So, you’re planning a long trip with children. Whether you’re traveling by car, plane, train, bus, or hot air balloon, this can be pretty stressful: Kids tend not to do super well cooped up in one spot for extended periods. And, to be honest, neither do adults, which makes handling antsy kids all the more stressful. So we’ve put together some of our favorite travel toys, because everyone deserves a journey as pleasant as the destination.
When coming up with ideas, we tried to keep a few main criteria in mind: Travel toys have to be compact or self-contained, reasonably quiet, and able to keep kids occupied for longer than a minute or two. We also wanted to try to find toys that were good not only during the trip but toys that were self-contained and traveled well. Fortunately, there was no dearth of great stuff out there that your child will enjoy well beyond their trip and wherever their travels take them.
This classic game uses the process of elimination to guess which of the characters your opponent has chosen. Ask yes or no questions to figure it out. Best of all, this updated version includes a more diverse array of characters to make guessing more challenging and fun! Compact and self-contained, it’s the perfect travel toy.
Are you even a kid on a road trip if you don’t bring Mad Libs along? This MVP travel toy lets kids (and their families) make their own silly stories by filling in strategically placed adjectives, nouns, verbs, and other parts of speech. Best way to learn grammar ever!
Turn the landscape into a game, even from your car! Travel BINGO incorporates common sights you’ll see while driving — tunnels, trucks, tolls, and, of course, cows. Be the first to fill in your row and win! Includes four BINGO cards and pencils.
The idea behind Simon is very simple: Watch the lights and listen to the sounds made by the machine, and then repeat them. As the game goes on, the patterns get faster and more complicated. A great travel toy for road trips, though maybe not on planes since it makes noise.
What is true of travel toys is true of everything else: Variety is the spice of life! This assortment of classic activities, like mazes, tic-tac-toe, connect the dots, coloring, and more will keep your kiddos busy during their trip. Ideal for children 6 to 8 years old.
A conundrum: Drawing keeps your child busy, but bringing a ton of art supplies on your trip is a pain.
A solution: the magnetic doodle board!
This fun travel toy allows kids to draw whatever they want with a magnetic pencil and stamps. When they’re done, just wipe their colorful picture away and start over!
Your child’s need for imaginative play doesn’t stop just because they’re going to be in transit, so “all-in-one” toys are really helpful. Hence why we love this Batsub, which comes with two action figures and an awesome submarine (bat-themed, naturally). And since this isn’t just a travel toy, they’ll enjoy it long after you’ve reached your destination!
OK, this isn’t strictly speaking a travel toy, but it’s going to make your child’s trip a lot more fun (and convenient!). This contraption includes a detachable tablet stand for easy viewing, a dry-erase coloring surface, a cup holder, and a place for everything — because you don’t want to keep digging through your bag all trip.
Polly Pocket is just the right size to keep your little one entertained for their trip. And with a convenient wrist strap, they can bring it along anywhere, from the plane to the car to a restaurant. This Saturn-shaped set comes with Polly, Shani, a removable space vehicle, and a new (green!) friend for the ultimate space adventure!
Painting without the mess? Sign us up! Using a special, water-filled pen (which stores neatly in the cover), your child will reveal colorful pictures in three themed books with a stroke. Best of all, once it dries, they can do it all over again.
We all remember doing one of these at some point, right? But have you ever thought about what a perfect travel toy it is? Quiet, compact, tidy, and it takes a while to do — who could ask for anything more? Oh yeah, and it helps develop fine motor skills!
Your future Jeopardy! champion will enjoy this series of curriculum-based, age-appropriate questions that test their knowledge of reading and language arts, math, science, and more! Formatted as a connected deck of cards, each set comes in a compact flip-top box for easy portability and storage.
Though it may not be convenient on the road, this truck is a great way to bring toys from place to place, and that’s a good travel toy in our book! The functional truck comes with six race cars and stores 28. It even includes a collapsible handle, so kids can carry it anywhere.
Back in the day, we didn’t have tablets and phones to entertain us on the road. We had string... and we liked it! We’re guessing your kid probably will, too. With this guide and some multicolored string, your child will learn the history of these games, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to recreate classic designs.
