favorite kids activities for road trips and family travel

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let’s be honest, travel with kids can be stressful. having a kit of kids activities for car and airplane travel can be extremely helpful in keeping kids entertained while on the road. we also use the same kit for camping with kids!

it can be difficult to not want to bring everything - you want to keep them entertained, right? but if there’s any travel lesson i’ve learned from family travel it’s that some kids don’t really need that much to stay occupied. you just need to know what interests and excites your kids the most.

below are our favorite kid activities for travel with elementary-aged children. we bring these activities for both camping and road trips, but many of them would be great activities for air travel with kids, too.

building magnets: we have had this set of 3d building magnets for years (since kiddo was 4 years old) and it still brings loads of entertainment. we’ve brought them on many planes and at least half a dozen road trips, and we have never lost a piece. it’s the top toy we grab for every kind of trip we take. as a twist, kiddo is getting this magnetic puzzle cube in his stocking this year to bring a new challenge for upcoming trips. we’ve also brought this set of magnetic tangrams on plane and car trips. this fidget snake also looks super fun and very compact for travel.

travel activity desk: we got something similar to this laptop style activity desk for plane travel years ago. kiddo really loves art so it allows us to bring several types of supplies along with paper while also providing a solid surface to color on. we still use it for all our road trips and camping trips. while this is larger than a deck of cards or rubik’s cube, it still fits in a backpack and has been 100% worth it for us! if you have a child who loves creating, this might be a great option for you, too! we also have had this marker set for years and though it’s a bit bulkier, we’ve brought it on plenty of road trips. it’s a good one for kids who love to sort and organize!

stacking game blocks: this one is definitely more for road travel and one we keep in the camper van. it’s a great activity to take camping for kids and adults - a fun family game! these stacking blocks are essentially a colorful version of jenga. however, kiddo also uses them for various building and imaginative play projects. for example, on our most recent road trip kiddo brought a few hot wheels and used these blocks to build a garage and race track for the cars. endless opportunities for play!

travel game set: *this item is best for an older child! earlier this year, kiddo got really interested in chess. rather than invest in a large chess board, we decided to get a set of travel games that includes chess. now we keep this 6-in-1 game set in our camper van. some things to note: this set includes many small pieces, including small magnets. this is not a toy for small children or people or pets who are in danger of swallowing these items. related tip: there’s a lot of pieces in this particular set. we take out the pieces to the games we’re unlikely play to reduce the mess and risk of losing pieces.

rubik’s cube: i’m not sure if they’re having another moment, but i feel like all the kids in our life are super into rubik’s cubes these days. kiddo’s been on the rubik’s cube train for about a year now (since watching this netflix documentary) and is still going strong. a classic rubik’s cube is easy to tuck into any travel bag. kiddo was recently gifted this set of 6 that has provided some new and exciting challenges. we usually pick 1-2 from the collection to bring on each trip.

mini watercolor set: have i mentioned kiddo loves art? we got this small watercolor set before our 6-week summer road trip, along with a small notebook of watercolor paper, and it was a great addition to our travel activities for kids. it’s quite small but has plenty of paint and even includes a small bottle for water. this is great when kiddo needs some quiet time for centering. lao lao (maternal grandma) is also a painter, so when we travel together, it’s the perfect cross generational activity for them to do together.

playing cards: so many options here! we love a classic deck - kiddo loves to organize them by color, numbers, suit, etc. during solo play, and also learned to play solitaire. but there’s also family options like uno, monopoly deal (which was recommended by a fellow camper), and taco cat goat cheese pizza (which we’d heard about from others but it wasn’t until lao lao bought it for kiddo during our most recent road trip that we played). packable and fun for playing together during any kind of family travel!

other ideas:

• bravery magazine: during our longer trips, we like to include some more educational activities. bravery magazine has proved an amazing resource for both homeschooling and structured play, with issues centered on incredible women like junko tabei, misty copeland and more!

• wooden figurines: if you have a younger kiddo that likes imaginative play, this is a great option. we used to pack 5-6 wood figurines in a small bag along with rubber bands and fabric scraps to inspire creative play. you could make your own little themed kits and even add a bit of play dough or other craft items.

• toy cars: similar to the the figurines we sometimes pack a few small vehicles. most recently, kiddo brought a set of 5 hot wheels and held races on the floor of the camper van.

favorite stocking stuffers for kids

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this time of year means something a little bit different for us than most other people we know. rather than christmas or kwanza or hanukah, the big winter holiday for us is lunar new year. so we usually spend christmas preparing for the chinese new year by decorating. we make our own lanterns and adorn our chinese palm with ornaments representing animals of the chinese zodiac. since we save large gifts for the new year celebration, we use christmas as an opportunity to exchange books and do a stocking for the kiddo.

here’s a list of children’s stocking stuffers that i’m tucking into my kid’s stocking this year.

chapter books: kiddo recently started reading chapter books. we just finished the where the mountain meets the moon series (book two here and book three here) from grace lin and loved it. this holiday we’re adding the year of the dog series from the same author to our bookshelves (book two here and book three here). for other book ideas see this list of children’s books for nature lovers and this list of children’s books by indigenous authors.

wooden animals: we’ve slowly been building our collection of wooden animals. every year we gift one for the upcoming chinese new year (this year will be the year of the rabbit) and another just for fun. they’re such beautiful and simple toys that leave lots of room for imaginative play.

puzzle toys: kiddo absolutely loves puzzle toys and recently has gotten very into rubik’s cubes. we’re adding this pyramid to the collection this year. there’s also this set and this set. we’re also adding this magnetic cube as a different spin on the the rubik’s cube. these double as great activities to keep kids entertained during road trips.

slime: slime is a forever favorite. we regularly buy these slime sets and add one to every gift. they’re small enough to pack into a to-go bag and also get “used up” quickly enough that I don’t find it in the carpet. :)

washi tape: washi tape is another item we buy in sets and add to every gift. we’ve been tucking a few from this set into birthday gifts and Christmas stockings for a few years now. in addition to being used in other and other various projects, we love to use it to temporarily display the most recent art works that come home.

mad libs: this classic has been around for decades for a reason. who doesn’t love mad libs? this is another great car activity for kids that’s easy to pack into a backpack or small bag. we’ve taken them on many a road trip for family fun. we like the classics but this pokemon one and this star wars one look fun.

glow in the dark stickers: we’ve been hanging on to this set for awhile. now that kiddo has gotten interested in constellations (via this book), it’s the perfect time to add these fun stickers as a stocking stuffer. could be a fun to gift both the book and the stickers as a set!

wind-up butterfly flyers: kiddo loves any kind of flying toy. he’s been gifted this paper airplane set and this flying orb in the past. these flying butterflies looked like a fun toy to bring a thrill to the holidays this year.

nail polish: always a fun little treat, nail polish has been on kiddo’s list for awhile. he’ll be thrilled with this set of piggy paints.

clothing: so perhaps socks are not always at the top of a kid’s gift list, but I try to add in a few staple wearable gifts for kids. we have this rainbow sock set, and these crew sets are also fun.

i hope this list of stocking stuffers for kids has given you some great gift ideas for kids in your life! wishing you a beautiful rest of your year and may any celebrations you hold bring joy.

save this pin for gift ideas for kids.