The Unknown Ahead

Let’s keep those kids busy! If you’re like us, you don’t mind some screen time to get some peace and quiet, but you also don’t want the kids plugged in every minute of your trip. So how do we keep everyone entertained without resorting to 24-hours of Nintendo Switch? 

I have some kid-tested-and-approved ideas for you!

If we’re flying, we pretty much let the kids do as much screen time as they can handle. If it’s an overnight flight, then it’s a few hours of screen time before a little reading and time for sleep. Every family has their own electronics threshold…no judgement. However, when we’re out at restaurants, chilling at the Airbnb in the evenings or have multiple days on the road, we want the kids engaged with something besides their tablets.

The list below was created by me and my two kiddos, so we hope you find something useful! We tried to think about toys and games that they enjoyed when they were little too, so this list should apply to kids ranging from elementary through middle school. 

There are some Amazon affiliate links in this post; however, I will only recommend items that we have personally used and truly believe in sharing.   

Interactive Books

There are so many fun books to keep the kids busy! Besides the obvious novel, here are some of our favorite books that can keep the kids happy through an entire meal.

The first one is a fond memory from my own childhood road trips and is still fun for kids (and adults!) to this day: Where’s Waldo? The best thing about Waldo is that you never remember where he’s hiding! I’ve looked at the same Waldo books for years and still have to search every time. If you haven’t seen a Waldo book lately, did you know there are more people to find than just our striped-shirted friend? There’s also Wizard Whitebeard, Wenda, Odlaw and Woof the dog. For a set that travels easily, check out this mini travel set that includes five tiny books! There’s also a “Games-on-the-Go” version with a fold-out board game, puzzles, searches, and activities.

If Waldo is a little intimidating, there are a plethora of find-it books out there for kids of all ages. Check out some of the books from Highlights! These hidden image pictures will have your kids searching for hours on end. We like this 1500+ Hardest Hidden Pictures book because it shows you the items that you’re looking for on the side. It’s easy to grab a pencil and check things off as you go. The only down side is that the book is kind of fat and heavy. We also love the 101 Bananas book. It not only has picture searches, but also mazes, jokes, and silly activities. Even my 11-year old still loves using this book on vacation. If mazes are more of your thing, then check out this Jumbo Book of Mazes…your kid will be so enthralled that you might even forget they’re at dinner with you.

Older kids (10+) might enjoy solving a murder! Try Murdle! It’s like a little version of Clue where you read descriptions and try to solve a who/what/where mystery. There’s code breaking, map skills, and humor galore. 

If you have an artsy kid, I love how to draw books. This one works for really little ones (ages 4+) – How to Draw Everything. It gives step-by-step instructions on how to draw everything from fish to unicorns to dinosaurs. If I’m being honest, I really like these books too! For really little kids, there are the Water Wow books that change color using only a little paintbrush filled with water. Not only are they reusable, but the only potential mess is a little bit of water. That’s a win! For more accomplished artists, there’s a book called 642 Tiny Things to Draw. It’s literally a tiny book at only a few inches, but it gives you random prompts on what to draw. My son loves this one!

There are a few other how-to books that are fun in planes, cars, and restaurants. One is Knots for Kids. We originally found this book at an REI store. My kids were being so annoying at dinner one night that my husband actually took off his shoelaces and gave this to the kids just to shut them up. And it worked! I’d suggest getting some yarn or rope or something, but shoelaces worked in a pinch. And it’s a valuable life skill! The other how-to book I’d suggest is Origami for Kids. Origami paper is small and travels really well.    

I would not recommend any books that have a “scratch off” element. These things are a mess. Likewise, I really dislike sticker books. I know, I’m a monster, but I hate finding tiny stickers all over the place. My daughter got a book of tiny sticker crystals years ago, and I STILL find these sticky little gems in the house to this day. Hard pass for me.

Drawing Games

Of course, there’s also just good ‘ol pencil and paper. We always have a sketch book and a little pouch of pencils and colored pens on hand when we go out. These colored pencils come is a cute container with a built-in sharpener. It’s easy to throw in a purse or backpack and the options are limitless. 

There are several drawing games that we love to play as a family. These are free! All you need is paper, a pencil, and your collective imagination! The first is called Describe It. Person One thinks of a simple image and Person Two draws it based on the description by Person One. So for example, Person One might say “draw a medium sized circle near the bottom of the page. Then draw a second circle on top and a smaller third circle on the very top. Inside of the top circle, draw two tiny circles and semi-circle. Add two lines popping out of the middle circle.” It’s supposed to be a snowman…but depending on how descriptive the first person is, these often come out hilarious. Everyone else can watch and a giggle, and then we take turns. Not only is this game a great way to pass the time, but it’s actually a really smart way to get your kids to use descriptive language and articulate what they mean with clarity. Surprise! it’s secretly educational! 

