Even though traveling is one of the best things to do in the world, some people may find it stressful.  Especially for us kids. Going through the train station or airport to reach another country or simply another city can be very intimidating!

Luckily, this article will help you become a more experienced traveler. Use some of these tips to boost your traveling confidence.

First things first, make sure your passport is valid before exiting a country, so you do not have to renew it. My mother and I were once on our way to Vietnam last summer, but unfortunately, we discovered my visa to Vietnam had expired! We were in the airport in Hong Kong when the airline worker told my mother that I would not be able to fly due to my expired visa. It was a stressful few hours; I would not want the same to happen to you. Avoid this same incident where you are not permitted to travel because of your expired Visa or passport! Be helpful and ask your parents if your Visa/passport is valid before traveling.  Sometimes, parents forget, too!

Another thing you can do to stay sharp while traveling is pay attention as you go through security, immigration, and customs! This will also spare your parents the burden of having to worry about you getting lost or being left behind. Remember Kevin from the movie Home Alone? It would be helpful for you and your parents if you watch closely as your passport gets scanned by the immigration officer or when you have to place some of your belongings inside carts to go through security. It’s good to make sure, after you put some of your belongings inside the security carts, that you have all of them again.

You can also ask questions as your parents lead you through the airport, so you can know yourself what is going on without having to always rely solely on your parents. Not only will you be able to navigate yourself when it is needed, but knowing what’s going on at the airport will prepare you for when you grow up and begin traveling by yourself. After some time of paying close attention, you will become an airport expert.

Pack just the right amount of things you will need. Although packing a lot of items to be very prepared may seem like the right thing to do, you may find that overpacking will serve as an inconvenience when traveling due to the heaviness of your bag. My family always tries to pack carry-ons to avoid waiting at baggage claim. There is nothing worst then waiting at baggage claim after a long flight, I would rather go straight to my adventure or take a long nap at the hotel.  However, do not underpack either; pack appropriately, and if you still have enough space, you can even pack a stuffed animal or toy as a reminder of home.

It is also important to keep yourself entertained during the flight by downloading movies or shows. Though some long flights have entertainment options, you can never be sure, so if you plan on watching a movie during your flight, download some before you enter the airport, just in case. Make sure all your devices are completely charged up, your Kindle or iPad!  If you worry that your movies will not work, you can pack some playing cards to play with your neighbors on the plane to enjoy yourself. You can also download some podcasts to listen to as you look out the window and enjoy the scenery. (Unless you are sitting in a middle seat or aisle seat).

There is another one of Clark Yap’s articles for you. As always, stay tuned, and stay reading!!!

Images: Clark Yap

What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day last weekend than by inspiring girls to believe they can change the world? On Mar 8, our Daisy troop – Beijing’s youngest members of the global Girl Scouts movement – set off on a storytelling adventure to honor the extraordinary achievements of women throughout history. Each scout chose a heroine from the worlds of art, science, sports, politics, and beyond to read a short story about her life and legacy. To share these stories in a setting as grand as these legendary ladies, we headed to Beijing City Library (北京城市图书馆 Běijīng Chéngshì Túshūguǎn). Move over, Bird’s Nest, and make way, Pants Building! Designed by Norwegian architects Snøhetta (of Oslo Opera House fame) in collaboration with local partner ECADI and inaugurated just over a year ago, this striking new landmark is a masterfully designed space that connects people, books, and nature.

The library is located in Tongzhou, so getting there takes some time. From the city center, it takes about an hour by metro or a 30-minute to drive – but the destination delivers. Turn it into a full-day outing: Wander around the library’s vast wonderland of books, watch a free movie in the children’s cinema, then let the kids run wild in the nearby Green Heart Forest Park (城市绿心森林公园). It’s shū (books) with a side of shù (trees)!

This place is a masterclass in integrating architecture with nature. The world’s largest indoor reading space is encased in a 16-meter-tall glass-walled atrium that bathes the interior in light and offers panoramic views of the surrounding forest park. The roof is supported by 144 soaring, tree-like columns that evoke the canopy of a ginkgo forest – a nod to Beijing’s botanical heritage. Carving through this vast space is the “Valley,” a meandering pathway that mirrors the course of the nearby Tonghui River and links the north and south entrances.

Visitors can ascend the Valley’s sculpted “hills,” which double as bookshelves and seating, feeling immersed in a continuation of the landscape outdoors. This visionary design earned the 2024 IFLA/Baker & Taylor Public Library of the Year Award, the highest honor in global library architecture. 

Here’s what you can expect:

• Take your passport along to open a Member Card for adults and children. It’s free and valid at all branches in the Beijing Library city-wide system.
• You can check out books for 42 days. Late returns incur a RMB 0.1 fee per day, per book. You can return books at any library branch.
• Spread over three floors, the facilities include reading rooms for ancient literature, periodicals, digital collections, media such as movies and music, exhibition spaces, lecture halls, conference rooms, and other areas that are helpfully signposted on maps throughout the library and in a brochure at the info desk at the entrance.
• All floors are accessible with ramps and elevators.

