34 Fun Travel Toys For Toddlers & Little Kids (2023)

The busy board is in our opinion one of the best travel toys for any little hands you’re looking to keep occupied.

Featuring twenty-five interactive learning games, such as alphabet activities, jigsaw puzzles, shoelaces, and belt buckles, this Montessori-inspired toy offers a variety of engaging experiences.

However, what really sets this board apart when compared to other toys is that all the activities are securely attached to the board so there are no small parts that go missing.

Children love stickers, however, they are typically known for having a short life span.

Thankfully, however, a reusable sticker pad allows the stickers to be reapplied time and time again.

These Melissa & Doug sticker pads are available in a range of designs, including fairies, farmyards, prehistoric, town and vehicles and are the perfect way to keep little ones entertained.

These incredible magnetic puzzle books are one of the best toddler toys for building dexterity.

Each book contains three different jigsaws with 20 bright and colourful pieces.

Made of quality wood, the pieces are durable and will provide entertainment for many car journeys to come.

While we do try to minimise screen time during a long flight or car journey, we also try to be realistic in what works (and works well) for our little one.

Personally, we’ve gone for the Kindle Fire HD tablet from Amazon as a tablet since this is significantly more affordable than other tablet options and comes in a kid-proof case for added protection.

Be sure to download a range of suitable apps and videos in your hotel room or at home in advance to avoid having to rely on mobile data.

Fidget toys are a fantastic option for older toddlers and young kids.

If your little one already has a favourite fidget toy such as a fidget spinner or poppit then be sure to pack that.

Alternatively, consider buying a variety pack (which is super affordable) to get a better understanding of which toy suits your child the best.

Let your child’s artistic imagination go to new levels with this magnetic drawing board.

The magnetic element helps keep stamps close by for when they need them and the pen is attached to the board with a short string.

Even though it’s attached, it can still be used by both left and right-handers.

For when they want to wipe everything off and start over, the ergonomic eraser is perfect.

Buckle toys are a great way to keep your toddler busy whilst you are driving.

It aids brain development and educates children about numbers, colours, and more.

There are six buckles for your little one to connect together and a zipper pocket too.

Those fine motor and problem-solving skills will be worked on with every mile you spend on the road.

Books are utterly fantastic. Losing yourself in the pictures and words on the pages is something quite special.

By having some age-appropriate books in your car during long journeys, toddlers can enjoy stories by themselves or with you.

Books help to develop the brain and imagination, strengthen relationships and even develop emotions and language.

Keep your toddler’s little fingers busy with a pop-it toy.

Pop-it toys come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and designs and this butterfly one is great for kids in the car.

It is easy to hold and light enough to use for long periods of time.

Mess-free colouring is every parent’s dream!

The quiet time of colouring fun, without the risk of said colouring being all over anything in the vicinity of the child.

This groundbreaking invention from Crayola means that colouring only appears on special paper.

The pens don’t work on anything but that special paper, meaning your clothing, car interior and even the child’s own skin is safe from being coloured in!

Quiet Books are exactly that, books that will entertain youngsters and keep them quiet.

Available in a range of different colours, the product is a Montessori toy that provides education through play.

The soft-touch durable book has nine activities for youngsters to enjoy, including telling the time, using a zipper, and matching different coloured velcro straps.

Another fantastic Montessori activity for long journeys is the Pull String Toy.

Toddlers will develop their fine motor skills by pulling on the cords, making different sounds and vibrations depending on the cord they pull as well as the speed at that they pull it.

There are additional activities, including raised soft buttons which will stimulate curiosity via texture. Meanwhile, the portable size makes it the perfect travel toy for little ones.

These magnetic tiles are fantastic!

You can use just six of these tiles to make a cube or all sixty of them to create an incredible set-up.

There are a number of different shapes in the pack, including speciality ones and even wheels. Encouraging creativity, imagination and problem-solving.

Creations are easy to bring to life with magnetic tiles and your toddler will soon get a grasp of the magnetic polarities too.

If you are looking for super sensory toys for your youngster on their travels, these Pop Tubes are ideal!

