Let’s be honest – travelling with toddlers or young children can be like wrestling with a cat, who doesn’t want to get into their pet carrier – we’re experts in both…
After countless short- and long-haul flights, long car journeys between Germany and Scotland, and several Shrek-type “are we there yet?” interrogations, we’ve found 10 travel toys that actually work. They’re small-ish, don’t make a mess, and have held our boys’ attention for longer than three minutes—which, if you’re a parent, you know is a miracle in itself.
Some were instant hits, some were donated after not being played with, and others we still take everywhere. So, here they are: our go-to toys for keeping four little hands busy and backseat fighting to a minimum.
*This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase any of these items, we may receive a small commission.*
🎨 1. Water Magic Colouring Books
Mess-free colouring = no more worrying about pen marks on plane seats, car doors, or your mother-in-law’s sofa. You just fill the pen with water, they “paint” the pictures, and you get about 5 minutes of silence per page. Perfection. Bonus: after a while the pictures “erase” themselves and they can start all over again.
🧩 2. Magnetic Building Toys
Standard puzzles are a nightmare on the move (especially when you lose a bit on an airplane and it completely disappears into the abyss). Magnetic ones keep everything together, even during turbulence or potholes. And the best bit? They’re lightweight and don’t take up too much room in a bag.
🎲 3. Mensch ärgere Dich nicht / Ludo
This travel edition of Ludo, or Mensch ärgere Dich nicht (Don’t get angry), as it’s called in German is perfect for older children or even adults to play on long journeys – although if your kids are anything like ours, you might have to let them win every so often… we also have a Snakes and Ladder version too.
🎯 4. Reusable Sticker Books
Reusable is key here — standard stickers end up decorating your car windows, your hair, and occasionally the cats. The reusable ones peel off easily and can be rearranged, so they last the whole trip (or until they lose their stick).
🚗 5. Sticker Road or Train Track Washi Tape
A total game-changer for our 6yr old. These were an instant hit – just stick the tape to a plane tray, table or even window and let the adventures begin. They peel off easily, so kids can create a mini city and tear it down before landing/getting out the car.
Tip: Whatever you do, just don’t forget to pack 1-2 small cars and/or trains to avoid a missing-toy-meltdown…
🕹️ 6. Busy Board Book
This busy board book is ideal for when you’re trying to get the kids away from their screens. Lots of hands-on activities like zippers, buttons, and laces – plenty for them to practice with without having to open and close your jacket or shoe laces!
👷🏼 7. Lego
It’s a classic for a reason. We usually just lift a handful of different pieces – it doesn’t have to be anything specific. Alternatively pack a couple of small packs, if your kids would rather know what they’ve got to build. Check out our top tip on how to transport the pieces and base at the bottom of this list.
🐠 8. Silicone Suction Toys
These are brilliant for toddlers who need to touch everything. They stick to windows and tray tables or pile them up and build something crazy. Bonus – they don’t make any noise – although I can’t say the same for the kids!
🪄 9. Fidget Toys
Pop-its, small spinners, or squishy stress balls — they’re light, easy to pack, and work for both calming down and keeping little fingers busy. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve played with them myself when the kids weren’t looking.
💻 10. Tablets (Yes, Really)
We can pretend we’ll get by on colouring books and car games, but after six hours (or should I say minutes) in a confined space, the tech comes out. We preload ours with games, shows, and films (just don’t forget to make sure they’re still available on the journey home – yes, I speak from experience!). And don’t forget the headphones unless you want to listen to Frozen for the 100th time (see below)… Used wisely, they’re a lifesaver — no shame here.
Also always on our list of must-haves are:
✏️ Travel Table Tray
Not really a toy as such, but this is our go-to for road trips. It holds crayons/pencils, small snacks, little toys, and even doubles as a mini desk. Perfect for preventing pens etc. for falling on the floor when you can’t pick them up… plus the tray doubles up as an erasable white board. Our son loves being able to draw in the car and even uses it for his Lego.
🐻 Small Soft Toy or Comforter
Vital for travel — especially for naps on the go. We’ve been through the emergency dash back through a shop and its cafe because “Baby” has disappeared. Unfortunately we never did find her, so now her replacement is always attached to the buggy, baby/toddler carrier or rucksack/handbag by a silicone strap.
🎧 Bluetooth Headphones
We love these ones from iClever. They’re perfect for connecting to the kids tablets and come with an AUX cable if you’ve forgotten to charge them or you want to use them on the airplane and don’t have a Bluetooth transmitter… Bonus – with a 10min charge, they keep the peace for up to 8 hours!
How We Pack It All Without Losing Our Minds
If I left the boys (yes, the adult one too…) to the packing, everything would just get tossed in a bag and would probably end up all over the car floor or between two plane seats…
We use this zip-up folder to keep all of the small toys (Lego, suction toys, magnet building blocks etc) and notepads/pencils/pens tidy:
📁 Trading Card Folder
Inside, we’ve taken out the trading card pockets and added:
– a few Zipper Pouches for LEGO pieces, magnets, suction toys etc.
– a 54-slot pencil sleeve which is filled with
– Alpino Felt Pens and
– BIC Kids Colouring Pencils
We also have 2 of these building plates glued into the inside of the folder so our eldest son has everything he needs in one place to let his imagination run wild:
Final Thoughts
Travel toys don’t need to be huge, noisy, or expensive — just engaging enough to keep them occupied and compact enough to fit in your already overflowing bag. Rotate them often, keep a “secret stash” for emergencies, and you might just get through the journey without hearing “Are we there yet?” more than 47 times. If you want to know what other essentials we have in our bag when we travel or go out, take a look at our blog “What’s in Our Bag When We Travel: Must-Have Items for Kids Under 6”.
What’s your must-have travel toy? We’re always looking for new ideas to keep things fresh (and stop the boys arguing over whose turn it is to play with the train).
“IN THE END, KIDS WON’T REMEMBER THAT FANCY TOY YOU BOUGHT THEM. THEY WILL REMEMBER THE TIME YOU SPENT WITH THEM.”