Best Portable Lightweight Travel Toys
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
YEAH! HOLIDAYS!
I wish I was already at the holiday address! But oh! First the long, LONG one travel yet to pass.
Ok, this is what you do. You choose toys which is as small as possible with as many functions and/or hours of fun as possible, and that is EXACTLY what this article is about.
The best activities to take with you are always activity or coloring books. The problem is they go up, they can scratch chairs and you have to take several with you, but these Water Wow coloring books from Melissa & Doug can be used again and again and they are fun for many ages.
In this article I take you to the best part toys for different age groups (baby, toddlers and preschoolers) and I have various fun activities and toys assessed for you.
All of those things I took into consideration when compiling this monstrous list of holiday must-haves:
Best DIY books
DIY or coloring books are going on, but these Water Wow coloring books from Melissa & Doug can be used again and again and they are fun for many ages.
Best flat toys for easy carrying
The Dimpl from Fat Brain Toys is one to consider if you want to take something with you that really, really takes up almost no space but is still a lot of fun to do.
Best sensory play
Sometimes attraction towards a toy that will tickle your child's senses is the perfect remedy for curing the travel blues.
Best activity backpack for travel
This Buckle toy is more than just a comfortable and soft backpack, it's a unique, attractive toy that helps your toddler's development.
Best holiday puzzle for 3 years
Not only will they grab your child's attention, but they will also keep hands busy. They will allow them to work on their creativity by turning these pieces into any shape they want.
Best sensory hug
Soft, textured and fun, Captain Calamari from Lamaze is a great toy for babies who need a little extra stimulation while on the go.
Best toys to attach to car seat or buggy
With lots of kid-friendly buckles, zippered pockets to play with and decorative shapes and numbers, your toddler will develop fine motor skills.
Best in-car activity center
This super fun toy from Taf Toys is really baby specific and also incredibly car specific, so if you have a little baby still in a rear-facing car seat, this is a great travel must-have.
Best portable mold oven
Another Mellisa & Doug toy that made it to this list! This filled shape sorter is the perfect travel tag-along for babies and toddlers!
Best creative building toys for car
A large set of Wikki Stix works very well on a hard surface or even in the hand in the car, for example.
Best window stickers for car or holiday home
Your child can be creative by covering the windows of the holiday home, or the airplane or car windows with this fun set of window toys.
Best toys for holiday shower
In the car they are so nice on the windows and once you have reached your destination they are great for restaurants, floors or bathtubs if you have them in your house or hotel.
Best Holiday Signs
A magnetic drawing board such as the Clementoni Megasketcher is the perfect match because it is easy to wipe out and easy to start again.
Best holiday puzzle without loose pieces
I am talking about brain puzzles to take with you. For 6 to 10 year olds there are Perplexus puzzles. They are now making a small Perplexus mini which is a bit more suitable for 4 year olds and older.
Best magnetic building blocks for vacation
We had taken the pocket pouch with us in the hand luggage on the plane to have something to build for the road without having to worry about losing anything.
Best travel game
Dice game with miniature pigs instead of dice. It packs everything into a small plastic case making it one of the best travel games.
From toddler to toddler activity book collection
Educational games and coloring pages for 3 to 6 years
Your toddler and preschooler will love this e-book, along with the accompanying printables. He or she can play with it at every stage of development, together with mom and dad.
Buy at Bol.comWhat we discuss in this comprehensive post:
Best Holiday Toys for Babies, Toddlers and Toddlers Reviewed
If you are a parent who is often on the go, or someone who... journey you have a good chance of finding something reliable toys need to keep your baby or toddler occupied.
While your child is likely to enjoy the adventures you are on, there is bound to be a rainy day that simply isn't the most enjoyable way for a toddler to spend vacation time.
That's the moment when toys comes in handy.
We've put together a list of some of the best travel toys available for babies and toddlers.
These great time fillers are compact, easy to transport, fun, and most importantly, fully approved for babies. Check them out below!
Melissa & Doug On the go water wow!
- Paint without spilling
- Very nice to do over and over
- You must have water with you
- Paper and brush break fairly quickly in toddler hands
These fun, easy-to-carry and compact coloring pages from Melissa & Doug are the perfect solution for fussy toddlers who don't like... journey to hold.
