These are the best travel toys for toddlers! Use these toys to distract and play on the road, airplane or anywhere you need. These toys and activities will help keep your kids happy, entertained and mostly quiet!
Every year we go on a road trip to Telluride, Colorado with two kids under 6. We have to keep them entertained for 9 looooong hours since we do the drive in one day.
Over the years I have tried lots of activities and toys for traveling. I have found that the Dollar Store toys are always fun to have and we have had one or two that are a success but overall they end up not working well, breaking or the kids have no interest in them.
I put together a list of the travel toys that I think are worth purchasing for more than $1. The best part is all of these toys work great at home, at the restaurant or anywhere you need!
If you do use these toys at home I recommend hiding them from the kids a few weeks before the trip so they are new and exciting when you are traveling.
Happy Travels!
Travel Tray
A travel tray is the most important thing you can purchase for your road trip! This allows the kids to play with all the other things on this list easily and helps pass time. Without this the kids are dropping their toys and have no where to play with anything.
I tested a few travel trays to see what features work best. I found that the ones with a cup holder don’t really work and the kids can’t get their bottle in and out easily. It was actually more of a hassle then a help.
This version has lots of pockets to hold markers, play people or other little items that will get lost easily so I really pack those up before we leave.
My kids actually used the track on the tray to play with their cars and people. Their devices fit in the holder which was also a struggle with a few other options. This has a little more stretch allowing for different types to fit.
On to the Toys…
Magatiles
These magnetic building blocks are worth purchasing even if you aren’t on a road trip! However, I love them even more for a road trip. There are cheaper options out there which I also own (I included a link below to a less expensive one) but I do think think Magna-Tiles stick together easier and hold better.
This allows so many ways to play during your drive! My kids build towers, tunnels, houses for their play people and anything they can think of. 
More Affordable Magnetic Tiles
Reusable Stickers– Top Pick Travel Toys for Toddlers
Reusable Stickers are the best because they are mess-free. They aren’t too sticky and you can use them more than once!!
This set has 60 stickers and includes a fold out with different scenes to play with your stickers on. It’s a great way to have some screen free time during your drive. We have played with them tons of times and they still stick. They have different versions like dinosaurs and space so there is something for every kid.
Color Wonder Markers and Paper
Color Wonder are perfect because you don’t have to worry about getting marker all over your kid or your car. The first road trip we went on my son and daughter literally covered their entire bodies in marker when they use regular markers. It was quite the mess!
That’s when I got smart and got this stow and go Color Wonder. These markers color only appears on the color wonder coloring sheets. The markers and paper stow in the holder which keeps it organized. The kids still love coloring with these markers and there’s no mess for me!
Lacing Cards
Tracing Cards are a great way to work on hand eye coordination and are super fun! Both my 4 and 6 year old enjoy showing how they “sew”. This is another easy and time consuming activity!
Table Topics-
We got a set of these as the prize in the Chick-Fil-A Kids Meal and I couldn’t believe how much the kids love playing this game. It’s full of age appropriate kids questions that they a blast answering all fun topics. I pull this out whenever the kids start to get really antsy and need a change of focus, it works every time!
Duplos
Duplos have been my go-to travel toy since my son was 2. This set has blocks, people and a car which serve lots of different play scenarios. These are an awesome travel toys for toddlers! They can use the car to drive around on their tray table, imagine with the people and of course build! I prefer Duplos to Legos even with my 6 year old because it’s much easier for them not to drop them.
Magnetic Drawing Board
This classic drawing board has been around since I was a kid and it’s still just as great! Easy to draw with the attached stylus and shapes to make creative pictures. I will say that the shapes do get dropped so sometimes I take those away before we play with it in the car. It’s not worth the crying if they drop them on the ground.
My Busy Book– Top Travel Toy for Toddlers
We got our first Busy Book at a yard sale and it was life changing! This is all in one travel activity. It is a 10 page book, lots of plastic figures and a large durable mat. The best part is it all fits inside its box. It has tons of versions like Frozen, Disney Princess or Toy Story. If you only invest in one thing this is my top pick for travel toys for toddlers.
Tablet-
I will say that we love our tablets as well to watch our favorite shows and play games so I had to include them! We have tons of educations games that we have downloaded so I can feel a little better about the screen time. All of the Khan Academy ones can be downloaded so kids can play while you drive!
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