Toys Travel

Make your own

Homemade travel toys

Some of the best travel toys come from a craft drawer. These projects take an evening or less, cost little, and are easy to replace if one gets lost on the way.

Felt story board

Glue a sheet of felt inside a sturdy folder or the lid of a flat box. Cut simple shapes from other colors of felt: houses, trees, clouds, animals, a sun and a road. Felt sticks to felt, so children can build scenes and move the pieces around. Store the shapes in a small zip bag inside the folder.

Lacing cards

  1. Cut shapes from thick card, such as a cereal box. Simple outlines work best: a star, a fish, a car.
  2. Punch holes around the edge, about two finger widths apart.
  3. Use a short shoelace or a length of yarn with tape wrapped around one end to make a stiff tip.
  4. Tie the other end to one hole so it does not get lost.

Keep laces short for young children, and only let them play with laces while an adult is watching.

Sticker scene book

Laminate a few blank pages or slip them into clear page protectors. Draw a simple background on each: a road, a farm, a beach. Add a sheet of reusable stickers. Children can decorate each scene, peel the stickers off and start over.

Paper activity folder

Fill a pocket folder with printed mazes, dot-to-dots, coloring pages and a short pencil. Add a few blank pages for drawing. For older children, add word searches, a travel bingo card and a page to log license plates.

Activities you can make at home

  • Ages 2 to 6TT-024

    Felt story board

    A felt square inside a folder plus cut felt shapes. Kids build scenes and tell a story about them.

    • Car
    • Plane
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Busy bag
  • Ages 3 to 6TT-017

    Lacing cards

    Stiff card shapes with punched holes and a short lace with a tipped end. Slow, quiet and good for small hands.

    • Car
    • Plane
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Busy bag
  • Ages 2 to 6TT-013

    Sticker scenes

    Reusable stickers on a plain background card. Kids build a farm or a street, peel it all off and start again.

    • Car
    • Plane
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Busy bag
  • Ages 3 to 9TT-008

    Road bingo cards

    Draw a grid of things you expect to see, such as a bridge, a horse or a gas station, and cross them off as they pass.

    • Car
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Pocket
  • Ages 6 to 12+TT-020

    Mini comic book

    Fold a sheet into an eight-page booklet and draw panels. A comic about the trip itself makes a good keepsake.

    • Car
    • Plane
    • Waiting
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Pocket
  • Ages 3 to 8TT-025

    Sticky note puzzles

    Write letters or numbers on sticky notes and stick them on the tray. Kids put them in order or match pairs.

    • Plane
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Busy bag
  • Ages 2 to 6TT-014

    Painter's tape roads

    Lay a few strips of low-tack tape on a tray table as roads, then drive a small car along them. Peels off clean.

    • Plane
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Busy bag
  • Ages 6 to 12+TT-023

    Paper folding

    Cups, boats, fortune tellers and simple animals from square paper. A printed list of folds keeps it going.

    • Plane
    • Waiting
    Mess
    Noise
    Packs
    Pocket
8 activities for ages 2 to 12+. 0 need nothing at all, and 8 are quiet enough for a sleeping sibling. All of these can be made from paper, card, felt or tape.

Make it safe

  • Skip small beads, buttons and loose googly eyes for children under three.
  • Keep strings and cords short.
  • Use glue and tape that are safe for children, and let projects dry fully before packing.

See toy safety on the move for more on choking hazards and cords.

Where to next