Set up a row of chairs as airplane seats, a small desk as check-in, and a hoop or doorway as a security scanner. Check in for a flight, walk through security, board, and 'fly' to a chosen destination, complete with a pretend safety announcement.

What you need

chairs
paper for boarding passes
a hoop or doorway (security scanner)

How to do it

1Line up chairs in rows as airplane seats and set up a small check-in desk nearby.
2"Where would you like to fly today?" Make a quick paper boarding pass with the destination written on it.
3Walk through the 'security scanner' (a hoop or doorway) before boarding and taking a seat.
4Do a pretend safety announcement, then 'fly' — narrating the journey until you land at the destination.

Variations

If setting up chairs feels like too much: cushions on the floor work just as well as airplane seats.
How it ends: 'landing' and stepping off the plane at the imagined destination gives the flight a clear finish.

💡 Parent tip

This is genuinely good practice for a child nervous about an upcoming real flight — it demystifies the steps in advance.

What your child develops

Sequencing a multi-step process — check-in, security, boarding, flying is a real-world routine made playful
Geography and imagination — choosing and describing a destination builds early world awareness
Following procedure calmly — a useful, transferable skill for real travel days