Each board has a refillable water pen that is suitable for even the smallest hands of a toddler and can be gripped without any problems.
The best part? You can color these coloring pages wet and dry, so if a water pen is not convenient for your toddler to use during the travel, he or she can still enjoy these pen and boards when they are dry!
Here MayandJC shows it in use:
Recommended for ages 3 and up, customers give the booklet a 4.4 out of 5 stars. For example, one said:
Very handy to be able to draw without mess, for example on the road or in a restaurant. The drawings are nice. The pen with water does leak a little, so it might be more convenient not to carry it full.
Fat brain toys dimpl
- Amazingly flat considering the bubbles
- Very fun to play every time
- Edge of the toy came off a bit after a while
The Dimpl from Fat Brain Toys is one to consider if you want to take something with you that really, really takes up almost no space but is still a lot of fun to do.
If your child is between 1 and 2,5 years old, the Dimpl will certainly work.
They love to squeeze it and see how the bubbles, which feel soft and funny, pop up or down again with a loud plop.
Fun for quite a bit of entertainment during a long car ride or flight or to give a moment in a restaurant at your holiday destination while you wait for the food.
It is a very popular piece on Bol.com toys. As one customer says:
I bought this toy for a long plane ride (12 hours) with my 15 month old daughter. It was the perfect toy because it has no loose parts, and she loved it! It was challenging enough to keep her busy for a long time. When we got to our destination, she kept playing with it.
Some say that the side of the plastic toy comes off at some point, and we've had that too, but that was after quite a lot of use, so our son had more than enough fun with it for the money.
twiddlers Liquid Motion Bubbler
- Little one can stare at it for ages
- Easy to grip due to the shape
- They are ultimately colored bubbles in plastic
-
From: 8 months
-
Best: 1 – 2 years
-
Up to: 5 years
- Material: Plastic
- Theme: Baby toys
- Sensory stimulation: Light
- Price at time of writing: €18,99 – $23.78
- Durability: None
- Learning objective: Cognitive development, Sensory play
- Storage: Normal
- Safety parts: None
- Playtime: Short (<10 min)
- Gender inclusivity: Gender neutral
Sometimes attraction towards a toy that will tickle your child's senses is the perfect remedy for curing the travel blues.
This toy is especially suitable for babies and is perfect for their age group, (toddlers may find it difficult to play with this for more than a few minutes toys keep busy).
The descending bubbles have a soothing and hypnotic effect and it will keep your child entertained for hours! What's even better is that this is not a pointless task.
These gravity-fed bubbles calm your child's hyperactivity, soothe their fears, and even help them with their visual tracking skills.
It is also a small and portable toy, leaving you with enough space in your suitcase or children's suitcase for your own needs.
Buckle Toys Buddy
- Fun Buckles Activities
- Handy backpack for travel
- In the end it is mainly a backpack
This plush “green” backpack is the perfect travel companion for toddlers who want to keep their hands busy.
This Buckle Toys is more than just a comfortable and soft backpack, it is unique, attractive toys that helps with the development of your toddler.
The bag is decorated with all kinds of different buckles and pockets, as well as an easy zipper, so it is also easy to take some extras with you traveling.
Recommended for ages 1-4 and it gets a 4.7 out of 5 stars out of 1000+ reviews. As one customer said:
This was 'life saver' on our holiday flights with the little one. It kept him busy for a very long time, every time he clicked on the brightly colored straps and loosened them again. It's also a good size for him to snuggle up against when he's sleepy.
This way your child will not only keep himself busy, children will also secretly work on their math, cognitive, coordination and problem-solving skills.
Tangle JR Original
- Fun puzzle / shape maker
- Solidly built
- Will not provide endless fun
These bright, festive hand toys are excellent travel puzzles for toddlers from 3 years old!
Not only will they grab your child's attention, but they will also keep hands busy. They will allow them to work on their creativity by turning these pieces into any shape they want.
The nice thing about this jumble toy is that it is of good quality, which is exactly what you would expect toys that can be taken apart and put back together.
