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.