This book of lacing cards is designed to help children learn numbers. As your child looks through adorable illustrations (complete with whimsical, simple rhymes), they then wind the colorful laces through hole-punched numbers 1 through 10. It's the perfect combination of tactile, sensory satisfaction and educational value.
The premise of this unique puzzle is simple: Match the ball with the corresponding color slot. This will require strategy and thinking ahead since you can only push one ball into place at a time! Though, honestly, if they don’t feel like solving the puzzle, it’s still a truly excellent fidget toy.
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240 Pages of Fun
‘Farm Fun Games and Puzzles’ by Patrick Merrell and Helene Hovanec
There’s nothing that beats travel boredom better than challenging your mind. With barnyard-themed illustrations, brainteasers, word games, puzzles, and more, this activity book is a great travel toy, mainly because there’s plenty to keep your kiddo busy for hours! Recommended for children 6 years old and older.
This highly portable playset comes with a full court of princesses, princes, kings, queens, and even a few royal pets to keep your child entertained on the go or wherever their final destination may be. Open the case for multiple settings to imagine palace intrigues and adventures!
Prepare for liftoff! Some toys are just downright enjoyable to play with for reasons we can’t quite articulate, and toy rockets are at the top of that list. They’re just so much fun to swoosh around, and this toy will help the trip go by at the speed of light.
This reusable drawing pad is the ideal travel toy for young artists. With 14 black pages, your child can draw whatever their travels inspire, and, when they want more room, they can simply wipe away previous drawings with a wet wipe. The pad comes with 12 vibrant watercolor pens and stores easily in any carry-on.
Perfect for compact, imaginative play, this colorful cast of 16 soft finger puppets is a great travel toy for your creative kiddo. With a wide variety of animals as well as a human family, there’s no limit to the stories your child will be able to imagine while in transit.
What better travel toy could you ask for than one that’s all about travel? This classic, sturdy plane is great for imaginative play on any trip, but we think playing with an airplane while on an airplane is pretty fun and meta (and, honestly, your kid is probably excited about flying and will be super into it).
Your child will love spending the day on the farm wherever they are. The sturdy wooden carry case includes built-in tracks, colorful scenery, and fun farm vehicles. All the pieces can be stored in the fold-up case, which comes complete with a handle and plenty of room to add other toys.
As adults, we don’t quite get these toys. Probably the same way adults of our childhood didn’t get snap bracelets or Tamagotchis or whatever fad we spent all our allowance on. But kids love them, and we’re all for a simple, quiet toy to keep them occupied for any amount of time, so no arguments there! This set of three comes in square, circle, and octagon shapes.
This handy carry case includes everything your child will need to create masterpieces no matter where they are, including dozens of crayons, markers, oil pastels, colored pencils, and sheets of paper as well as brushes and watercolor paints. This travel toy is recommended for kids 8 and older.
If you don’t want to hear the beeps and boops of your child’s various games or endless episodes of their favorite cartoon, headphones are key. These comfy, kid-friendly headphones connect via Bluetooth but also include a cable in case their charge runs low.
This travel toy is perfect for toddlers. The handy carry case is designed with 22 fun activities that not only entertain but teach vital life skills, like using zippers and buttons, tying shoes, and learning letters, months of the year, and more! Perfectly sized for little ones and for sensory, educational fun.
Since 1987, folks have been trying to find the elusive Waldo, who always seems to be in a lively, somewhat chaotic crowd. Your child will try to enjoy spotting that bespectacled, stripey fellow and his assorted dropped items! This new edition of the original includes bonus scenes and new games.
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Hours of Finding Fun
‘I Spy: Treasure Hunt’ by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick
This beloved series features busy, whimsical images and the rhyming clues your child will need to find designated objects. When they’re done, there are additional “extra credit” riddles in the back of the book, so the fun doesn’t have to end.
Your child may be stuck in their seat, but that doesn’t mean their imagination can’t run free. This Dino Explorer Carry Case stores human and dino figures and accessories ready to have amazing adventures all over a mysterious island. What stories will your kiddo dream up? The possibilities are endless.
Jamie KenneyJamie Kenney is a freelance writer for BestProducts.com; Her other work has appeared on Bustle, Parents, Playboy, McSweeny's Internet Tendency, the Takeout, and Romper, where she covers parenting, news, entertainment, and likes to help readers see the ridiculous (and hilarious) side of motherhood.
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