It gets a 4.3 out of 5 on bol.com and one customer said that it is endlessly fun and of good quality. Another customer found it disappointing for his son after a while and said:
'This is not as proclaimed as the solution for children with autism, concentration problems or for the gifted.
They are very small so they don't take up too much space in your child's travel bag, leaving you room to pack other items.
The toys However, it is not suitable for children under 3 years old.
Lamaze Captain Calamari
- Despite the size, it is still handy to carry with the clip
- Lots of activities for your baby to discover
- Pretty big if you also bring other hugs
Soft, textured and fun, Captain Calamari from Lamaze is a great toy for babies who need a little extra stimulation while on the go.
Not only is this soft, velvety octopus a comfortable companion for your traveling baby, it's also a great chew toy and soothes the teething gums.
Your baby will love the clacking parts and the added mirroring feature that helps your baby learn to focus, track and explore!
The cleverly designed rings on the top and bottom of the octopus make the toy very travel-friendly.
It is one of the best-selling sensory hugs on bol.com and gets a 4.8 out of 5 stars out of more than 190 reviews.
For example, someone says that her 7-month-old daughter already had the Captain as her first toy in the playpen and she still loves it. The colors are beautiful and the black and white patterns are also very attractive for the very young. All Lamaze articles are always of very good quality and beautifully finished.
Others like it for a long car ride, with enough different accessories on the toy to keep it interesting. It's hard to find negative comments about it.
The toy is perfect for attaching to a bag, backpack, stroller or car seat, or tucking into your bag so you can pull it out in a jiffy for your child's entertainment!
Safe for newborns and young toddlers.
Buckle Toys Buster
- Different buckles keep them sweet for a while
- Easy to hang and out of the way
- Quite big to take away
Soft, playful, colorful and full of buckles to play with – what more could you want from it toys for a toddler?
Your little guy or girl will love this lively squishy toy for more than just its cuddly potential, it's an incredibly engaging toy too!
With plenty of kid-friendly buckles, zip pockets for play with and decorative shapes and numbers, your toddler will develop fine motor skills. He or she will improve cognition and even work on hand-eye coordination, but all your child picks up is simply the fun.
It is also one of the best toys to practice fine motor skills.
This toy is a great addition for a long or short ride. Simply attach this buster to the stroller, car seat, bag or backpack and go on an adventure!
Recommended for ages 1 to 4. It gets a 4.6 out of 5 stars with over 1.500 ratings, so it's a hugely popular companion.
One of the customers says:
'These are good quality toys. Brightly colored with a soft cushion, 6 buckles and a zipper. It's not as compact as I had hoped to be journey, but you can easily hook it to the outside of a bag, suitcase or buggy.'
Taf Toys Penguin
- Nice animal design
- You can easily leave it hanging on the chair, even after the holidays
- Noise can get annoying in the car
This super fun toys from Taf Toys is really baby specific and also incredibly car specific, so if you have a little baby who is still in a rear-facing car seat, this is a great must-have traveling.
This toys features three hanging soft toys figures, for your baby to grab, feel, rattle, evoke all their senses and keep them busy.
It even includes a fun mirror to encourage movement and fun!
Recommended for children from 1 month. It gets 5 stars on bol.com, but that is only based on a single review that was very happy with it, his child enjoyed hours of fun with it.
Melissa & Doug Take Along Shape Sorter
- Handy travel shape oven
- Good for development
- Molds are lower quality plastic
Another Mellisa & Doug toy that made it to this list! This filled shape sorter is the perfect one travel-tag-along for babies and toddlers!
Little ones will love the colorful and stimulating game play, while older toddlers will get a kick out of matching the shapes, enjoy the 2 activity sides and play with the crinkled flaps with a printed graphic.
This toys is entertaining and cute, but more than that, it greatly encourages sensory, fine motor and developmental skills!
With its soft, foldable sides you can easily stuff it into a suitcase or bag.
Recommended for children from 9 months to 3 years old
Best Holiday Toys for Toddlers Reviewed
Let's get started right away.
