24 of the Best Travel Toys for Toddlers
Let’s talk about more than 20 ways to enjoy your road trip, shall we? I have been traveling with small people in my backseat for over 6 years now. All of our trips have one thing in common: a bag of carefully selected travel toys for toddlers to entertain themselves with.
Bonus: our list happens to be filled with screen free travel toys, if that floats your boat.
I start packing our bag of toys for in the car about a week or two before we are planning to leave for our road trip.
The main reason for this (other than my obsession with checking things off of my list) is because the kids will miss them. They will miss them so much that when they see them in the car they will be even more entertained by them than they were at home.
If you are traveling with toddlers, we highly recommend you pick out an awesome travel diaper bag for your adventure! We have ranked them by category so you are sure to find what you are looking for in a diaper bag!
How do you choose the best travel toys for toddlers?
There are literally millions of options out there. So, how do you know if a toy/book/game would travel well and keep your kids entertained?
Hint: just because it got 5 stars on a popular website does not make it travel worthy. Begin by thinking about your toddlers. What do they like?
Tip # 1: Choose road trip toys for toddlers in your house. If you know your toddlers are not interested in books yet, then a box of books is not going to help you on a 6-hour trip to the beach. If you know your toddlers love things that make noise, then start with toys that do just that but find a variety of them.
Tip #2: New does not equal best. There are many toys we take in the car that are ten or more years old and make no noise at all. Some of the best travel toys for 2 year olds at our house have been found at yard sales or thrift stores.
Tip #3: Choose toddler travel toys that have multiples of something. It could have multiple pages, buttons, flaps, pieces, etc. Those toys will go a lot farther on a road trip than one Paw Patrol figurine.
This is a long list, guys. Check out the table of contents below if you’re wanting the abbreviated version!
The Best and the Busiest Toddler Travel Toys
This list of travel toys for toddlers is “screen-free” which has mostly been a result of my kids’ choice; up until recently they were not interested in watching anything for more than a couple of minutes.
While our kids do not watch screens, we do listen to screens. Check out our list and you’ll see what I mean!
1. Books – Our Favorite of All Travel Toys for Toddlers
I know, I know: these aren’t technically toys. They can make as much noise as toys do though so they are on my list. Plus, they build literacy skills and have lots of fun pages to flip which lands them at number one on our list of the best travel toys for toddlers.
We currently travel with two full-sized car seats in the middle row of our SUV. In between those two car seats is a perfectly-sized basket from Target that fits in between the two seats. Inside the basket are 30-40 books of varying reading level, texture, sound, and interest.
We recommend three different types of books, in addition to any personal favorite stories your child may have. Lift-the-flap, busy stories, and books with sounds will all increase the time your child engages in a book.
Lift-the Flap books are some of the best travel toys for 2 year olds because they keep those little fingers so busy!
Make sure your little one has used a lift the flap book before you pack them in the car. This helps them be even more independent on that car ride.
Richard Scarry books are jam packed with things to look at, but they are not giant, heavy books.
These books really shine if you have read some of the stories or talked about some of the pages at home first. Then your toddler can sit in the backseat and “re-live” those stories on his/her own.
These Discovery books really become travel activities for toddlers rather than just books or toys. They are so engaging!
It usually takes my kiddos 10+ minutes just to flip through one of these because there is so much to see and so many buttons to press.
If you have favorites that you read at home, put them away a week in advance and then add them to your book basket when the time comes to travel. Books make some of the best road trip toys for toddlers because they are (usually) quiet and can be read over and over.
2. Magna Doodle Drawing Pad
The Magna Doodle drawing pad comes in an original larger size and a travel size. The original size is 15″x11″ while the travel size measures 11″ x 11″ and they both come with a drawing pen, stamps, and built in eraser. Magna Doodles are some of the best road trip toys for toddlers because they fit in their lap or on top of their car seat arm rests.
In our car, my husband and I take turns calling out letters, numbers, and shapes for them to draw one at a time (to drag that game out as long as possible). After each drawing they hold them up so we can “check them” in the rearview mirror. You’d be surprised how many minutes you can dwindle away with a magna doodle!
Note: The actual Magna Doodle brand board has much stronger magnets than some of the off brands. Speaking of magnets, please note the recommended age for Magna Doodle and plan accordingly!
3. Sticker Books
Sticker books are one of the best travel toys for toddlers if your kids like stickers. We prefer sticker books with reusable stickers so that we can, you know, reuse them. However, you can find some cheap, regular sticker books at most dollar stores that come with 2-3 scenes and a variety of stickers to add to those scenes.
