I have mentioned before that we love Mini Jetsetter and their awesome travel tips and kit ideas. Using their ideas for inspiration, here are 2 kits I put together for a recent trip. We traveled to see family, so I went with a slight Valentine’s theme.
When gathering activities and toys to pack, I try to cover 7 main themes: art, fidget toys, sensory materials, building, small world play, puzzles & games and stories. Variety and novelty can be the key here. I keep most of these items separate from their regular toys, so they only see them while traveling, I will also try to rotate some items and activities within each category, so they are not the same activity every time. Most things listed below are from Dollarama, unless otherwise noted.
Travel Activity Kit for 5 Year Old
My daughter is more entertained by arts and crafts activities, so I tend to put more of those in her kit, while of course trying to maintain the balance of “same-ness” for siblings. If the differences between kits is too noticeable, there will be problems.
Art
- blank sketch pad
- stickers
- stencils
- note cards and envelopes for making valentines (white ones from Michaels)
- pencil case with markers, pencil crayons, scissors, glue, washi tape, self inking stamp
- Only Switch-eroo markers (Amazon)
- Mini Etch-a-Sketch (Chapters)
- pipe cleaner and beads for bracelet making
- sewing heart craft
- Spy pen (Zellers)
Fidget Toys
- stretchy bracelets (these were a gift, but I think they are from Joe Fresh)
- Tangle toy
Sensory Materials
- Playdough jar with trinkets
- playdough roller, knife and cutter
- Wiki Stix – wax covered strings (Amazon)
Building
- mini magnetic tiles (AliExpress)
- Heart links (Michaels)
- building flakes
- suction toys
Small World Play (I was a little light on small world play this time)
- pull-back vehicles
Puzzles & Games
- Tin with dry-erase tic-tac-toe
Stories
- Yoto mini and cards
Travel Activity Kit for 3 Year Old
My son is mostly entertained with vehicles and play dough, so his kit has a few less options.
Art
- blank sketch pad
- stickers
- stencils
- note cards and envelopes for making valentines (white ones from Michaels)
- pencil case with markers, pencil crayons, scissors, glue, washi tape, self inking stamp
- Only Switch-eroo markers (Amazon)
- Mini Etch-a-Sketch (Chapters)
- pipe cleaner and beads for bracelet making
- Spy pen (Zellers)
Fidget Toys
- Tangle toy
Sensory Materials
- Playdough jar with trinkets
- playdough roller, knife and cutter
Building
- mini magnetic tiles (AliExpress)
- Heart links (Michaels)
- building flakes
- suction toys
Small World Play
- pull-back vehicle
- airplane
Puzzles & Games
- Tin with dry-erase tic-tac-toe
Stories
- Yoto mini and cards
If you’re interested in more information on the travel kit bags and travel trays we use, see my other post here.
The kids dug into their kits as soon as we got to the gate at the airport and my daughter played with her kit during the flight (my son slept). We also brought these to an event while we were traveling and they helped keep the kids busy for a long time. Activity kits have become a must for us while traveling. We’re always looking for new ideas to add to the kits. What are some of your favourite travel activities?