The Best Travel Games
for Toddlers
to keep them entertained during the trip
This page is about the best Travel Games for Toddlers. Driving long distances with toddlers can be a challenge. It’s difficult for them to sit still and restrained for such a long time. And they are too young to play a lot of travel games for kids, since they can’t read or don’t recognize the alphabet yet. But they need to be entertained and luckily there are all kinds of car travel games and activities to play and to do to make your trip easier and more fun for everybody.
We give you the opportunity here to find the best travel games for toddlers. We made a selection of easy and fun games and activities, kids will enjoy playing during the trip. Some of this little games are perfect to give as a surprise on moments you need it most! Make them into little surprise presents and see your children happy and entertained again! (at least for a while hopefully..)
TRAVEL GAMES FOR TODDLERS
I “NOSE” IT
This is a funny travel game if you have a toddler and an older sibling in the car. The toddler is learning body parts and probably knows some of them already, which makes this travel game fun and educational. The older sibling starts by pointing to a body part, but says a different body part. For example: he can point to his nose and say: “this is my knee”. The other player then has to point to his knee and name a different body part and so on. Trying to get the younger one to understand this silly game is part of the fun. Lots of laughs from both the kids! And that’s what you want to hear from the back seats of your car, not?
DON’T LAUGH
This is another travel game for toddlers that’s perfect when you have an older sibling in the car. The older sibling must name an emotion or feeling and the younger one must try to express that feeling by showing that emotion on his face. You can try emotions like surprised, angry, sad, happy and so on. If the younger one doesn’t know how to express that emotion, the older sibling has to show it to him and he has to try to make the same face. But the one who laughs is the loser of the game.
TIC TAC TOE
Take ‘N’ Play Anywhere games feature big magnetic playing pieces that are easy for kids to use and hard for kids to lose. Another great travel game for toddlers or any where take along game. Big pieces, stick well on tin. Not easy to loose and very easy to find.
I SPY
Play a little I Spy game with your toddler. A great game when he is mastering the colors. Choose something in the car itself, so the child has time to think and look for it. Say: ” I spy with my little eye….something that is…”. Name a color and have your child look around for things that have the color you mentioned.
GO FISHING
Take -N’ Play Anywhere games come in a travel case easy for children and adults to play on the road and compact to carry. The game includes large magnetic pieces that are easy to use and yet hard to lose! With this convenient square tin, game pieces will attach to the board and won’t slide or roll around while on the move. Use the magnetic fishing poles to catch the colorful fish and put them in your boat.
MAKE ANIMAL SOUNDS
Fun and easy travel games for toddlers you can play with a bit of imagination and creativity. Make a sound of an animal and let the child name that animal.Or describe an animal and let the child guess which animal you are describing. Educational and fun.
TRAVEL ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS
BRING SOME BOOKS
Let the child bring some sturdy board books with lots of pictures or lift the flap books. It will keep him entertained for a while.
STORY ON THE GO!
This is my kids favorite. Let the kids listen to stories on CD which are told with music and sounds (preferable stories they already know from books). The more they listen to the same CD, the more they will copy the sounds and have fun. Try to find CD’s with lively storytelling, sound effects & music that will delight and entertain on long road trips or anytime! See an example here!
LISTEN TO MUSIC
Of course this can be all kinds of music. Classical music will calm down some kids and children’s music will make them sing for a while. My kids love to hear the same CD with children songs over and over again, so we had to take turns. One CD for them and then I could chose something and expose them to other music as well.
WOOLY WILLY
The original “magnetic personality”. Draw whiskers, hair and eyebrows on Wooly Willy with this magic wand. Little kids have always been fascinated with the magnetic pull of the pencil and with all the variants of the hair. I would highly recommend it to all. Truly, a classic toy and a perfect travel game for toddlers. ONLY $2.29 !!
WOODEN VEHICLES MAZE PUZZLE
From Melissa & Doug, the Fresh Start line of wooden puzzles will intrigue any child with adorable artwork and easy-to-grasp pieces. Unique features like pieces that slide along slotted tracks (so you’ll never lose puzzle pieces!) and bright, interchangeable shapes provide plenty of fun for fertile young minds.
FUN FARM BEAD MAZE
Take this bright and colorful one-player bead puzzle in the car, plane or train. The Fun Farm puzzle is great for travel, as well as for exciting play at home. Use the wand to guide the beads to the end of this durable maze, all of which are safely sealed behind a layer of acrylic plastic. This will engage children as they pull the balls with the magnetic wand – like magic!
DOODLE PRO TRAVEL
A very good toy for traveling with kids. The toy works exactly how you would expect – draw on it with the magnetic pen and erase with the little slider. No loose pieces and no mess, just lots of fun. It is great that it comes with a handle so the kids can carry it with them when they are on the go.
Fisher-Price Doodle Pro Travel Green GET IT HERE
CHAT AND COUNT PHONE
Fun learning in a smart little phone. Sing along to songs about counting and phone routines, explore more than 15 phone activities and call on Scout for learning fun as you trade calls and voicemails with your puppy pal. You can take the Chat & Count Phone everywhere. It is perfect for the car, grocery store and doctor’s office. A topper with very good reviews!
BRING SOME SMALL ELECTRONIC LEARNING TOYS
Even young kids love computers and laptops. It’s a fact that they grow up in a world of electronics. The Tote and Go Laptops for babies and toddlers from Vtech or Leapfrog are good to keep them entertained and they are educational too.
LACE AND TRACE FARM
Lacing cards are great for improving hand to eye coordination. They give the kids a feeling of accomplishment and also calm down an agitated child. The shapes are just adorable and the child can do as much as they are ready to do. As usual, Melissa & Doug toys are creative and sturdy, just the kind of a toy to have handy for times when you want children to play quietly for a while.
100 THINGS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN TO DO ON A TRIP (Activity Cards)
My personal favorite!! Inside this pack of cards are lots of puzzles to solve, pictures to draw and things to spot. The cards are wipe-clean so they can be used again and again. These cards are great. They are the perfect size for travel and are very sturdy. There are several different activities included, from mazes, find the differences, finish the drawing, word searches, logic puzzles, and more. Includes 50 cards.
Read what others say about this product: Absolutely fabulous write-on – wipe-off cards with all kinds of different puzzles kept my 4 year old daughter busy and happy for much of a 27 hour flight! Would not leave home without this for any future plane, train or car journey….Want to read more ?
As you can see, there are plenty of travel games for toddlers. But the most important thing is to make regular stops and get the child out of his car seat so he can move around a little bit and stretch his legs. With these fun car travel games and activities you will help the kids enjoy their trip and you help yourself having a good trip too!
Besides this page about travel games for toddlers we also have a page with fun travel games and there you can find more games suitable for young children. For example the Find It Games or the Travel Bingo. Click here to go to our Fun Travel Games page.
