relax in preparation for a nap during the remainder of the journey.

TalkTalk TV customers with the Kids TV Boost can access a wealth of kids’ content in addition to the shows recommended in the travel playlists, with popular kids shows and films available stream or download via the TalkTalk TV app for watching on the go.

Perfect kids’ entertainment

Child Development Expert Dr Jacqueline Harding said, “Children are curious and love new experiences, and if children aren’t stimulated over long periods, they can become disruptive – a feeling parents are probably all too familiar with. But if they are given the correct stimulus, then they are not only kept entertained, but they may learn something along the way too.

Will Ennett, Head of TV Content, said: “It’s no secret that long car journeys can sometimes be a cause of stress for everyone involved. The TalkTalk TV App is the perfect way to keep the kids entertained in the car with all major kids shows and hit films available to stream or download onto your device. We’ve created playlists made up of the most popular kids’ shows to help keep little ones entertained during your next family car journey.”

Talk Talk TV’s entertainment travel playlists

Designed for the “Are we nearly there yet?” kids who need plenty of stimulation, particularly during long car journeys…

Designed for older children who can watch longer content…


Dr Jacqueline Harding’s tips
for car journeys

  • After the hectic preparations for the car journey you are likely to need just a short nap (before maybe it’s your turn to drive the car!) popping on an adventure-based show for your school age child can give you time to recharge your batteries. Something such as Bear Grylls Survival school or Planet Dinosaur will provide great content to chat about afterwards, for example, what does ‘survival’ really mean?
  • If you need to wake your children up after a nap during a long car journey look for an upbeat show such as Paw Patrol. Shows like this get children active mentally as the characters ask for interaction. Especially helpful if you need to distract children in the middle of a traffic jam!
  • There are some easy signs to spot if your child is engaging with the TV show that they’re watching. Pointing to the screen, smiling and laughing and wanting to tell you about things that they’re watching, are all great signs of engagement. This all provides great conversation during the journey – much better than the inevitable discussion around “When will we be there?”