If you're traveling with preschoolers soon, you probably don't have time to read my long introduction with cute anecdotes about how wonderful my kids are traveling have worn. They were so sweet on our entertaining 8-hour plane ride to America!
You always need new things for your children on holiday entertained, just like me, and you'll probably need it soon, before you leave. This selection can help.
Wikki Stix Traveler
- Get creative without clutter
- Lots of different things to do
- Many children need some help on their way
For building with toys in the car there are a number of things that are important.
For example, it must be easy to carry and it should preferably not consist of pieces that are too small, so that they are not immediately added at the beginning of the travel already lost.
For in the car I have noticed that it is important to simply bring enough construction toys, consisting of larger pieces.
Pieces will of course fall to the floor, but the kids won't panic if that happens because they can easily find them again. So do not bring construction toys that consist of small pieces.
In addition to the fact that a fairly large number of building toys/blocks are useful traveling, it is also important to make sure that the materials are virtually all the same. (not that they drop a specific part they need to complete their architectural masterpiece, as is often the case with LEGO).
We sometimes set a timer and see which creation each child can come up with during a certain time.
Customers give the set a 4.7 out of 5 stars on average out of more than 900 reviews.
You do have to pay attention to the age, which is why we have put it in the separate section for toddlers, because it is still too difficult for children that are too young.
One customer said:
“I bought this kit for a long car trip to keep kids ages 1, 3 and 5 entertained. She quickly got tired of the 1-year-old; the 3-year-old was busy for about 20 minutes, but the 5-year-old was busy for about 1,5 hours and later asked to play with it again.'
A large set of Wikki Stix works very well on a hard surface or even in the hand in the car, for example.
If you've never played with Wikki Stix before, stop reading and order them right now. They are SO fun and so addicting.
Eyelike Reusable Stickers
- Easy to carry
- Lots of fun, both in plane, hotel and at home
- You have to be a little careful with taking them off so they don't break
Your child can be creative by covering the windows of the holiday home, or the airplane or car windows with this fun set of window toys.
That brightens up any location and brings home a little bit of home from home.
Sticking a large number of reusable stickers is fun and there is a large surface to work on in the car or in your house.
The advantage of the reusable stickers is that they can be taken anywhere, even if you... on holiday visits multiple locations.
Fat brain toys Mini Squigz
- The parts are small, easy to put in the bag between things
- Original construction toys
- Pasting can be a bit tricky sometimes
For even more fun, apply Squigz on the windows for even more 'window art'.
In the car they are so nice on the windows and once you have reached your destination they are great for restaurants, floors or bathtubs if you have them in your house or hotel.
However, if you have two children, I find it easier to buy two of those tubs so that you have a lot of material for each window.
We use the mini ones ourselves because they are so easy to carry, but they are small (recommended for ages 5 and up) so if you have a little one who still puts things in their mouth this isn't a great option. toys for him.
They currently have a lot of reviews and they are all very positive. It is written about the good quality and that it stimulates creativity.
But also that it does not stick to every surface, so you have to find a good surface. Sticking the toys seems to work best in the shower.
But there are also other variations of Squigz. Squigz also has a new version 2.0 that offers more versatility to build with.
Clementoni Funny Monster Drawings
- Endlessly reusable
- Funny monsters are very appealing
- The case is not very sturdy
I love the little drawing sets that fit nicely into a backpack or purse, but here are a few more options for a little more.
I like to bring some drawing tablets (or even a kid's tablet if they're a little older), even for shorter ones journey.
The children can draw, write notes and use it as a play surface for others toys if they have to wait somewhere. There are very nice sets like those from Dessineo.
Great as a first introduction to drawing and certainly a challenge on holiday to take some time to think about it.
Or things like handy drawing travel suitcases from Paw Patrol with everything in it to draw nicely, and of course easy to carry.
But the best thing to take with me is to draw these funny creatures with Clementoni's toys.
Etch-a-sketch is of course a classic, and it is especially fun for children who want to draw a lot and keep drawing, and more until they are drawn.
A magnetic drawing board such as the Clementoni Megasketcher is the perfect match because it is easy to wipe out and easy to start again.