• The children’s section includes an extensive collection of foreign language books, primarily in English and for young children rather than adolescents. These books cannot be taken home, so be ready to grab a cozy seat and read on the spot.
• Book a day in advance for movie screenings at the children’s cinema, which go fast on weekends. Check WeChat for showtimes and a selection of kids movies dubbed in Chinese.
• Wifi service is provided in the library for members – your login and password are your member card number and date of birth.
• There are three cafes that serve beverages and light meals. Manage expectations – the coffee is less what you’d get at Metal Hands and more like 7-Eleven.
• BCL’s WeChat mini program lists their calendar of events. We popped into an exhibit called “Sounds of Beijing” and caught a musical performance in the auditorium.

Over the weekend, our Girl Scouts shared their heroine stories from the popular Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls in the children’s section, followed by a picnic lunch at a quiet tearoom on the second floor. It is worth noting that most areas are quiet zones, and library staff carry signs reminding visitors not to be loud. We wrapped up our visit by letting the girls unleash their energy by bike riding in the expansive outdoor space surrounding the library, which includes a performance hall and the Grand Canal Museum.

Find it:
260m southeast of the intersection of Shangmatou Lu and Huilin Lu, Tongzhou District
通州区上码头路与惠林路交叉口东南260米
Hours: Tue-Sun, 10am-8pm. Closed Mondays
How to get there: Tongzhou Beiguan station on Line 6 is the closest metro station. An on-site metro stop is currently under construction.
Admission: Free
Website: https://bjlib.clcn.net.cn/en
WeChat:

Images: Tara Fegelein

You know what’s surprisingly difficult? Buying toys for other kids. No, really… You know your own kids’ hobbies and interests like the back of your hand, but even then you might come home with something that you think is the coolest thing in the world and watch them look at it with mild amusement. Then, when it comes to buying toys for their friends’ birthdays and the big holidays coming up, it gets more difficult.

But as with everything else in Beijing, to make your life easier and answer your questions, there’s a WeChat group for that. Get some real kid-tested and parent-approved toy reviews and recommendations by joining the WeChat group Toy Reviews and Recommendations. Scan the QR code below to join or add admin Wilhelmina87 on WeChat to request to join.

Images: Mina Yan, Pexels

During the last trimester of my pregnancy, I baby-proofed my entire apartment. Like, everywhere… Every remotely pointy corner and window edge got covered in foam.  Every doorway that led to the outside had a baby gate securely attached. Every drawer and cabinet had a baby-proof lock on it. Basically, I turned my apartment into a foam bubble.

I over-baby-proofed…

In the blink of an eye, my little girl learned how to crawl and wobble around, and now she is an energetic three-year-old who runs, jumps, and, fortunately enough for me, is very aware of her safety. So recently it’s become evident that all the foam baby-proofing measures I took are no longer needed at home. The baby gates can go and I can rip up the brightly colored foam edges that have been an eyesore on my furniture for the past few years.

That said, my excessive baby-proofing has left some damage to the inside of my apartment. The most obvious ones are the gross sticky tape residue and the scratches on the wall from the gates.

However, these things are surprisingly easy to get rid of with the right products.

To remove the sticky tape reside, the following materials have been tested and approved. Spray some on the sticky surface, let it sit for a few seconds, and then wipe it away. For the more stubborn residues, let the spray rest a bit longer and use a plastic scraper.

Pro tip: For the annoying sticker on the bottom of water bottles, there’s an individually packed sticker remover so you don’t need to worry about chemicals getting on the inside of bottles.

Then there are the damage to the walls that my baby gates left, from scratches to small pieces falling off from the sheer pressure of having a rod shoved into it for such a long time.

If you’ve got white walls, any areas of small missing pieces can be filled in with a thin application of the above material.

For the light surface scratches and occasional footprints that can’t get wipes off with just water, this spray helps cover it all up.

Images: Taobao

The Jingkids brand continues to extend our brand beyond the capital city even after the launch of our English edition of Jingkids Shanghai last month – with Dianping reviews of a burrito counter, izakaya restaurant and Bottega in Shanghai!

What’s Dianping, you ask? Well, DaZhongDianPing is an indispensable app for getting the best recommendations for restaurants, sights and cool places around China. Think of it as the local version of Yelp + TripAdvisor, and then some! Because most of the reviews on the local app are in Chinese, Jingkids International‘s launched our very own Dianping account to provide reviews in English, so it’s accessible to expat families!

In our Beijing Dianping news this week, we reviewed a cool science-themed indoor discovery center and playground for kids in the Haidian district. We also wrote an entire post with a video about it here! We also share our discovery of what might be the best crepes in Beijing – at Sanlitun’s Panorama cafe. Read the full reviews on our DianPing account now!

