Are you looking for the best travel activities for toddlers that will actually keep them entertained on a long flight or car ride? I’ve gathered a list of our all-time favorite small travel activities and toys here, that are easy to pack and will entertain your toddler while traveling.
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Traveling with little kids can be so much fun, but also needs a lot of planning ahead of time. Packing activities, that will keep your toddler entertained and don’t need a ton of space in your bag, will definitely be a lifesaver.
After a few international trips with our little ones and many hours on the plane, I’ve narrowed down a list of the best toddler activities and hope this list will help you when traveling with your little one.
This post is all about the best travel activities and toys for toddlers
19 Amazing Travel Activities for Toddlers
Travel toys and activities for toddlers are great to have on hand whenever you’re traveling, whether it be on a train, bus, or airplane. They should be compact and self-contained so that they are easy to pack away without losing little pieces along the way. Travel activities for toddlers are intended to be high-engagement toys that will buy you time, keep the little ones entertained when they need to be quiet and still, or just keep them busy at times.
When shopping specifically for travel activities I always make sure they fall in the following category:
- Quiet: Noise toys are an absolute no-go on a packed airplane or train. Avoid any toys that make noise or music (unless you bring headphones), some people are trying to sleep during flights, and trust me, you don’t want to hear nursery rhymes on repeat either.
- Lightweight: Remember that you will be carrying the majority of the activities and sometimes your toddler as well, so make sure every toy that you bring is lightweight.
- Mess-free: We go through at least one outfit change per flight and that is usually from food or water spills. Playdough, slime, and watercolor are one of those messy activities that would require another outfit change for your toddlers and therefore I would avoid it altogether.
- Can be used independently: It’s very hard trying to play or entertain a toddler in the car if you are not sitting next to them, so activities or toys that can be played with independently and give you a few moments to relax or do other things are for sure a win.
Here are the best travel activities for toddlers that you can bring on long car or train rides or on the plane:
1. Window Travel Toy for Toddlers
Window Toys, such as Squigz, or Window Gel Clings are a great way to entertain a toddler. They are extremely lightweight and easy to bring anywhere. Your toddler can stick them to the car or plane window, the little table on the airplane, or even a tray. We even bring these to restaurants and my kids love building things and getting creative with the Squigz Toobz.
2. Coloring Book Travel Activity For Toddlers
Shop Toddler Coloring Book Here
Coloring Books are such a great travel activity for toddlers. Bring a couple of Coloring Books that your little one hasn’t seen yet and a few freshly sharpened pencils. They will be occupied for a while.
3. Water Wow Books
Water WOW Books are an all-time favorite travel activity with my kids. The books come with different coloring scenes and all you have to do is refill the water pen with water and your kids can start coloring in the pages, using only water. The great thing is that they can color the pages over and over again once the pages have dried up and there will be no mess. The chunky size water pen is easy to use for little hands and the books are very lightweight and easy to fit into a small purse.
4. Sticker Activity for Toddlers
Shop Sticker Activity HereNo Glue, no mess! Dot it! is the perfect stickering, no-mess art activity that keeps kids engaged, perfect when traveling. Let your child choose their favorite color stickers, peel & paste the stickers and bring the picture to life,
5. Scratch Art
Shop Scratch Art HereScratch art is another great activity for toddlers because it is mess free and can easily fit into a small bag.
The scratch art papers feature bright colors underneath the matte coating. Kids use the wooden stylus to reveal the colors with a simple scratch. It’s very fun!
6. Magnetic Drawing Board for Toddlers
One of the best travel entertainment for toddlers is this magnetic drawing board. With only an 8.8″ x 7″ magnet board and a magnetic stylus pen, you can easily take this magnetic drawing board on a long drive, flight, or train ride without bulking the bag. Let your kids unleash their creative juices just by pointing the magnetic nib of the stylus on each hole to move the magnetic beads to the surface. To undo the design, just use the side of the pen to push them back down.
7. Window Clings
Shop Window Clings HereThese Window Clings are perfect for long car rides or flights. Your toddler can just stick them to a window and reuse them over and over again. They come in many different shapes such as cars, rainbows, sea animals, or fruits.
8. Wonder Wow Mess Free Coloring
Shop Wonder Wow Mess Free Coloring
Another mess-free coloring option for your toddler are these color wonder pages by Crayola. Markers appear only on special Color Wonder Paper, not on skin, clothing, or furniture. I love that the folder-style packaging works as reusable storage for the coloring pages and markers. These coloring pages will easily fit in your carry-on or tucked behind a car seat.
