Airplane & Travel Activity Ideas for Kids
We are going on a Disney trip in a few months and I have already started (shocking!) thinking about our airplane travel activities. Really, now is the perfect time since everyone is taking summer road trips and talking about the activities they are packing for their kids. We are not huge fans of using electronic devices to entertain so last time we flew to Disney we filled our 2 year old's (now 4) backpack with small surprises, activities and treats. About every 30 minutes we would alternate pulling out an activity and a treat. She thought it was so much fun and has been begging to do it again this time. No pressure mama! Now, I have baby sister, who will be 15 months old, to plan for as well. Here are some of the ideas we have come up with so far. As we come up with more, we will update the post.
First off, I will not get on the plane with two kids without the following items! Heck, I won't get on the plane by myself without the following! No way! Have you read the info identifying the germiest places on a plane? DON'T look it up! Take it from this germaphobe that you will want to clean the tray table thoroughly before you or your kids touch it! I have found that a package of Clorox Wipes and some plastic table toppers (the ones you put on restaurant tables for babies and toddlers to eat off of) make me feel a whole lot better about my kids dumping their entire bag of airplane provided pretzels onto the tray table and eating from it. I wipe the tray down first (armrests too) and then I cover the entire tray with the table topper.
Happened upon these adorable Disney princess ones in a clearance basket at our local grocery store. They come with stickers! Our 4 yo is going to love these!
All of our travel activities need to fit in this adorable Stephen Joseph backpack that our 4 yo will be carrying on the plane. It is the perfect size and makes her feel so grown up to have her own bag! The morning of the flight she gets so excited because the contents (snacks and activities) of her bag are still a complete surprise to her and will be revealed over the course of the day's travel. (Don't forget to set a few surprise activities and treats aside for the return trip).
Mini Play-Doh
Have you seen these? These are fantastic!!! How perfect will a few of these mini Play-Dohs be tucked into Miss 4 year olds activity/snack backpack! We found ours at Target. They work great for activities 2 and 3 below. Each package comes with 15 (1oz) containers. I won't feel bad when I throw them away after each leg of the trip, especially if they fall on the floor. Eeh!
Create-A-Monster
I think this activity is the one our 4 year old is most looking forward to. I let her try it out on the day I was gathering all the tidbits for it. She wound up playing with it for over an hour. I told her I was putting it up until the trip so it would be new and exciting. 4 year old sad face.
Create-A-Monster could not be easier! All you need is a ziplock bag and craft supplies from around the house. We already had the following items that were purchased at the Dollar Store- colored popsicle sticks, straws, buttons, pompoms, eye balls (a must), beads, feathers, foam beads, pipe cleaners, mini solo cups, and tasting cups. Don't forget the Play-Doh! We used the mini ones so we can keep everything in one bag.
Once on your trip, simply dump out your bag (on the Chlorox wiped tray table, lol) and get to creating your monster! This activity alone could keep your little occupied for a very long time, especially if you participate and build one too. I'm not going to worry about all the little pieces making a mess on the airplane floor. I'll pick them up, I promise! I just think a little mess that can easily be picked up is a lot more bearable to other passengers and myself then a bored or fussy kid.
And this guy!
And this crazy haired, eyeball guy!
Eeek! And this guy!
Daddy was asked to judge who made the best outfit, Miss 4 or mama. Miss 4's lovely white rose and lace ensemble on the right won!
You can of course set up this activity for home play. We put all of our supplies in this cute 7 compartment serving platter we also found at the Dollar Store.
Disney Imagine Ink Books
Found this also in the Target Dollar Spot. It contains pictures and activities that are done with magic ink. I like it! No messy marker hands or ruined outfits!
Mini Scratch Art Notes
If you've ever played with Scratch Art then you know how fun these are. Look what I found at our local zoo gift shop last year, Mini ones! They are going to be perfect in our activity backpack!
And I found these alphabet shaped ones at the Target Dollar Spot the other day.
Weaving Looms
Are you starting to see a theme? The Target Dollar Spot! Spotted these looms there the other day. Although I did not buy them for our trip (ages 6) I think they would be great for older kids on a plane or car trip. And maybe for the adults too!
Highlights Magazine
Do you remember these from when you were a kid? They are still just as great as you remember. Our 4 year old loves to look at them at the doctor's office, especially the hide-and-seek pages. Got a free 3 month subscription for renewing our zoo pass so of course a copy is going in the activity backpack!
Stacking
Of course, the simplest activity was cup stacking. Sometimes it's the simplest things that they love. Baby loved stacking and re stacking the cups. Found these mini red Solo cups at our Dollar Tree, but any small cup will do.
Mini Ring-Toss
Straw Threading
Baby actually came up with this idea on her own. She stuck the colored popsicle sticks into the large boba straws. We loved watching her concentration and how proud she was of herself.
First off, I will not get on the plane with two kids without the following items! Heck, I won't get on the plane by myself without the following! No way! Have you read the info identifying the germiest places on a plane? DON'T look it up! Take it from this germaphobe that you will want to clean the tray table thoroughly before you or your kids touch it! I have found that a package of Clorox Wipes and some plastic table toppers (the ones you put on restaurant tables for babies and toddlers to eat off of) make me feel a whole lot better about my kids dumping their entire bag of airplane provided pretzels onto the tray table and eating from it. I wipe the tray down first (armrests too) and then I cover the entire tray with the table topper. 
