Even in a perfect world—where airplane passengers are happy to see small children boarding a plane– traveling with little ones would still be a challenge. Kids get restless, bored, noisy and can sometimes get motion sickness or are nervous to fly. Favorite stuffed animals, snacks, and iPads certainly make things easier, but, in my experience, it’s also a good idea to pack along toys in your carry on which are specifically designed to keep children happy and engaged during long trips. Below are 10 picks for travel-friendly toys that are sure to keep even the fussiest flyers engaged!
Crayola Color Wonder Travel Tote. Little kids love to color with markers but aren’t always careful about containing their creativity to authorized surfaces. With this tote by Crayola, you don’t have to worry, as the markers only work on the special Color Wonder paper that is included. Another convenient feature is the travel container, which provides a hard surface to color on and can hold all the paper and pens. $9.
Kid Tough Doodler
Travel by Fisher-Price. A travel-sized version of the classic magnetic drawing toy is ready to go anywhere—and the best part is there is no mess or supplies to keep track of. Little ones can draw whatever they want by using the attached magnetic pen, and then–much to their amusement–a quick swipe of the eraser slide makes the pad blank and ready for their next picture! $17.
Lauri Toys Toddler Tote. An assortment of learning toys–including shape puzzles, animal puzzles, and pegboards—come packed in this unique tote. It’s perfect for engaging kids in imaginative play and can support many parent-directed activities, including matching shapes or colors. Warning: the box isn’t particularly durable, but the toys themselves are and will keep your child entertained for quite some time. $13.
Manhattan Toy Wimmer Ferguson Sights & Sounds Travel Toy. This unique toy has all the features that capture an infant’s attention–bright colors, contrast, a smiley baby face, swirling rattle, mirror, crinkle paper, and teether. You can hang it from a car seat or just let your little one clutch it. $11.
Make-A-Face Sticker Pad by Melissa & Doug. Each page of this sticker pad is filled with a blank, larger-than-life face for your child to decorate. Kids will love choosing from an assortment of facial features that includes a wide range of expressions and ethnicities—and parents will have fun viewing their creations. $5.
Melissa & Doug Water Wow Coloring Book. While your little one most likely loves to paint, the last thing you need on a plane is to clean up a big mess. (Can you imagine finger painting in mid-air?!) Enter The Water Wow Coloring Book, a brilliant traveling art book that lets kids transform blank pages into bright colors by simply using a leak-free pen filled with water. The best part is that the book is reusable, so by the time your child has completed the final page, the first one is dry and ready to go! It comes in several themes, from transportation to animals. $6.
Playmobil My Take Along 123 Noah’s Ark. Normally traveling with toys with small pieces is difficult, but not so with this take-along animal set. Designed for the younger set (one year and up), “Noah’s Ark” has a convenient carry handle and sealable internal compartment that can fit all the pieces. Little ones will love playing with the set’s five pairs of animals (as well as Noah and his wife) that are included. The best part is that the ark floats—perfect for bath time when you arrive at your destination! $37.
Preschool Animal Memory Game by eeBoo. A simple card game is perfect for bringing on the plane and playing on the plane’s tray tables. A winner of numerous toy awards, this matching game features ten pairs of cards with colorful pictures of animals. The cards are larger than normal, so they are easy for little ones to read and manipulate (and not lose between airplane seats!) as well as durable enough to stand up to extended use. $12.
Travel Doodles Card Deck. With a dry-erase pen and over 100 different activities, including mazes and drawing challenges, the Travel Doodles Card Deck will surely keep kids entertained. The cards easily wipe clean after use, which really comes in handy if your child has a favorite they want to use again immediately! $10.
A Day at the Airport by Richard Scarry. This book has the winning combination of an author kids love and a story about something they’re in the process of experiencing. Like all Scarry books, it shows lots of things happening behind the scenes of the main storyline. This results not only in plenty of stuff for children to explore on their own, but will also have them looking with new insight at what’s going on around them at the airport. $4.