They are brightly coloured and easy to hold, whilst encouraging the development of fine motor skills.

They provide tactile and audible stimulation, the crinkly noise is surprisingly satisfying!

Along similar lines to Where’s Wally, iSpy books are great for car journeys.

The creators use everyday objects to enhance intellectual discovery. Your toddler will become a detective, trying to solve the riddle and find the objects on the pages.

The books are aimed at ages 4 – 7, yet the reviews say that older children and grown-ups enjoy them too.

Magnetic toys are perfect on long road trips as they are easy to handle and don’t fall all over.

If you have tots who love dress-up, a Magnetic Play Set is perfect to keep them entertained.

In the kit, you will receive three flat magnetic dolls. Along with a whole load of clothing items and accessories that are also magnetic.

Kids can create their dream outfits, mix and match and make the dolls look like their favourite characters.

Kids love to be creative. You only have to look at Forky from Toy Story 4 to see that.

You might not think that a bag of pipe cleaners will entertain youngsters, but add some googly eyes and you have got a winner.

In around 30 vibrant colours, these pipe cleaners will provide hours of crafty fun.

See who can create the cutest character during the journey. The only limitation is what you can imagine.

The Inny Bin is perfect for toddlers 6 months and up.

It comes with six chunky blocks, in different colours and shapes. Which can be pushed through the elasticated webbing of the cube.

Sounds simple, right?

However, the toy actively encourages a number of things including sorting skills, shape recognition, tactile skills, creative thinking and intellectual curiosity.

You can’t go wrong with Play-Doh. It is a great product to have in your accessible travel bag to entertain little ones.

The 2-ounce pots are perfectly sized to give kids plenty of dough to play with without creating too much of a mess.

Let their imaginations run wild with dazzling colours or give them a little challenge to complete.

This player is perfectly sized to fit on youngsters’ laps as they are told a story they have selected.

The audio books come on individual cards which are inserted into the machine. There are many stories available, including collaborations with Disney.

The pixel display on the machine helps bring the story to life. There is even a headphone socket so they can listen by themselves.

The Wooden Take-Along range from Melissa & Doug is fantastic.

Everything your little ones need to have fun with is bundled up in this playset which packs away into a foldable storage case with handles.

With different themes available, including town and farm, tots will love playing with vehicles and setting up little buildings to drive around.

The squishy and squashy Playfoam is perfect for toddlers to get creative with.

Preschoolers can express themselves through play, as they mould and sculpt different shapes and creations with the vivid, non-toxic Playfoam.

When they want to start over, just squash it back down and get crafting again.

This product aids hand eye coordination as well as fine motor skills. As it never dries out, the fun will never end!

You have probably come across Bristle Blocks before. They have been a classic and somewhat staple toy for more than 50 years.

The pieces come in a range of shapes, sizes and colours, with the soft, interlocking bristles opening opportunities to build whatever takes your fancy.

Compatible with other brands, this 112-piece set is ideal for your travels. Enough pieces to allow for ultimate creations without the worry of hauling around too much stuff.

These machine-washable Melissa & Doug puppets are perfect for bringing a story to life.

Available in a wide range of different designs, these puppets help to develop fine motor skills, emotions and vocabulary.

Stacking toys are wonderful for fine motor skills, organisation and problem-solving.

The muscles in your little one’s hands will be worked, as they learn to control their fingers and their grasp and release skills.

Perfect for travelling because they nest inside one another for simple storage, these eight beautifully coloured cups will give your toddler lots of joy and fun.

The Leapfrog 100 Animal Book is one of the best toddler travel toys currently on the market.

With 100 different animals to discover, this interactive book is perfect for young children who are eager to learn.

The book features different modes of play, including letter and animal recognition, making it both educational and entertaining.

The Water Wow! toy by Melissa & Doug is a super fun painting activity set for kids that’s totally mess-free.

With this set, you get some special refillable water painting pads and a cool water pen that you can use to reveal bright and colourful pictures on the pages.

The pads come in different themes like animals, letters, and numbers, so your little ones can learn while they play.