“Are we there YET?!”

• Snuggle or Comfort Item (blankets, plush, favorite book, teethers, etc.)
• Sensory Activities (sensory bags, calming jars, playfoam, putty, play dough, fidget toys, music, etc.)
• Sparking Curiosity (Books, Magazines, activity books, riddles, 20 Questions, etc.)
• Interactive Activities (games, group storytelling, Pass the Picture shared art activity, puppet play, Mad Libs, I Spy)
• Fine Motor Activities (drawing/coloring, peel & stick, tearing paper, object transfer, lacing, & unwrapping)
• Large Motor Movement (stretch breaks, dancing in our seats, freeze dance, Simon Says, road stop exercise, etc)
• Snacks

Portable Organizers 

Portable organizers, such as this Multicolored Toy Organizing Bin, are an awesome way to keep smaller items organized, contained, and easily accessible. Super easy to grab and go, and you can throw just a few of the small individual containers in a purse, backpack, or diaper bag.

Snuggly Comfort Item

Most kids love a good plush friend or blanket to bring along on trips. A comfort object is often something soft, but I’ve known many kids that choose things like a favorite dinosaur figurine, toy train, or even a spatula! Whatever your kid chooses, a comfort object is a wonderful way to provide some soothing comfort during a hectic, stressful, and sometimes scary travel situation. Some kids have even ended up taking their beloved comfort objects with them to college! Grab your kiddo their own plush friend today for all future travel adventures.

Sensory Activities

Sensory for Tiny Tots:

• Tactile Toys are toys that provide stimulation through touch and mouthing. Our youngest kiddos need plenty of tactile stimulation. They explore their worlds largely through touch and taste. To keep them engaged, we need to provide tactile experiences. Some great toys to pack for this category would include items that can be manipulated and are taste safe. Some great options are: Manhattan Toy Balls, PlanToy Bead Rattle, Winkel Classic, Mirari SkillDillies Owl,  PlayMonster Moluk Oogi Bongo, or Baby Talk Sets.

• Visually Stimulating Toys will be highly engaging for your little ones. Check out some of these great options: The Hudson Glow Rattle, Wimmer Ferguson Toys, and Smart Noggin Toys.

Sensory for Multiple Ages:

• Auditory sensory experiences can involve listening to music or stories as well as making music. You can play music or stories for all to enjoy, or you can give your kiddos an individual listening experience with a Toniebox (don't forget some Tonies® Headphones: durable, kid-safe, & volume-limiting) or other device.

Children can also gain auditory input by making their own music. You can provide instruments for your children to rock out it with during a long drive. If you have older kids, you can provide craft supplies for them to create DIY instruments of their own.

• Olfactory sensory experiences involve the sense of smell. An easy activity for this is to have your child close their eyes and smell different types of candy, food, spices, or essential oil dabbed on cotton balls and guess what they are smelling. You can also do a matching activity. Have them match a smell (in a jar or on a cotton ball) to a corresponding object (candy cane with peppermint, cinnamon stick with cinnamon, pine scent with a pine tree figurine from the Trees TOOB®, orange scent with the orange figurine from the Fruits and Vegetables TOOB®.

• Tactile sensory experiences involve materials of various textures and malleability. A wonderful way to provide your child with some tactile input is with various types of play dough, Playfoam, Putty, etc. Plush items also provide wonderful tactile input, and can be very calming for most children.

• Sensory bags are fabulous for tactile input. They are clear baggies (like Ziplock) that are partially filled with clear hair gel and small items (pom poms, beads, Good Luck Minis®, etc.) that can be moved around and manipulated (without poking a hole in the bag).

• Visual sensory experiences can be achieved through games and activities that encourage visual searching, tracking, or discrimination. I Spy games are a wonderful way to provide visual stimulation and can be as simple as looking for items out the window. With a little more prep, you can play I SPY by utilizing small items (such as Good Luck Minis® or TOOB® figures) to make a display for play. To make an I Spy display, you would simply lay multiple figurines/objects on a tray or in a container for your child to look at. Next, you would call out items or cues for items for your child to “spy.” You could call out colors, beginning sounds, rhyming words, etc… for your child to find the corresponding figurine: “I spy something that rhymes with, starts with, is the color…”

Sparking Curiosity

Interactive Activities

• Games come in so many different formats from large board games to verbal games. Small portable games or verbal games are ideal for traveling. Games like I Spy or the Alphabet Game are easy and no prep. Cards or other small games can be easily put into a purse or carryon for on the go fun. Scroll through the fun games offered on Safariltd.com to find some perfectly portable options.

