The best travel games for toddlers: ideas for car, train, plane and holidays

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Travelling with toddlers can be wonderful – but also challenging. Long car journeys, waiting at the airport, train rides or restaurant visits on holiday can quickly get boring for small children. That's exactly why it's worth having a few simple travel games and activity ideas on hand.

The best travel games for toddlers are light, compact, quiet and quick to use. They shouldn't have too many small parts and should ideally fit into a bag or small backpack. That way you can keep your child entertained on the go without bringing along a lot of luggage.

Here you'll find practical travel games for toddlers that you can use in the car, on the train, on the plane, at a restaurant or in a hotel. The words in bold are good candidates for affiliate links.

1. Seek-and-find books for the journey

Seek-and-find books are perfect for travel because children can spend ages exploring them. They need no instructions, make no noise and work without a table too. Small mini seek-and-find books that fit easily into a bag are especially handy.

For a small, calm travel activity, this picture book for babies and toddlers (affiliate link) also works nicely.

You can set your child simple search tasks: “Can you find the dog?”, “Where's the red car?” or “How many birds can you see?” That instantly turns the book into a little game.

Good for: car, train, plane, restaurant
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2. Sticker books without much mess

Sticker books are popular with many toddlers because they get to be active themselves. Reusable sticker books or sticker pads with large stickers are especially well suited to travel, since they have fewer small pieces.

This sticker book for kids (affiliate link) is a compact activity idea for on the go.

Themes such as animals, vehicles, farm life, the sea or holidays work especially well for travel. If your child is still very young, make sure the stickers are big enough.

Good for: train, plane, hotel, restaurant
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3. Magnetic games for toddlers

Magnetic games are ideal for travel because the pieces stay in place better. There are small magnetic books, magnetic puzzles or magnetic boards that let children arrange figures, animals or vehicles.

A travel magnetic play set (affiliate link) that closes shut helps keep the pieces together.

Sets that close up like a book are especially practical. That way everything stays together and doesn't immediately disappear into the bag.

Good for: train, plane, hotel room
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4. Water colouring books and magic doodle boards

If you're after something creative without the mess of pens and crayons, water colouring books are very practical. Children paint with a water pen and the colours appear as if by magic. Once dry, the page can often be used again.

A reusable water colouring book (affiliate link) is especially handy because it creates no pen mess.

A magic doodle board also works well for travel. Children can draw, erase and start again – without using any paper.

Good for: car, train, plane, waiting room
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5. Busy boards for little hands

A busy board is an activity board with latches, buckles, zips, buttons or small tasks. It suits toddlers who like opening, closing and trying things out.

Soft busy board bags or activity boards are especially practical for travel, since they're lighter than large wooden boards.

This compact busy board for on the go (affiliate link) offers little tasks for busy hands.

Good for: plane, train, hotel, restaurant
Affiliate ideas: busy board, busy board bag, activity board, Montessori busy board

6. Threading games and motor-skills games

Threading games build fine motor skills and concentration. For travel, simple sets with large beads, wooden shapes or lacing cards work well. It's important that the pieces are large enough and age-appropriate.

Small motor-skills games, shape-sorting games or sorting games can also work well if they have few pieces and pack away quickly.

Good for: train, hotel, restaurant
Affiliate ideas: threading game, motor-skills game, shape-sorting game, sorting game, Montessori toys for toddlers

7. Small puzzles for on the go

A compact travel puzzle can keep toddlers well entertained, especially if they already know puzzles. Wooden puzzles, magnetic puzzles or puzzles with few pieces are best suited to travel.

Make sure not to bring puzzles that are too difficult. Attention spans are often shorter on trips, so simple pictures work better.

Good for: hotel, holiday flat, restaurant, train
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8. Small figures for pretend play

Some children happily occupy themselves for ages with small figures. Animal figures, wooden figures, toy figures, vehicles or a small farm play set are well suited for this.

In a hotel room, restaurant or on the train, little stories can grow out of these. It's especially handy to bring the figures along in a small pouch.

