All I can find are things to do with toddlers! I'll probably pack some books since the 5 year old is reading. New ideas needed and bonus if they double for a plane ride later this month!
-
Do they already have boogie boards? Ours get a lot of use day to day and anytime we do car or plane. They won’t keep them busy hours at a time but so easy to throw in a bag.
-
@bhbee: I don't even know what that is!
-
One of my favorite things to do prior to a vacation is to browse amazon for new things to do. I always bring a mix of new and old things because my son just isn't the kind of kid to amuse himself with an empty box.
I haven't done this, but window clings might be fun. I get the inexpensive seasonal ones at the grocery store, but it would be a good activity to stick them on the windows of the car.
Anything with magnets are great. I like the tic tac toe kits or the kits with the play scenes. You can get great ones, with construction vehicles or fairies. There are also books that have magnets as part of them.
Another fun thing was travel puzzles, particularly the ones that have a different picture on each side of a cube. A little bulky, but my son loved them. And they can function for stacking and building at your destination.
If you are brining an ipad, another fun thing is Osmo. It requires a surface on which to lay all of the items, but if you're at your destination, it could also be fun and would be okay for plane travel using the tray table.
-
New markers and little notebooks to write in. Books. Stuffed animals/toy figures for pretend play. Magnet/sticker scenes. Picking out the music. We commute 2 hours each day, and that list keeps my 5yo happy.
-
@bhbee: These look amazing. Which one do you have? Scribble 'n play?
-
We love the Melissa&Doug Water Wow books!
-
@shabang: @matador84: ugh I replied this morning and the site ate it! Anyway, there are multiple versions and knock offs but I think we have this one below - i don’t know if others have more features but basic works well. We got one as a gift for 6th bday and bought the next for brother like 3 days later because they both loved it! I think it’s extra fun for the ones who can read and write but they both love scribbling and drawing on it too. We also often have coloring or color wonder markers but this is so much easier for the car and for just any time to throw in my purse.
https://www.amazon.com/Boogie-Board-eWriter-Gray-J31020001/dp/B010HWCEFY
-
@bhbee: Love it, thanks!
-
I saw this on Amazon:
And Simon! I loved Simon as a kid and thought it would be good for building memory.
-
@bhbee: So cool!! I can't believe I've never seen one. Adding to my cart for each kid now! Going to try this one, I think.
-
@matador84: that's fun! I better not show my kids that picture
-
My 3 and 6 year old like to make up games in the car. They have flag counting contests; American flags, state flags, store logo flags, construction flags. This works on city highways and country roads. They also have some game about different road signs. I have no understanding of the rules, but they do. Maybe get them started by creating some rules on identifying signs, I think they started with saying Misses Stop Sign whenever they saw a stop sign. Also, check out sparklestories.com. I think I read about that here. They have a free trial and lots of car stories with activities. We also like the junkyard stories and the Martin and Sylvia stories for their ages.
-
We haven't ever gone very far in the car (3-4 hour trips max), but my kids LOVE to listen to Stories Podcast and are entertained just listening to music, like the Moana soundtrack. I don't let them read because they get car sick. I think something like a Water Wow would be great!
-
I get the 8x11 size dry erase boards and color markers with erasers, and the kids can draw for quite a while. I snap a photo of their drawing before they erase to start anew. Lakeshore Learning is great for kid supplies and they regularly offer coupons by text and email.
For long plane rides, I buy these little blank booklets from Lakeshore and ask my 6 year old (who loves to draw) to fill it with drawings to give as a gift to relatives who we will visit. Keeps him occupied for quite a while.
Chess on the iPad is another good activity
-
@matador84: we have portable DVD players for plane rides and long car rides. They are amazing. We did 4 hours round trip this weekend and they were quiet as little mice! I am sure it is not as educational as some of these other options but it is wonderful to have a little peace and quiet.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
15 comments