These travel activities will help you out during trips, where all parents know the challenges of keeping your kids entertained. Whether you are looking for some activities for a lengthy road trip or some games for an airplane ride, we got you.
We have laid out the best travel activity ideas for kids. Some of these can be purchased and others can be played for free.
Let’s take a look at some ways to have fun and resulting in a great travel experience.
Fun Travel activities for Kids
1. Mad Libs Junior
How to Play
One person should hold the book so that the others cannot see the pages. The reader will first ask each person, one at a time for a part of speech. When the person gives the reader a word, the reader must then fill in the space blank with the given word. When all the blanks are filled in the reader must then read the story. Of course, it won’t make sense which is what makes it so entertaining.
Why it’s perfect for travel
It’s lightweight and compact to make it easy to pack. Store it with other books or in an art bag, either way, the paperback won’t take up much space. Mad libs is great fun for that long road trip.
2. Melissa & Doug Children’s License Plate Game
How to Play
When you think of a road trip game, this is the one that should come to mind. The rules of this game are simple and can be varied. There are 50 state license plates on the wooden pieces and includes the capital of the state on the opposite side of each piece.
Your children can watch the road for all the different state license plates and as they find them, they can look for them on the board and flip the pieces up. This game can be played as a matching game to learn the state capitals or they can flip the pieces to learn the locations of the states. It can be played solo or with others. There really are no set rules for this fun learning game.
Why it’s perfect for travel
This travel game can be carried in a tote bag or packed nicely into the bottom of a suitcase. You can carry this game in the car for everyday travel as well.
3. Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Game
How to Play
Each player is dealt five cards and the remaining cards can be placed back into the box for easy access. The players should hold their cards facing them so that the other players cannot see them. The players should look around outside of the car for the items on their cards.
As players find their items, they should shout it out, but not loud enough to frighten the driver. After they find the item, they should show the card to the others and keep a pile of only their discards, and they should then draw a new card from the box.
The first player with ten discards in their pile wins. The cards are not only made up of items the players can see, but there are also cards for hearing, feeling, smelling, and some swap cards too.
Why it’s perfect for travel
The cards easily store in a closed box that can be conveniently packed into any tight spot. You can keep this game in a travel tote or keep it stored in a compartment in the car, it’s that small and convenient.
4. Travel Spirograph Play set
How to Play
It’s simple to use; just secure the paper under the cover and put the wheel on the top. Use the design pens to create pictures and your kids could even carry along crayons to color the designs. When the kids are finished, they can store everything inside the container.
Why it’s perfect for travel
This is one of the best travel companions that could be used in the place of electronics. It’s small, lightweight, and compact. The pieces conveniently store under the lid inside the container.
5. Educational Insights Travel Blurt
How to Play
The idea is for each player to take a turn reading the clues. When the clues are read it is up to the other players to blurt out the answers. The person with the most points at the end of the game wins, it’s that simple.
Why it’s perfect for travel
It stores conveniently inside a tin. The cards keep safely in a sleeve while traveling in the back seat of the car so that they won’t spill.
6. Melissa & Doug Flip to Win Hangman
How to Play
Each player takes a turn creating a word or phrase. Once the word or phrase has been created, the other players take a turn guessing a letter. If it’s there it can be written on the dry-erase board and the next player gets a turn.
If the letter is not there a body part should be flipped over on the hangman. Every time a letter is guessed it should be flipped over on the board so that it doesn’t get used again. A player can guess the word at any time when it’s their turn and if it’s correct it will be their turn to create the next word or phrase.
Why it’s perfect for travel
It’s the perfect size for your travel bag and all the pieces, except the pen, are attached so that they won’t come off. The pen will conveniently store on the side of the board so that it won’t get lost.
7. Take ‘N’ Play anywhere – Bingo
How to Play
The first player should spin the spinner and each player should place their marker on the matching animal picture on their game board. Play continues until the first player covers a complete row with markers. If there are more than two players, each person could take turns spinning during a round.
Why it’s perfect for travel
It’s small enough to carry in any bag and can be used anyplace for entertainment.
8. Boogie Board 8.5-inch LCD Writing Tablet
This is not exactly a game, but it’s a perfect alternative to electronics while traveling. This lightweight board is easy to use for all ages. It comes with an LCD screen and a stylus.
How to Play
This is a simple tool that can be used to express your child’s creativity. It can be used to play classic games like tic-tac-toe and hangman, and it can be used for learning and drawing too.
It’s simple to use if your child can hold a pencil than they won’t have a problem figuring this one out. Just use the stylus on the board like writing on paper, when they’re done, the touch of a finger on a button will erase it. It can even be used with a finger if you choose not to use the stylus!
Why it’s perfect for travel
This is lightweight and compact enough to pack into any tote bag, purse, or art kit. The pen can hook right onto the board, so you can see why this would be the perfect choice for a travel necessity.
9. “Make a Car” Scavenger Hunt
Materials:
✓ List of cars
✓ Pencil
✓ Lots of time
Players: Small to medium groups
Here’s a game for the kids to play on that next long car ride. It’s a car scavenger hunt and here’s a list to get you started.
Print this list and have players mark off which cars they have spotted.
