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Best travel toys: Ways to entertain kids on a road trip

Best travel toys:  Ways to entertain kids on a road trip

So what are the best travel toys and good toys for a road trip? We are always looking out for great road trip games and activities to entertain the kids.

I often get asked how to entertain kids on a long road trip. Factoring in stops along the way, packing plenty of great toys for the road (and snacks) is the answer.  We have had our VWT5 for a few years now and have experienced many a road trip from the baby years, toddler years to the teenager years.

We have not long returned from a road trip to Guernsey, and last year we took a 12 hour campervan road trip the the Outer Hebrides. Packing a bag full of small travel toys is a huge hit for road trips, long journeys, plane journeys and of course restaurant activities. Not to mention the rainy camping days.

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1) Travel books for kids and best books for a road trip 

The kids love nothing more than a book to read or look through – no matter what their age. As the kids get older you will find that they all love a fiction book and they can pass a few hours in the evenings, by the pool, at a beach, or in bed. They also don’t take up much space in the suitcase, or when camping.

2) Road trip crafts – kids mosaics

I purchased these kids mosaic sets and they ended up being a hit whilst travelling. Especially if you have a travel tray for the car. The mosaic sets are small and easily pack into a kid’s rucksack or travel bag, .  

ways to entertain kids on a road trip

3) Ipad and headphones

I know camping is about the great outdoors but there is also a place for an iPad and headphones. An iPad is great for travel and if you have ever sat for hours on a gridlocked motorway with kids – you will know.

We love the amazon kindle fire for kids or of course the pad, and we have tried so many headphones for kids. For years we used soft kids headphones and they traveled really well. We download our favourite movie and games prior to our journey to keep little kids, big kids, and adults entertained!

4) Free printables 

There are so many free road trip game printable for kids that you can download on the internet nowadays, and they are a great and cost efficient way for entertaining kids during mealtimes in restaurants or on a car journey. I print out a few colouring pages and travel games such as dot to dot, word searches and spot the difference.  It always helps to entertain the older children both on the road and once you get to your destination and even better they are free.

5) Loom bands and bead sets

The girls often pack a loom band or clay bead bracelet set in their rucksack for when we travel. They often come in great organisers with kids so they pack really well and entertain older kids on a road trip and during holidays.

7) Magazines/sticker books

I know that magazines can work out expensive but occasionally as a treat I add a couple of magazines into the girls’ bags. Alternatively we have recently find our readly magazine app subscription which works great for both little kids, big kids and adults!

8) Road trip games for kids of all ages

We always take card games with us as it occupies the children on rainy days, provides a little down time and also occupies the children in the car.

We recently purchased a travel chess set and I have loved teaching my older daughter the rules of the game. We also love  UNO, Chop Chop card game, and Dobble.

Other car games that we love are I- spy – a guessing game where one player chooses an object and names the first letter of the object, and other players try to guess the object.

Cloud shapes – where children make shapes out of the clouds in the sky.

9) Rainbow mini scratch art

Mini scratch art are is great, we have this note set, and the kids etch doodles, words, pictures on the matt black coating to reveal rainbow colours underneath.

10) Scrap books and travel journals

My eldest loves a scrapbook, so we pack a  scrapbook on our car journeys. The kids take it in turns to draw pictures, write lists, note the road signs..and whilst we are away they save their treasures, driftwood, shells etc to add when we get home. Travel journals are a great mindfulness idea that can keep kids entertained but also record all of their thoughts and favourite travel memories whilst they are on their travels.

11) Audio players

Audio players are growing in popularity and I can see why.  Audio players offer screen free entertainment and are great to take away on their travels too. But what are the best portable audio players? We recently carried out a review of the Tonies audio player and more recently have discovered Yoto audio players and they have been a great travel toy.  You can purchase the Yoto cards to provide hours of entertainment.

12) Plus-Plus Tubes

Plus-Plus tubes are great travel toys and pack really well in a rucksack or cabin bag. They can make imaginative mosaic or 3D designs  and can also help to develop hand eye coordination – they are a great boredom buster and awesome for travel!