When it comes to our reviews, we’ll always try to remain objective and include all relevant kid-focused information – whether there are kids’ amenities, kids’  menus, playrooms, options for kid-friendly service and more. To simplify things, we use a 5 star rating system where possible to rate cleanliness, price and quality of food.

We’re also looking for contributors who would like to send us their reviews of places in the city! Just drop us an email at viviennerush@beijing-kids.com or message on WeChat (ID: VivienneTseng-Rush) if you’d like to share your cool discoveries with our readers. Or if you have a place you’d like us to check out and review, just write it in the comments below.

We’ll be bringing you more reviews of places around Beijing so be sure to follow us on Dianping by clicking the large orange button under our account name. Just search Jingkids International on the app to find us, or simply scan the QR code below!

KEEP READING: Jingkids Launches Dazhongdianping Account With English Reviews!

Images: Pexels, Courtesy of vendors

If you haven’t yet downloaded the Dazhong Dianping app on your smartphone, do so now! The app is indispensable for getting around Beijing (and beyond) and finding all the best restaurants, playgrounds, and sights to visit. Jingkids International‘s very own Dianping account provides reviews of such places in English, so it’s accessible to expat families!

This week, I reviewed a restaurant that has a rather personal connection for myself – Lion. This modern restaurant, tucked away in Hopson One Mall, styles itself in the image of Singapore and offers what they call hometown delicacies for those seeking to taste some of the island country’s famous cuisine. Being a Singaporean, I just had to try it.

To find out if this Singapore-themed restaurant is worth a visit, head on over to the DaZhongDianPing app and read the full review in our account!

When it comes to our reviews, we’ll always try to remain objective and include all relevant kid-focused information – whether there are kids’ amenities, kids’  menus, playrooms, options for kid-friendly service and more. To simplify things, we use a 5 star rating system where possible to rate cleanliness, price and quality of food.

We’re also looking for contributors who would like to send us their reviews of places in the city! Just drop us an email at viviennerush@beijing-kids.com or message on WeChat (ID: VivienneTseng-Rush) if you’d like to share your cool discoveries with our readers. Or if you have a place you’d like us to check out and review, just write it in the comments below.

We’ll be bringing you more reviews of places around Beijing so be sure to follow us on Dianping by clicking the large orange button under our account name. Just search Jingkids International on the app to find us, or simply scan the QR code above!

KEEP READING: Jingkids Launches Dazhongdianping Account With English Reviews!

Images: Pexels, Courtesy of vendors

If you haven’t yet downloaded the Dazhong Dianping app on your smartphone, do so now! The app is indispensable for getting around Beijing (and beyond) and finding all the best restaurants, playgrounds, and sights to visit. Jingkids International recently launched its own Dianping account, providing reviews of such places in English, so it’s accessible to expat families!

Our recent reviews include popular expat brunch hangout, The Rug – specifically the outlet across Chaoyang Park – which is best known for its kids playroom great for smaller kids up to 6 years old. We also discovered Magnet – a relatively new burger and bar joint in Hopson One mall that has mouthwatering burgers and a fun magnetic-levitating dessert that will thrill the kids.

Then we also reviewed Commune Reserve, where the cozy elegance, professional service and fresh authentic flavors just transport you away from the hustle and bustle of Beijing. They recently launched their spring menu with a few seasonal items that are best enjoyed out on their spacious terrace. The Avocado Toast (RMB 78) has a twist on it with a delicious pesto spread on crunchy black squaw bread. They’ve also added not one, not two, but three eggs Benedict dishes to their offerings, and the best part is you don’t have to choose which one to order – just get the Eggs Benedict Platter (RMB 128) and you’ll get to sample all of them from the classic smoked salmon, peppery bacon and spinach version, to the tasty crab cake benedict. And in other news, the restaurant manager has notified us that they’ll be putting in a diaper changing station soon to increase their kid-friendliness!

When it comes to our reviews, we’ll always try to remain objective and include all relevant kid-focused information – whether there are kids’ amenities, kids’  menus, playrooms, options for kid-friendly service and more. To simplify things, we use a 5 star rating system where possible to rate cleanliness, price and quality of food.

We’re also looking for contributors who would like to send us their reviews of places in the city! Just drop us an email at viviennerush@beijing-kids.com or message on WeChat (ID: VivienneTseng-Rush) if you’d like to share your cool discoveries with our readers. Or if you have a place you’d like us to check out and review, just write it in the comments below.

We’ll be bringing you more reviews of places around Beijing so be sure to follow us on Dianping by clicking the large orange button under our account name. Just search Jingkids International on the app to find us, or simply scan the QR code below!

KEEP READING: Jingkids Launches Dazhongdianping Account With English Reviews!

Images: Pexels, Courtesy of vendors