Whether reusable or not, the act of peeling multiple stickers and placing them on a page takes a fair amount of time and builds fine motor skills simultaneously. Its a win-win and makes it one of the best travel toys for 2 year olds, or really any child 2 and up.
These reusable sticker books come with 4 books: first words, farm, colors, and animals. If you have more than one kiddo in your car then they can each work on different books while you “re-set” the books they have finished.
4. Water Wow! Books by Melissa & Doug (Rated best travel toys for toddlers by our readers!)
Both of my toddlers love having these books on road trips. Water Wow! books are probably our favorite toddler travel toys. We have 4 or 5 different ones and we rotate them in the car so that both kids get a turn with each book.
The cool thing about these books is that by the time they get to the last page, the first page has already dried so the book is ready to be passed to the next person right away. You will need to bring some water to refill the pens.
Our link for these books has a great “Bundle” drop down menu that allows you to choose which 3 you want to bundle, so be sure to customize your purchase!
5. Toniebox – Audio Listening Box
Have you heard of a Toniebox?! If not, we have an in-depth review in another post that tells you everything you need to know.
Check out our Toniebox post here!
In a nutshell, a Toniebox is an audiobook player designed for preschoolers. Our 3 and 4 year olds LOVE theirs and can operate them completely independently.
They come with a ton of cool features (see post above) and they play stories through magnetic figurines called Tonies. There are a ton of options for Tonies that include: Disney characters, favorite storybook characters (Pete the Cat, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Paddington, etc.), popular television characters (Blaze, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, etc) and even simple song time Tonies that play favorite preschool songs.
The best part: they store the audiobooks in a cloud system that does not require the internet to use. This makes them PERFECT for road trips! You will need to bring your Tonies (figurines) to be able to access the stories in the cloud though.
Another huge perk: the Toniebox can play for up to 7 hours on one charge! It also includes a headphone option (huge thank you to the design team for this feature) and volume control through a parental app.
Toniebox is really one of the best inventions for younger kids. It provides screen free entertainment that is easily controlled by younger kiddos.
I would recommend this for ages 3+ as a general rule. We have used ours from ages 3 through 6 with great success!
6. LeapFrog Reader
LeapFrog now requires only a pen. Yep, just one pen and it will read leap frog books THROUGH THE PEN. The best part, for me, is that you can also plug headphones in so that the whole car does not have to listen to your book!
I would recommend this for ages 3+ as a general rule. If you have a responsible 2-year old with a great concept of print then its definitely doable. My 2-year-old cannot use the pen correctly just yet but my 3-year-old is quite a distinguished Leap Frog reader.
7. Audiobooks
Truthfully, you can listen to books just about anywhere nowadays. Our preference is YouTube because so many people have posted read-alouds of popular children’s books. That means we can easily find books that our kids prefer and they are free.
However, it’s almost impossible to do this and drive since YouTube no longer allows playlists for children’s content. I would recommend only using YouTube if you are in the passenger seat and can manage it without having to drive. Or, you can add videos to the “Watch Later” playlist on YouTube as a way to bypass that new rule. You’re welcome.
If you are willing to pay, check out Audible, Chirp, or Google Play.
8. Coloring Book & Crayons
I do realize that this is not a great option for younger toddlers on a road trip, but both my 2-year-old and 3-year-old love to color.
Coloring books are so easily adaptable for different interests and they come with 100+ pages each, which means you can revisit them multiple times.
We really like this big simple coloring book for toddlers because they are able to recognize each picture on the pages, and then tell you about what they colored. However, you can definitely find coloring books at the Dollar Tree as well!
9. Dry Erase Activity Books
Markers. In the car. It is not my favorite idea but my kids have done really well with one tiny dry erase marker (so far). If your kids are more of the “draw on everything in sight” type than I might just skip to #9 on our list.
These books are great because you can quickly clean them after the first half of your road trip so that they are ready for the return journey. We bought one big one and my kids take turns with it since it fits perfectly with both of their ages.
I would try to find one that fits either their skill level (letters, word, sentences) or an interest (animals, trucks, etc.).
10. Picasso Tiles
Let me preface by saying these only work well if your toddler can build independently from a box of tiles without making a huge mess. If not, I would not recommend these for the car because otherwise they require someone passing tiles to a toddler while he/she builds.
This quickly became one of our favorite travel activities for toddlers because they are so engaged and it is so time consuming.
