8 Awesome (and Unplugged!) Family Travel Toys & Activities

Summer is coming and we’ve all got the travel bug! Whether you’re planning a road trip with the kids, flying the friendly skies, or riding the rails, we’ve got eight great road trip essentials perfect for keeping your kids happy, busy, and building their brains en route – and on location at your hotel. Small and self-contained, each of these recommendations is also unplugged, so you can give the phones and tablet a break! Add some of our tried-and-true travel activities to your packing list today!

Get Your Game On – On the Go!

Build problem solving and strategy skills with Kanoodle, the self-contained, pocket-sized, solo puzzle game! Pick one of 200 puzzles from the included guide and place the pieces shown. Then use your noodle to fit the remaining pieces and complete the puzzle!

Younger travelers can get in on the game with Kanoodle Jr. Specially designed for younger kids, this perfectly portable game includes 60 head-scratching puzzle challenges using 6 chunky puzzle pieces.

Make the most of travel time with Brain Bolt, the mind-melting, light-up, memory game! Follow the sequence as long as you can without breaking the pattern in solo play or challenge a friend to see who can follow along the longest. With no pieces to lose, this handheld game is great for fun on the go.

Build Those Brains – On the Go!

Interactive Hot Dots makes it fun to practice everything from shapes and colors to letters, numbers, reading, math, and more! Each set comes with a spiral bound workbook or sturdy, portable box of lesson cards, perfect for travel. Kids simply review the questions, then press the interactive Hot Dots pen to any answer dot for an immediate audio (can be silenced) and visual response.

Get the wiggles out during your layover and make the most of downtime at your hotel or vacation rental with our Shapes, Colors, Alphabet, and Number Bean Bags! Each set comes in a drawstring bag for storage and includes sturdy, colorful beanbags featuring shapes, letters, or numbers. Reach in, pull one out, and toss it to your kiddo to see if they can identify the color and image on the bag. Bonus: you’ll also be building gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination!

Keep little hands busy (and build those fine motor skills!) on your trip with the totally self-contained Design & Drill Toolbox! Kids use real, working tools, including a kid-friendly toy drill, power screwdriver, hammer, pliers, wrench, measuring tape, bolts, and nails to copy designs or create their own construction masterpieces on the included boards (two included boards = no fighting in the back seat!), then pack all the parts and pieces into the handled carry box when you reach your destination.

Get Creative – On the Go!

Keep the creativity flowing, even during long layovers, with the totally self-contained PaperCraft fashion fun paper doll booklets! This set comes with four spiral bound books (no pages to lose!), each featuring three large, easy-to-color dolls and peel-and-stick (and restick) outfits and accessories kids color themselves for endless fashion fun.

Squish, squash, squeeze, and sculpt anything, anywhere, with the self-contained Playfoam Go! set! This portable, handled carry case includes eight colors of non-toxic Playfoam, each with its own storage compartment, and four built-in molds. Playfoam never dries out, so the creativity never ends – and it doesn’t stick to clothing or car seats! 

Engage your tiny traveler’s imagination with Playfoam Pals! Their size makes them perfect for on-the-go travel and kids can choose from unicorns, animals, outer space, and other awesome themes. Squish through the included pod of Playfoam to find a hidden friend, then use the Playfoam to build the perfect play props for your new Pal. Non-toxic Playfoam never dries out, so the fun never ends (no matter how long your trip lasts!).  Another bonus for parents: the Playfoam, Pal, and props can fit back inside the included pod for easy cleanup.

This summer, make the most of your travel time! Skip the phone and tablet and encourage hands-on, creative, brain-building fun with one – or more! – of our awesome travel activities.