Best Toddler Toys for Road Trips that are Travel Friendly

As a parent, you know how important it is to keep your kids entertained on long car rides. But finding the right toys for a long road trip can be a challenge. You want something that will occupy their time and attention without taking up too much space in the car. And of course, you also want travel-friendly toddler toys that are easy to pack, semi-quiet, and won’t make a mess. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Here are our top picks for the best toddler toys for road trips that are travel-friendly and will make your next road trip a breeze.

Many of these toddler toys for road trips would also be great for a long flight!

Traveling by car for long trips often doesn’t take much longer than flying once you account for arriving early, security and layovers plus when you have young kids it means you don’t have to worry about how much gear you need. So pack up your favorite travel toys and head out on a fun family road trip. You can pack up the toys in one big travel bag, the diaper bag even pack big kids their own bags to keep track of.

The best toddler travel toys don’t have small parts that will get lost in the car, can be used with little fingers, is liked by your child and hopefully entertains them for more than 5 minutes at a time.

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Tablet

Screen time is not the ideal during day to day life but I definitely let loose while we are traveling. I need my toddler to sit for a long period of time and screens are great at providing that. One of the best toddler toys for road trips to bring along for toddlers on the go is a tablet preloaded with downloaded movies and shows they love. Not only will it occupy large chunks of time, but toddlers love learning new things when they watch their favorite characters in action. We simply use an old iPad of my husband’s but there are great kid-specific tablet options on the market.

Don’t forget the toddler headphones too, especially if you have multiple kids watching different things. Plus, that way both you and your little one can enjoy some peace and quiet during extended traveling hours. Headphones aren’t a must but they are nice, just make sure you can control the volume so that they don’t damage their ears.

Tablet Games

You can also add games to the tablet for extra fun while taking up no extra space. Download some age-appropriate games and you have a great way to keep your toddler busy.

Some can be educational or they can simply just be for fun. My son is two and LOVES this digging game on road trips and long plane rides.

Buckle Toys

lovevery subscription box that comes with the best buckle toy for road trips.

Frequently, activities that engage their minds take up more time than simple toys. The buckle toy from our Lovevery kit has been a favorite of my sons for a long time but there are other buckle toys out there as well. They keep little hands and brains busy and work fine motor skills too. The best buckle toy can provide up to an hour or so of mental stimulation that makes road trips an enjoyable experience for everyone!

Pop Its

Pop Its are a great travel toy option—they are easy enough for even the littlest ones to master, but can keep them entertained for long periods. Best of all, they’re super portable and don’t take up any space in your luggage.

Pop Tubes

Pop tubes are another fun, inexpensive toy that kids love. They can be combined to make new shapes and younger kids love to use them to make funny sounds. This is great at long as it won’t get on your nerves! Maybe save this toy till the end of the trip when you need something to hold kids over for just ten more minutes.

Books

Books are great on the go during a long car trip. Some quiet books can be read (or looked through) alone or it would last longer if a parent or other family member can sit in the back next to your toddler. Then you can bring some of their favorite books from home and a new story or two to read to pass the time. Interactive story books such as books with flaps are especially great at holding their attention.

Spinners

spinning toys make great travel toys for young toddlers.

These spinning toys are surprisingly great at holding a toddler’s attention for how simple they are. They usually come in bright colors and remind me of fidget spinners for young children. Stick them somewhere they can reach such as a car window, tray or tablet screen and watch as they have so much fun.

Activity Book

Another great road trip toy for toddlers involves colorful buckles, snaps, and laces that are simple to set up. These activity books or busy boards have several different activities in one convenient spot. Your toddler can choose which ones they want to do and jump around at will. Perfect for small attention spans.

Magnetic Tiles

Magnetic tiles are a fun toy any time but actually travel surprisingly well in the car. Make sure to leave any really small pieces that could get lost in the car at home though. Then hand each kid a few pieces at a time and see what they build.

Shop Road Trip Toys for Toddlers

Water Coloring Book

If you have little kids that enjoy coloring, I love these water coloring books for a mess-free craft in the car. The Water Wow books by Melissa & Doug are the most durable I’ve found. However, cheaper options like the target dollar spot ones still work well for a road trip or two.

If you have older kids or a travel tray like the one I mention below then actual coloring is still a great thing to do during car travel.

Crayola Touch Lights Tablet or Double Doodle Board

If you want to really make coloring special then try one of these more tech-savvy, reusable, mess-free coloring solutions. The double doodle board gives kids two types of surfaces to color on, one whiteboard and the other gel. The Crayola touch lights tablet has lights that show up as kids draw.

Variety Snack Tray

Turn snacks into a fun road trip activity for toddlers.

One of the best road trip toys for toddlers is food! Not only are snacks a great way to give your toddler something to look forward to mid-trip, but you can also turn snack time into an exciting activity. Try fun snack boxes that offer a variety of snacks at once like a monthly pill box or this snack spinner.

Having engaging activities like these on road trips helps keep your little ones entertained while they refuel their energy.

Magnetic Puzzle

These magnetic puzzles pack nicely like a book and offer a fun way to play while stationary in a car seat. Using a wand kids have to move the magnets through the puzzle. These are especially great road trip toys for older toddlers.

Reusable Sticker Books

Reusable stickers are a very fun on the go road trip toy for toddlers

I don’t know about your kids, but mine loves stickers. These sticker books are a great option for on the go toys. They offer backgrounds and often 100’s of stickers that can be combined in endless ways. The best part is, since the stickers are reusable stickers and easy to remove from other objects which means no mess and hours of fun.

I Spy Books

I Spy books are a fun way to involve your toddler in an activity. It makes reading into a game and it is something siblings can do together too! Most I spy books are best suited to older toddlers but there are a few simplified ones that smaller kids can try too.

Small Cars, Figures, or Dolls

Simple cars or dolls actually make good road trip toys for toddlers. Kids can use imaginative play for a while and they are the perfect size because they don’t take much space to bring along. I recommend bringing a few so that if one falls to the ground you don’t have to go hunting for it right away.

Yoto Player

The Yoto Player is a new-to-me toy for toddlers but I am excited at the possibilities. This screen-free device is an audio player where kids use cards inserted into the device to interact with audio books, activities, and lessons while on the go. I love being able to stretch screen-free time while my child still has fun.

Your Child’s Favorite Toy

If your child has a favorite toy or stuffed animal and it is reasonable to bring it along, then do it! Favorites are a favorite for a reason and will offer some familiarity as you travel. So whether it’s a stuffed animal, a ball, or something else, bring it along.

Travel Tray for Long Road Trips

Not a toy but a handy travel tray to make road trips with toddlers go more smoothly.

If you are tired of dropped toys and food then consider purchasing a travel tray for your next road trip with a toddler. These trays go across your kid’s lap offering a play space, activity center, and snack area. They are reasonably priced and truly offer a better play space for kids than their laps.