If there are several players, take turns as to who marks off the next car that you pass or that passes you or make a copy for each child!
10. Travel Size Battleship
How to Play
Players take turns calling out coordinates. The opposing player will say hit or miss. Place a red pin on a hit coordinate and a white pin on a miss coordinate. When a ship has been fully hit, they must notify the opposing player that they sunk their battleship.
Why it’s perfect for travel
This makes a great kid’s car game and was made for travel. It’s small and lightweight. Carry anywhere.
11. How Far Away is That ______?
Pick an object in the distance and have everyone guess how far away it is. Set your odometer and clock it!
12. Play “Rhyme That Word”
Instructions
- Think of words.
- Children take turns seeing how many “real” rhyming words they can think of.
- When one word is worn out, choose another word. Remind the kids to use “nice” words only!
- Example: Rhyme words with “time”
| Chime | climb |
| crime | dime |
| grime | I’m |
| lime | mime |
| prime | daytime |
| lifetime | enzyme |
| sometime | mealtime |
| meantime | springtime |
| paradigm | overtime |
| sublime | ragtime |
| slime | thyme |
| centime | bedtime |
| rhyme | nighttime |
| pastime | maritime |
13. How about putting together a “Traveling Scavenger Hunt”?
Will you be traveling in the city, on a highway, or in the country? Adjust your list to the places your trip will take you, then make identical lists for each player. (You join in too!) The first to spot the item gets to cross it off of the list!
14. 20 Questions
One person picks something to be, such as a famous person or an animal, and then the rest of the passengers ask ‘yes or no questions’ until someone guesses who the person has chosen to be.
15. Rock Paper Scissors
I like this travel game because you play it with your hands. “Rock” is a fist, “Paper” is a flat hand, and “Scissors” is the pointer and middle fingers making snipping motions. Partners shake their fists three times and then show their chosen motion on the count of three. Winning hands are decided as follows:
Rock breaks scissors. Scissors cuts paper. Paper covers rock.
Play three or 5 times, and see who has the most wins. This is also a good method to see who goes “first” in games.
16. I Spy
This makes a great in car game. One person says “I spy with my little eye, something that is _______ (name a color)”. Then others try to guess what the object is and the one who guesses it takes the next turn.
With older kids instead of this, ‘I Spy’ Play ‘i’m thinking of’: The leader looks about the area and says, “I’m thinking of something that is the color_________. Say what the color it is. Children guess what they think it may be. The winner is the next leader. It’s the same game as ‘I Spy’ buy not with the younger child’s title.
17. Who Can?
Can your kids:
- Roll their tongue (85% of people can).
- Wiggle their ears; wiggle their nose.
- Show they are double-jointed.
- Touch their ear with their elbow (I don’t think anyone can!).
- Whistle (can they whistle by blowing both in and out?).
- Twiddle thumbs (try to do it in both directions at the same time!).
- Rub their stomach and pat head at the same time.
- Make owl hoots with clasped hands.
- Make a popping sound with hand tapping their puckered large “O” shaped mouth.
How about you? Can you?
18. A – Z Back Seat Travels
Materials:
✓ 1 small notebook
✓ 1 large zipper- seal plastic bag
✓ A pen or pencil
✓ Crayon or markers
Instructions
- Before you go on the trip, write a name, the place you are going to, and the date that you are leaving on the cover of the notebook.
- At the top of each page, write one letter of the alphabet, beginning with A and ending with Z.
- Place the notebook, pencil, and crayons in the plastic bag and take them on the trip with you.
- As you travel, look for special landmarks or things and write their name next to the appropriate letter. For example, lake would be written on the “page with “L” at the top.
- Draw a picture of that item on the page, and color the picture with the crayons.
You can use blank pages at the end of the book as a travel diary, detailing everything you saw and did on the trip.
19. Road Sign Scavenger Hunt
This is one of my favorite travel games for kids. Print out a list of common road signs. How many can you find along the way?
20. Play Tic Tac Toe
This can be played on a whiteboard or on a piece of paper. The first one to get 3 x’s or o’s in a row, wins!
21. Practice Pen Spinning
Although pen spinning isn’t a game, it presents a fun challenge and can occupy a lot of time. Learn some fun pen spinning tricks.
22. LEGO travel kit
Probably one of the best on this list. This is a great way to keep the kids entertained for hours during a long drive or even on a plane.
What you need:
- Pencil box
- Hot glue gun
- LEGO base piece
- LEGOs
What you want to do is glue the base piece of the lego inside the box, so it sticks firmly, now place the other lego pieces inside and let your child build what ever he wants, the best part? When he’s done, just close the box with all the pieces inside.
23. NAT Geo sticker books
How about a sticker book that comes with 1,000 stickers. Yes, a 1,000. This will be enough stickers to keep them occupied for a while.
You can get the book from Amazon or other retail stores.
24. Spinner fidgets
Very easy and simple little gadget, but does the job. This activity for a road trip or a flight, this can keep your hands busy and “buy” you the parent a little bit of quiet time.
Conclusion
We hope you have found this list of the best travel games for kids helpful. Did you find a fun game to play in the car or on the airplane? Which one was your favorite?
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