13) Fidget toys for travel – Plus-Plus HEXEL®

The Plus-Plus heel is a great everyday fidget toy and perfect for travel. Designed with six Plus-Plus pieces and connected by a flexible cord, HEXEL can bend, twist, and connects. It can reduce anxiety, increase focus and is perfect for travel, long road trips and to take on holiday. Designed for children aged 5-12 years. Boys and girls birthday presents for creative fun

PLUS PLUS HEXEL Fidget Toy – Fidget Toys for Kids,…
  • HEXEL: The everyday fidgets for girls and boys. Crafted with six Plus-Plus pieces and connected by a…

14) Fidget toys for kids

Fidget toys are perfect travel toys, and can reduce anxiety and pass the time on a long car journey or plane travel.

Toddler toys for a road trip 

It can be tricky to entertain a toddler in the car, and it is always good to have a few things up your sleeve to keep young children occupied on those long car journeys and unexpected traffic jams. So what activities can you pack for younger children?

15) Tin activities

Over they years we have absolutely loved these gift in a tin activities. And I always talk about them. We have the farm in a tin and the zoo in a tin and they have been amazing to entertain our toddler on a plane, in the car, and on our camper van holidays.

13. Sticker books

Our toddler loves a sticker book and they are relatively cheap to buy. I often keep my eyes out for books that may work for our travels in the sales and put them away for our holidays.

16) Teddy bears

We always pack a favourite comforter and teddy bear or two. They are great for role play and nap time whilst out and about.

17) Toddler books for the car

Our toddler loves the touch and feel books and the lift and flap books, and they are great to pack in a travel bag for holiday.

18) Fuzzy felt activities

Fuzzy felt activities are great for hand luggage. Children love the interactive soft felt books to make novelty scenes and pictures with the felt shapes.

19) Primary lacing beads

Primary lacing beads are designed to encourage your little one to improve their fine motor skills by threading the beads onto the laces. There are 30 beads in 6 colours and they keep our toddler occupied for hours on the road, on our travels and also at home.

20)  Figures and dolls

My little man absolutely loves his paw patrol figures. He packs a few in his rucksack where we go and they keep him occupied both on the road and whilst we are away on our trips.

Available from Spin Master on Amazon

Car activities for babies

21) Comforter

We always packed a comforter for our baby, this could be a much loved dummy, blanket or teddy bear.

22) Lamaze pram and sensory toy 

All three of our children loved the Lamaze pram toys, particularly the colourful Freddie the firefly.

23) Fun key toys

What is it about toy keys and mobile phones that babies just love? Small, easy to pack and entertain babies whilst in their car seat.

24) Spiral activity hanging toy

This toy wraps around the handle of the car seat and provide hours of entertainment with the hanging shapes and mirrors.

25) Musical books

Musical books are great to pack for the car, and also whilst you are out and about. We also used to pack a bath book for the toddler paddling pool on holiday

26) Stacking cups and a watering can.

Easy to pack in rucksack and provides hours of entertainment in the car, in the bath, swimming pool and on the beach.

Travel snack ideas for kids

We don’t go anywhere without packing a few snacks in the rucksack. Stopping off for many drinks, toilets and food stops can add hours on to a journey, which is soul destroying and costly!!!  I always pack a little selection of healthy travel snacks so here are a few ideas including toddler snack ideas:

  1. cheese
  2. pots of dried cereal
  3. hard boiled eggs,
  4. crackers and cream cheese,
  5. sandwich wraps.
  6. fresh fruit
  7. squeezable yoghurt tubes
  8. raisins
  9. cut vegetables including carrots and cucumber.
  10. vegetable crisps

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Should you click to purchase, this is at no extra cost to you, but I receive a small commission. 

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a list of toys for kids on the road and snack ideas for a road trip

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Should you click to purchase, this is at no extra cost to you, but I receive a small commission

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