9. WikkiStix Sensory Fidget Toy
Shop WikkiStix Sensory Fidget Toy
Wikki Stix are bendable pieces of wax-coated string that can be shaped into letters, people, animals, and other fun figures. Toddlers love this sensory toy and have endless fun creating silly creatures. They are very affordable and easy to pack (super lightweight) and fit in any purse or diaper bag.
10. Reusable Sticker Pad That’s Perfect For Road Trips
Toddlers love stickers, and this reusable sticker pad comes with more than 150 stickers for hours of fun adhering to and rearranging them on five colorful town-inspired scenes. This also comes in other scenes, such as Farm, Faries, Under the Sea, and Vehicles. The stickers can be reused again and again and even adhere to car or plane windows. This sticker pad is lightweight and slim enough to keep in the backseat of a car or in carry-on luggage.
11. Mess-Free Tablet for Drawing
Shop Mess-Free Tablet for Drawing
If your toddler loves to draw, then this drawing pad is another great mess-free option. The drawing pad is very lightweight and provides hours of entertainment. It will grow with your child, and can, later on, be used to practice letters and numbers. If you want to minimize screen time during road trips, this Tablet is a great screen-free alternative. The tablet’s built-in battery offers six months of battery life, so you don’t need to worry about charging it while you are traveling. It is so slim and lightweight, that you can tuck it into any backpack or diaper back.
12. Busy Board for Toddlers
Busy Boards are lightweight and easy to bring on the go. They keep my kids occupied for quite some time, opening zippers, buttons, and all the other fun things they have. I love that everything is attached to the board so nothing can get lost. It packs nine activities into a small, lightweight book with a convenient handle so your toddler can easily carry it everywhere.
13. Puffy Sticker Play Set
This portable and reusable Sticker Set comes with reusable stickers and also includes a convenient carrying handle which makes it useful for travel. Melissa & Doug offer different themed books, my kids really like the farm sticker book. The puffy sticker set is great for developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, creative expression, narrative thinking, and independent play.
14. Portable Magnetic Wooden Toddler Maze Puzzle
Shop Portable Magnetic Wooden Maze Puzzle
Change it up for your puzzle-loving toddler with this magnetic wooden maze. Using a magnetic wand, they’ll guide colorful beads through the fish-themed maze to reach the end. It’s ideal for travel with a built-in carrying handle on the hand-held puzzle and sturdy pieces that are all enclosed and attached for safety and convenience.
Playing with this maze engages kids in problem-solving, fine motor skills, and logic skills to keep them entertained. This toy is also available as a train maze puzzle.
15. Melissa & Doug On Felt Sticker Craft Activity Set
Shop The Felt Sticker Craft Activity Set
This felt sticker set is easy for kids to learn, easy to create impressive results, and easy to store. It’s a great activity set for traveling. Your child can create fun fuzzy creatures that live in each setting. It’s quiet, creative, compact, and tidy; ideal for toddlers 4 and up.
16. Suction Cup Spinner Toy
Shop Suction Cup Spinner Toy Here
These Suction Cup Spinner Toys are great sensory toys to bring on an airplane. Toddlers can use the foldable table and practice their fine motor skills by pushing, popping, poking, and grabbing them.
17. Post-It Notes
Don’t forget about the simple Post It Notes, which are perfect for airplane entertainment. Your toddler can write and draw on them and then post them everywhere, without damaging anything.
18. Snack Spinner
Let’s not forget about one of THE most important activities when traveling: snacking. There is probably nothing worse than not bringing enough snacks when on the go. My kids absolutely love this Snack Spinner, and it is an activity in itself.
The Snack spinner is 6.5 inches in diameter making it perfect for toddler-size portions. The interactive button keeps kids engaged and assists with fine and gross motor skills as they choose snacks independently.
19. Lacing Cards
While stimulating your child’s creativity, Lacing Cards can also improve your child’s fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills. There are lots of different themes to choose from.
I hope this post was helpful and will make your next trip, whether it be in the car or on the plane, with your toddler a bit easier. If you have anything that needs to be added to this list, feel free to leave a comment below.
If you are looking for more travel tips with kids, check out these blog posts:
{ 7 helpful tips when flying with toddlers }
{ 11 Best Travel Toys for Toddlers }
{ 7 Must Have Toddler Essentials for a Road Trip }
This post was all about the Best Travel Activities for Toddlers That Will Make Your Trip Easier