There’s another drawing game that we like where one person draws a basic shape on a piece of paper and passes it to the next family member. The second person can add one item to the drawing and then passes it again. You keep passing it around until something starts to take shape and a drawing forms. Our’s usually turn into weird little monsters of some sort, but it’s usually funny and can be played by just about any aged kid while waiting for those chicken nugs to arrive.

Card Games

I have to admit that I love a good-old-fashioned deck of cards. Even something as simple as War can keep kids entertained for a decent amount of time in the back seat of the car. When we were in Punta Cana, we bought a deck of waterproof cards so that they could play in the pool too. Not only can you do traditional card games, but you can also try out some magic tricks or build a house of cards. There are SO many options with only a single deck.

If you haven’t heard about Phase 10, you’re in for a real treat! I love this game. Everyone works through the various phases of the game at their own pace, so even if you don’t win the round, you’re never out of the game. I’d say this is probably best for ages 8+ since there is some strategy involved. This one is truly fun for the whole family to play!

One of our absolute favorite games in the world is Dixit. These are gorgeously drawn cards that will instantly spark your imagination. Here are the rules, if you want to check it out. Basically, everyone has cards in their hand with fantastical drawings on them. One person gives a verbal descriptor of their card. For example, if you have a card with a hot air balloon drifting over alligators, the descriptor might be “dangerous travels”. Each player then looks through their own cards and picks a drawing that might fit that description. The goal is to choose the original person’s card, but there will be a lot of beautiful decoys too. Even the youngest family members could probably figure out how to play this one. For travel, we forgo the score sheet and just grab some of the cards at random and rubberband them together to be popped in a backpack. Definitely give this one a go!

This next one I give you with a disclaimer…if you play this game, it will be all poop and fart jokes for the rest of the night. I’m not sure what your family’s vibe is, but my kids have never giggled more than when playing Cards Against Humanity FAMILY EDITION. DO NOT buy the regular card game unless you want to have some really embarrassing discussions with your children. I’m repeating…FAMILY EDITION. 

My final card game suggestion is best for bedtime fun in a hotel room. Campfire Stories for Kids is a card pack with funny characters, settings, and situations. Based on your cards, you begin a story and pass it around to other family members for embellishment. The card prompts keep it from getting too wacky, but the story is really up to everyone’s collective imagination. As you can tell from the deck’s name, this is a great activity for camping trips too.

There are also various decks of cards to spur conversation like Would You Rather and Get to Know Your Family, but you don’t necessarily need card prompts for these kinds of games. During long road trips we often do guessing games where someone thinks of an animal and everyone else asks yes-or-no questions until we figure it out. Simple games without bells and whistles can sometimes be the best.     

Easily Packed Toys

I’m going to give you this category as a simple list. These are all easily packed toys that will keep kids engaged in a multitude of places. They’re discrete enough for restaurants and small enough for a plane’s tray table.

• Plus Plus – We found these when traveling in Italy, and they’ve been a favorite ever since. These were created in Denmark and are similar to LEGO in that you can use them to free build anything from your imagination. There’s an app with step-by-step directions for specific builds too…but the goal was to be unplugged…so use your discretion. The only negative is that they’re small, so easily lost. But, they come in a handy tube that you can throw in a backpack. 
• Squishies – Tiny squishy creatures bring children so much joy. You can get 72 of them for $15. We throw them in our bags by the handful and let them open a few new ones every night so they never get old. 
• Wikki Stix – These are waxy, bendable sticks that you can use to create little sculptures. They come in a convenient box and are reusable. If you’re feeling crazy, you can get really long ones too! It’s 144 feet of fun.
• Wonder Loom – These are just tiny rubber bands that you can loop together to make bracelets. They’re beloved by boys and girls alike. You can order a bazillion of them for $5. 
• Tangrams – These little wooden shapes can be used to create bigger pictures. It’s like a little geometry puzzle. 
• Dominoes – Of course you could just play Dominoes, but we prefer to line them up and knock ’em down. If you have the Boomerang App, it’s really fun to video the sequence and then watch it in reverse. When we were at a rented cabin in the Smokey Mountains, this simple game kept the kids busy at the kitchen table for a long time! 
• Magnificent Matchstick Puzzles – These are described as lateral thinking puzzles. You get 50 fake match sticks and a bunch of little cards with puzzles/riddles that make you manipulate the match sticks in various creative ways. The game says ages 8+, but I think some of these are pretty tough! I’d probably say it’s more like 10+, but maybe your kids are smarter than me.
• Madlibs – What better way to teach your kids about adverbs and adjectives! These funny fill-in-the-blank stories and guaranteed laughter. 

This list was SO much fun to make! I sincerely hope that you found a few new ideas to keep your kids from the dreaded “I’m bored” complaining. If you have other great suggestions, please leave them in the comments below or on my social media! I’d love to discover some new activities too! Happy traveling!