Kid Travel Games and How To Amuse the Kids While Travelling

Here are some suggestions for what to bring and some kid travel games. You know best what your children like, and try to bring lots of bang for the buck, i.e. toys that will entertain them for a long time, but packs small.

Handheld game consoles are very good in this respect, the most popular ones are the Nintendo 3DS the Wii U and the PlayStation Vita. And keep in mind that a few new games can keep them (and you) occupied for hours on a long flight.

Books are also always a good travel activity for kids, for younger kids it is often best to pick books they’ve read before, while older kids may prefer something new. These days the easiest way to bring books is on an e-reader or a tablet. are also always a good travel activity for kids, for younger kids it is often best to pick books they’ve read before, while older kids may prefer something new. These days the easiest way to bring books is on an eBook readers or a tablet.

And don’t forget music! An IPod or MP3 player is great for any age. You can also put audio books on it and they are great to block out background noise if you are trying to get your kids to nap on a plane for example.

For older kids you can let them choose for the most part what they want to bring. I let our son pack his backpack on wheels and he can bring whatever fits into it (with some guidance of course!)

Don’t forget to bring along some beach toys and waterproof toys for when you get there!

It is a good idea to bring along some of their favourite toys and travel games and some new “surprise” toys. One of my favourite things that my mother-in-law did for us when we went away for a week is she pre-packed some new inexpensive toys,one for each day for my son to open on his vacation. He really enjoyed it and looked forward to his daily “surprise”.

Kid Travel Games – Travel Activities – For Babies

any object that’s bright and shiny!
rattles of all sorts (not real noisy ones)
music making toys
mega blocks for babies
magnetic stick-together blocks
toys of interesting shapes, sizes and colours
pop-up toys
a plastic mirror

Kid Travel Games – Travel Activities – For Older Babies and Toddlers

nested containers
sets of things to put into containers
things that fit into other things
busy boxes with levers, bells, moving parts
board books
simple speaking toys: baby pushes button, toy speaks (not too loud!)
small wind-up toys
blanket, stuffed animals

Kid Travel Games – Travel Activities – For Pre-Schoolers

Picture books
stickers and activity books, crayons, magic markers
lap-sized wipe-off boards
Easi-Tracer
small mirrors
finger puppets
travel activity sets
costume jewelry
pop up books
post-it notes, scotch tape
inexpensive sets of plastic figures (animals, dinosaurs, astronauts…)
magnetic letters & metal board
miniature wind-up cars

Kid Travel Games – Travel Activities – For Pre-Schoolers to Grade 2’s

activity books
travel size Etch- a-Sketch
stick-on play sets
travel-size Magna-Doodle
threading sets (pictures with yarn)
felt boards
I Spy™ Memory Game – Travel Edition
card games
small magnetic puzzles
small wind-up toys
Go-Fish cards, Old Maid, Crazy Eights
silly putty
Play Dough
MP3 player loaded with stories and songs
small cars, figures, animals

Kid Travel Games – Travel Activities – For Older Kids

Chapter books
Comic books
activity books, maze books
blank paper, for playing Hangman and Xs & Os
regular deck of cards
travel-size popular board games
Speak’n’Spell
small Lego sets (–store the pieces in Ziploc bags)
puzzles
magnetic games
origami
IPods or MP3 players
IPads or Tablets
handheld portable game consoles (with new games!)
Brain Quest– Trivia Games

Have a look at our printable travel games page for more ideas!

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Travelon Jo

Travelon Jo is a mom and travel blogger who believes that taking your kids travelling is one of the best things you can do for them. As a former travel agent, she knows all about the ins and outs of planning a trip, and loves nothing more than sharing her knowledge with others.