My view: I'm not anti-electronics, but I'd rather they be "plan B" when traveling, if at all possible. Most of the items on this list are tried and true, for my children. Some are things that others have found useful. Also, an idea that I haven't personally used: wrap up new items (like gifts) and give them out in different intervals of time - to keep things exciting. I don't like to create extra trash, but it could work! My philosophy is to travel with the least amount of stuff possible, and I try to find small/compact and disposable items when I can (why I like arts/craft items and playing simple games that don't require anything at all!).For babies:
- Rings with many toys and tethers connected to them (so they aren't constantly falling on the floor), connected to the car seat
- Photo book with family pictures in it
- Finger puppets
- Melissa and Doug "water wow" pads (for older babies)
- Thin glow sticks (use these in a pinch for entertainment when it's dark and baby is awake and fussy.)
- Small wind up toys (better for planes when you're next to baby to wind them up)
- Sorting cups
- "Fidget" toys like Wackytracks
- Mini skinny
- Oombee cube shape sorter
- Liquid motion bubbler (keep in mind, this is a liquid, when traveling on planes)
For toddlers (1-2)
- Pipe cleaners
- Window clings (gel ones are the best) to put up on the windows, or airplane tray table...like these, but they are much cheaper at dollar stores!
- Melissa and Doug Water Wow pads
- Crayola Color Wonder markers and paper
- Old wallet with old reward cards. This entertains my 1 year old for hours. The more zippers and pockets, the better!
- Magnetic dolls
- Magnetic cars
- Modeling clay - not play dough; the tougher clay. It doesn't stick to stuff as well, and takes a bit longer to make shapes.
- Reusable sticker pads (Melissa and Doug ones are great)
- Wiki Sticks
- Fidget items (robot cube, Wackytracks, fidget spinners)
- Thin glow sticks, for entertaining in the dark, if needed.
For children 3 and up:
- Pipe cleaners - it's amazing what they can create with them! They take up little room, and can be tossed at the end of the trip).
- Legos...more for the older kids. Cut a lego baseplate with a box cutting/craft knife to fit inside a large pencil box or metal lunch box. Fill it with an assortment of legos and people. You can glue the baseplate to the bottom of the box, or on the lid.
- Magnetic tiles - particularly the ones that aren't solid (they don't weigh as much).
- Crayola Color Wonder markers and pads
- Activity books - Usborne makes great ones.
- Weaving looms, crochet hook/yarn (for older kids)
- Melissa and Doug tape activity book
- Magnetic dolls
- Magnetic cars
- Fold up scenes with figurines (Here is a 3 Little Pigs kit...these are better for planes than cars)
- Flash cards
- Trading cards (like Pokemon)
- Music (let them have an old iPod!)
- Audio books
- Take photos (let them take photos of scenery or each other)
- Modeling clay
- Washi tape (there are so many things you can do with it!)
- Boogie board (like a high tech dry erase board)
- Dry erase activity books
- Wiki Sticks
- Origami paper
- Geoboards/rubber bands
- Scavenger hunt cards (for the car). You can also come up with your own!
- Magnetic Tanagram puzzles
- Travel magnetic board games like this chess set
- Old fashioned DIY games (tic-tac-toe, hangman, I spy...)
- You can create your own Scattergories (make a list of items, choose a random letter, use the timer on your phone...or just bring the cards from your actual board game!)
- "Pass it on" drawing game: Fold a paper into thirds. One person draws the head, passes it to the next person - who draws the body, who passes it back (or to the next person) who draws the legs. Example here.
- Reading, of course! Kindles are electronic devices, but they don't count as such when my kids read on them! :) They can "bring" 100+ books for the weight of one!
- Converse! How do we always forget to just talk with one another?
Another tip:
- If you have more two or three kids sitting next to one another, invest in an audio splitter. This way they can listen to the same thing at the same time (for music or an audio book). Of course, this works too if you allow them to watch a movie. :) Here is a two way. This one is a five-way.
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