Good for: hotel, holiday flat, restaurant, train
Affiliate ideas: animal figures, wooden figures, toy figures, toy cars, farm play set

9. Travel games with cards

For older toddlers, simple picture cards, memory cards or flashcards can be exciting. You can name animals, look for colours or find matching pairs together.

A small children's memory game also works well if you have a table. For travel, a few cards are usually enough, so the game doesn't get too confusing.

For a shared break at the table, a compact HABA family game (affiliate link) is a good fit.

Good for: hotel, restaurant, train
Affiliate ideas: picture cards, memory cards, flashcards, children's memory game, card game for toddlers

10. Play dough for quiet moments

Play dough can work very well on the go if you're sitting at a table. Children can roll, press, shape and build small figures. Small play dough tubs or mini play dough sets are well suited to travel.

On a plane or in the car, play dough is rather impractical, but in a hotel, restaurant or holiday home it can be a lovely activity.

Good for: hotel, holiday flat, restaurant
Affiliate ideas: play dough, mini play dough set, play dough moulds, play dough mat

11. Small building blocks and stacking games

Compact building blocks, stacking cups or interlocking blocks can keep toddlers occupied for a long time. They can build towers, sort colours or try out shapes.

Small sets work better than large boxes for travel. Silicone stacking cups are especially practical because they are light, sturdy and versatile.

Good for: hotel, holiday flat, picnic, beach
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12. Audio stories and children's headphones

Not every travel game has to be visual. Audio stories can be especially helpful on long journeys. With the right children's headphones, your child can listen to stories without disturbing anyone else.

These children's headphones (affiliate link) are a practical addition for audio stories on longer journeys.

Short stories, songs or simple interactive audio stories suit toddlers well. Make sure to keep the volume low.

Good for: car, train, plane
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13. A snack box as an activity

A well-stocked snack box can not only stave off hunger on the go, but also keep children entertained. Small compartments with fruit, crackers, vegetables, rice cakes or dried fruit make snacks more interesting.

Compartment lunch boxes, snack cups, reusable snack bags and a leak-proof drinking bottle for toddlers are especially practical.

A compartment snack box (affiliate link) keeps different small snacks within easy reach.

Good for: all types of travel
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14. A little surprise bag for long journeys

A small surprise bag can help on longer journeys. In it you can hide several small activities that your child gets one by one.

Good options include a small sticker book, a mini seek-and-find book, a water colouring book, a small toy car, animal figures or a threading game.

The advantage: not everything becomes boring right away, and there's always something new to discover.

Good for: long car journeys, plane, train travel
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15. Practical storage for travel games

So that everything doesn't disappear into the bag while travelling, good organisation is worth it. Travel organisers, toy bags, small storage pouches, zip pouches, a kids' backpack or a car seat organiser are all practical.

That way you'll have books, snacks, toys and wet wipes within easy reach.

Good for: car, train, plane, holidays
Affiliate ideas: travel organiser, toy bag, storage pouch, kids' backpack, car seat organiser

Tips for travel games with toddlers

Pack several small activities rather than one big toy. Toddlers often switch quickly between activities, so variety helps.

A practical mix includes:

• seek-and-find book

• sticker book

• water colouring book

• busy board

• magnetic game

• snack box

• children's headphones

• small toy figures

• travel organiser

It's best not to hand over all new toys straight away at the start. Spread them out over the journey instead. That way the entertainment stays exciting for longer.

Conclusion: good travel games make things much more relaxed on the go

The best travel games for toddlers are simple, compact and flexible. They don't need to be expensive or complicated. Often a seek-and-find book, a sticker book, a water colouring book, a small busy board or a few animal figures are enough to make waiting times and long journeys more pleasant.

What matters is that the games suit your child's age and are easy to pack. With a small selection of travel games, your next outing, holiday or family visit becomes noticeably more relaxed.

With the Unitee app you can find family-friendly activities, destinations and events near you – perfect for small and big adventures with children.