• Group Storytelling is an activity that involves taking turns adding on to a story. These often turn into wild tales full of hilarious adventure and zany characters! Whomever goes first gets to start the story. You can decide on a time limit or sentence amount for each turn. Take it up a notch by adding TOOB figurines for character or setting prompts for the story. For example, you can put the figurines into a hat to be drawn out for each turn. Whatever figurine is drawn must be worked into the ongoing story. Your TOOB figures can be part of a theme or be from wildly different TOOBS to up the fun. This was by far one of my own kids favorite travel or restaurant games. If you want to add in some academics, you can have someone, or each player, write down the story as it unfolds. 

• Pass the Picture is similar to group storytelling, but you pass around a picture for each participant to add another element. Whomever goes first gets to start the drawing. You can decide on a time limit for each turn. Just like in the storytelling activity, the group picture is often crazy and funny! TOOB figurines can be used with this activity as well. You can draw out a figurine to be the subject of the picture to be sketched. Each participant can then draw out a different figurine to have one of its features added to the main character. In the end, you may end up with an Octopus that has wings, spikes, fish lips, and a furry tail. Safari Ltd. has some drawing supplies you can grab with your selected TOOB.

• Puppet Play is a fun way to interact, sing, do a play, or have conversations. The beauty of using a puppet is that it often lowers inhibition and can engage even some of the most shy kids. Safari Ltd. has many fun puppet friends or exciting Snappers to choose from!

• Sing Alongs  

Fine Motor

Fine motor skills are the small movements that involve the fingers and the hands. These skills are essential for supporting independence with dressing, feeding, eating, coloring, and writing. Fine motor activities build hand strength and precision. These activities often involve intense concentration, which promotes quiet engagement and calm...all things we desire on a long trip!

• Drawing or Coloring is an easy option with minimal supplies needed. Grab some crayons, markers, paper, and/or coloring books.

• Peel and Stick is always a favorite! Some peel and stick ideas include stickers, window clings, magnetic playsets, post it notes, masking tape, and small figurines to “trap” and rescue.

• Tearing Paper sounds very messy, but it’s a big hit! To save your sanity, you can limit the amount of paper being given to tear up. I also always added in frequent “blitz cleaning” part way through. Letting kids use a portable dust buster (a must have in my car) is an added fun bonus! Old magazines are great for tearing activities because they are very colorful and fun to look through. Torn paper pieces can simply be put into a container or can be glued down on paper to create an abstract picture.

• Transferring objects involves moving small objects from one spot to another. This can be into another container, counting chart, or even someone’s hand. The individual containers that are stored inside of the Multicolored Toy Organizing Bin would be ideal. Items can be moved by using tools such as: tongs, Jumbo Tweezers, Handy Scoopers, spoons, or fingers. Small transferrable objects can include items like Good Luck Minis, pom poms, snacks, small erasers, cotton balls, etc. The Muffin Tin Match Up is an object transfer set with a bonus counting element. The biggest thing to remember when choosing the small items are the how easy it is to transfer with the type of tool being used. You also, of course, need to consider the age of the child for choking concerns. 

• Unwrap some fun is a simple way to build excitement while also occupying small fingers. Simply wrap small items in wrapping paper or tape for kids to unwrap or “rescue.”

• Building and design with small blocks like Plus-Plus Blocks, MathLink Cubes, or BiOBUDDi Pixel Create Sets are great choices.

• Lacing activities are great for fine motor practice and concentration. The small lacing objects in this Lauri Primer Pak would work great for travel.

• Puzzles may seem a bit risky during travel, but I have found great success by choosing puzzles with small piece counts and by putting the pieces into a tray. I would recommend puzzles under 50 pieces for travel.

Large Motor Movement

Snacks

Pretty much the number one favorite travel activity is getting to choose and eat snacks. We have always done a special snack shopping run before trips. Whatever your family’s eating style may be, I’ve found that letting kids make some choices about their trip snacks goes a long way to increasing excitement and engagement.

Most important tip of all…Have fun and enjoy your time together. No matter what travel may throw at you, try to enjoy the ride. It will be a roller coaster at times, but the memories will last forever.