Best Holiday Toys for School Kids Reviewed
Spin Master Perplexus original
- Mini is great to take with you
- Many different puzzles for sale with different skills
- Some kids can't stand the frustration
No traditional puzzles with small pieces, of course not! A disaster with a road trip because everything gets lost.
I am talking about brain puzzles to take with you. For 6 to 10 year olds there are Perplexus puzzles. They are now making a small Perplexus mini which is a bit more suitable for 4 year olds and older.
Perplexus's puzzles get a 4.9 out of 5 out of nearly 30 reviews on bol.com, which is high, especially for a difficult game which can be frustrating.
But as one customer described it well:
'The smallest movement can already ensure that you are finished. Also very handy that there are 3 start-up places during the ride, so that you do not have to start over again. The finish is difficult to reach, but in any case you will not be finished soon!
The original is quite large so for that traveling I would go for the mini Spin Master I think or something like the Gearheads.
Easier mazes are great for little ones and a puzzle with no loose pieces is a lot easier to carry around.
Tegu pocket pocket
- Handy soft carrying bag so that the blocks don't bump into other things in your bag
- small package
- It's only a few blocks so after the plane not so much fun unless you buy more
Traveling Going and construction toys is always a difficult combination. I remember from the past that, once we returned home, we always lost a number of pieces of a building set during the travel.
That is a shame and a shame, and sometimes you can no longer build the nicest things.
But Tegu has found a solution because they have nice building blocks with magnets in them, so that they click together easily and are less likely to lose something.
The most useful set for traveling is still the pocket pouch because you get a set of blocks, very good for their spatial awareness, in a soft felt case that you can easily take with you.
This way you always have them together and nothing can accidentally break in your bag.
We had taken the pocket pouch with us in the hand luggage on the plane to have something to build for the road without having to worry about losing anything.
Very nice as building blocks for a small, but for school children it is a challenging tangram puzzle. Very useful if you are traveling with different age groups.
Winning moves piglets
- Easy to carry
- Very funny, and quick to play
- Gets boring at some point
This is it best travel game for 2 persons.
This is a classic version of the old dice game “pigs” that uses miniature pigs instead of dice. It packs everything in a small plastic case making it one of the best travel games.
Playing style
Players take turns taking the pigs as a die. They win or lose points depending on how they land.
Positions include pig-themed names such as “Pig Out”, “Trotter” and “Snouter”.
Each combination means a different thing and can show players big wins or big losses.
One turn lasts until a player decides to stop and check in. That is unless they completely wipe out their current or total score before doing so.
If they stop in time to collect a score in turn, it is added to their total score.
Play then moves on to the next player and the first player to reach 100 points wins.
In this video you can see the way of playing in detail:
What makes it great
The element of luck keeps things tense as players have to decide when to stick or spin.
Yet there are still enough strategies and skills to make a difference.
Big highs and massive lows can take you from hero to zero and back again quickly.
Players: 2-6
Age: 8-99 years
Expect laughter with laughter
Running time: 30 minutes
Frequently asked questions about holiday toys
How do I entertain my kids on a road trip?
Turn your backseat into a movie theater, bring audiobooks, pack them a 'treasure box': Give them something at every stop.
Make snacking an activity, play (fun) educational games and plan pit stops in advance.
How do I entertain my toddler during a long car ride or flight?
Books. It's nice to create some reading time for the whole family. Take your favorite books from home or surprise the kids with a new book on the go.
What games can the children play on the go without toys?
The game 'I see, I see what you don't see' is always fun on the go. Both for young and older kids. Also 'I'm going traveling and take with you' remains a fun memory game. Spotting license plates from different countries is interesting for older children.
Whenever someone sees a yellow car, they have to say "Banana!" and earns a point. Whoever has the most points to the next stop wins.
Conclusion
So you see.
On holiday go without toys Of course, that's not possible and with the items in our list for babies and toddlers or those for preschoolers, there is certainly something to keep your children busy. traveling.
Remember these points for holiday toys in particular and you're sure to be right:
- not too small pieces
- enough material to get through the whole holiday
- reusable material is useful
- of everything: building, puzzling, tinkering and drawing
- not too big but durable
- lightweight
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.
