So you decide to travel with your kids. Congratulations. Welcome to hell on earth, where sudden mood swings and tantrums are the norm, disrupting any tranquil escape you wish to gain from your trip.

Thankfully, Daiso Japan softens the blow a little. I bought this scratch book for two reasons: 1) we planned to visit Kagoshima Aquarium, so this book would supplement his learning of marine creatures, and 2) during the Parent-Teacher Meeting, his teacher commented on how he needed to improve his grip strength. Killing two birds with one stone.

His reaction exceeded my expectations. He scratched the book enthusiastically, determined to uncover the colourful creatures that laid beneath the surface. He was hard at work for hours and hours, keeping himself meaningfully occupied. I realised that the widespread observation about toddlers having low attention span might just be a myth. People respond to incentives, and boy, was he motivated to scratch every inch of the page. This made me realise a third benefit to add to the two reasons I mentioned earlier: it develops children’s concentration power.

So, for parents who are at a loss on how to engage their kids while in Japan, this scratch book from Daiso Japan might be the answer. It’s a steal at 108 yen!