Happened upon these adorable Disney princess ones in a clearance basket at our local grocery store. They come with stickers! Our 4 yo is going to love these!
All of our travel activities need to fit in this adorable Stephen Joseph backpack that our 4 yo will be carrying on the plane. It is the perfect size and makes her feel so grown up to have her own bag! The morning of the flight she gets so excited because the contents (snacks and activities) of her bag are still a complete surprise to her and will be revealed over the course of the day's travel. (Don't forget to set a few surprise activities and treats aside for the return trip).
Mini Play-Doh
Have you seen these? These are fantastic!!! How perfect will a few of these mini Play-Dohs be tucked into Miss 4 year olds activity/snack backpack! We found ours at Target. They work great for activities 2 and 3 below. Each package comes with 15 (1oz) containers. I won't feel bad when I throw them away after each leg of the trip, especially if they fall on the floor. Eeh!
Create-A-Monster
I think this activity is the one our 4 year old is most looking forward to. I let her try it out on the day I was gathering all the tidbits for it. She wound up playing with it for over an hour. I told her I was putting it up until the trip so it would be new and exciting. 4 year old sad face.
Create-A-Monster could not be easier! All you need is a ziplock bag and craft supplies from around the house. We already had the following items that were purchased at the Dollar Store- colored popsicle sticks, straws, buttons, pompoms, eye balls (a must), beads, feathers, foam beads, pipe cleaners, mini solo cups, and tasting cups. Don't forget the Play-Doh! We used the mini ones so we can keep everything in one bag.
Look how scary this popsicle stick monster is!
And this guy!
And this crazy haired, eyeball guy!
Eeek! And this guy!
And this guy!
Create-An-Outfit
This activity works just like Create-A- Monster. We used a lot of the same supplies when we filled our bag. We added lace, flowers, pearl trim, and trim. Don't forget the feathers! They were a 4 year old favorite! Fill your bag with supplies, a few mini Play-Dohs, a small doll and you're little fashion designer will be ready to go!
Then, start creating!
We first tried to build our outfit on the table but found it was easier to build it on our doll.
Daddy was asked to judge who made the best outfit, Miss 4 or mama. Miss 4's lovely white rose and lace ensemble on the right won!
You can of course set up this activity for home play. We put all of our supplies in this cute 7 compartment serving platter we also found at the Dollar Store.
Disney Princess Reusable Sticker Games
Since we will be going to Disney, I could not pass up these games from the Target Dollar Spot. I like the fact that the stickers are reusable.
Disney Imagine Ink Books
Found this also in the Target Dollar Spot. It contains pictures and activities that are done with magic ink. I like it! No messy marker hands or ruined outfits!
If you've ever played with Scratch Art then you know how fun these are. Look what I found at our local zoo gift shop last year, Mini ones! They are going to be perfect in our activity backpack!
And I found these alphabet shaped ones at the Target Dollar Spot the other day.
Weaving Looms
Are you starting to see a theme? The Target Dollar Spot! Spotted these looms there the other day. Although I did not buy them for our trip (ages 6) I think they would be great for older kids on a plane or car trip. And maybe for the adults too!
Highlights Magazine
Do you remember these from when you were a kid? They are still just as great as you remember. Our 4 year old loves to look at them at the doctor's office, especially the hide-and-seek pages. Got a free 3 month subscription for renewing our zoo pass so of course a copy is going in the activity backpack!
For Baby and Very Young Travelers
Fine Motor, Play-Doh, and Stacking Bag
I finally came up with some ideas for my 12 month old who will be 14 months at the time of our trip. I set up a huge Play-Doh activity and observed her and my 4 year old play with all the bits and pieces I set out. Baby's favorites were the mini Solo cups (found at Dollar Tree), the curtain rings (be sure they aren't too small for choking), Play-Doh (may have to make an "edible" batch), boba straws, regular straws, colored popsicle sticks. We created so many activities for her to do with just those items. I will share a few of them below.
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| Activity bag for baby and very young travelers |
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| We made several activities using just the items in this bag. |
Of course, the simplest activity was cup stacking. Sometimes it's the simplest things that they love. Baby loved stacking and re stacking the cups. Found these mini red Solo cups at our Dollar Tree, but any small cup will do.
Mini Ring-Toss
For this activity, we stuck our mini cup in a ball of Play-Doh (because baby kept knocking it over) and let her "toss" the curtain rings in. We were surprised at how good she was at it. Be sure to get rings large enough so they are not a choking hazard, but small enough to fit in your cup.
Or you could stick a straw in the Play-Doh and let baby put the rings on it. We used large boba straws that we found at a local Asian grocery store. They are sturdier and are great for all sorts of crafting.
Straw Threading
Baby actually came up with this idea on her own. She stuck the colored popsicle sticks into the large boba straws. We loved watching her concentration and how proud she was of herself.
Ring Push
Lastly, we simply cut a slot in the top of an empty Play-Doh container and showed baby how to push the curtain rings in. This is another activity that works on fine motor skills. Once all the rings were inside, she liked shaking the container. Don't know how this will go over on an airplane but I think the alternative may be worse.
Well, that's all I've got for now!
I will keep adding activities to this post as we find them. Now, to work on ideas for a 15 month old! If you know of any, please feel free to share them in the Comment section below:-) What are your favorite travel activities?
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