In our car, I can place the box of tiles in between the two car seats and they can both grab tiles from the box to build in their own seats. Picasso Tiles are magnetic so they stay together as you build, which is perfect for the car. They also easily come apart which creates endless opportunities for rebuilding.
Pro Tip: We bring cookie sheets to lay across the top of the car seats which makes a perfect foundation for magnetic building tiles. You can find a cheap one here or even at the dollar tree!
11. Threading Toys-Fine Motor
I’m going to be honest: my youngest toddler does not prefer this toy because it frustrates her. However, it keeps my oldest busy for up to a half hour! This would not be one of the best travel toys for a 1 year old, or even a 2 year old. I personally would recommend for toddlers 3+.
My favorite thing about threading toys is that all of the pieces stay connected. That is one of my requirements when looking for good car travel toys for toddlers: the pieces need to stay together easily or travel in a container. There are many variations of this toy so I’m sure you could find an animal, vehicle, or food that interests your toddler!
12. Aqua Magic Water Doodle-Travel Edition
Aqua doodle products have my heart. They are easy to use, they don’t make a mess, and now they come in travel size. Oh, and did I mention they provide hours of entertainment on the same board with no cleaning required? They use water, guys.
We have a few toddler travel toys on this list that use water because they are so convenient and mess-free. Bring an extra water bottle on your trip and your kids will be entertained for hours in the car.
My kids love the full size water doodle mat at home but, we usually spread ours out on a big open floor. I would not recommend the full size for the car. However, this awesome travel edition is perfect for the car.
They write/draw with a water-filled pen and then it dries within minutes to give them another clean slate.
13. Create-A-Scene Magnetic Play Set
Magnetic Play sets do have a lot of small pieces but they are all magnetic, so they stick to the board while waiting to be used.
Create-A-Scene has a large variety of scenes to choose from. Some of our favorites are the construction scene, the zoo scene, the solar system scene, and the doll house scene. There are at least 20 different choices so you are sure to find one that interests your toddler!
14. Keep ‘Em Quiet Bags
I am totally new to Keep ‘Em Quiet Bags but love this idea! Toys, books, and healthy snacks all packed for you in a neat carrying case.
Go to their website and click on the “packs” tab. From there you can choose boy/girl, age, and size of the pack. They come with “entertainment items” and healthy snacks.
There are quite a few companies selling similar bags of stuff. I linked the original Keep Em Quiet site because those are the bags my friends have purchased and given such rave reviews.
15. Busy Board
Toddler busy boards are a great way to “stay busy” while also activating all of their fine motor skills. Busy boards usually have built-in tasks like buckling, zipping, snapping, etc.
They can be done/undone as many times as your child wants. They also fold neatly, are lightweight, and can pack away easily in luggage or a bag of awesome toddler travel toys.
16. Electronic Drawing Pad
Electronic drawing pads are super cool. They are battery powered (no charging, yay!) and they erase when you press the center button. They also come in tons of colors and cost $10-15.
Both of my toddlers love this but my 2-year-old does sometimes need help pressing the button. Thankfully she has a sweet older brother sitting next to her on road trips who is always willing to help. I would reasonably recommend this travel toy for toddlers ages 3+ but it is safe for younger toddlers as well.
17. Pop-Its
Pop-Its are simple fine motor toys that are small and easy to pack. They do not kill a ton of time but they are also small and pack relatively easily. Essentially, you pop each “button” until all have been popped. It is also really easy to make a competition out of if you have kids that are close in age like ours are.
These are also some of the best travel toys for 1 year olds because they are soft, not a choking hazard, and come in fun colors.
18. Magnetic Color Maze
The Magnetic color maze is a “classic toy” (aka old) that uses a magnetic pen to move small colors magnets into their sorted color containers. I love that all of the pieces stay attached and that it can be used multiple times without any adult assistance. However, as I said, a wiggly toddler may find it frustrating that the colored balls can roll back out of their containers if the board moves.
This is perfect for my 3-year-old but a bit frustrating for my 2-year-old.
19. Felt Board
Felt boards come in many varieties with many different themed pieces. Some are more setting based like a farm, the zoo, etc. Others follow a story board format that allows kids to put the pieces in order (Three Little Pigs, etc.).
My toddlers love these because they can arrange and rearrange the pieces without them falling off. The pieces are felt just like the board so they naturally “stick” together until you move them.
20. Felt Puzzle
Another great felt option is a felt puzzle. We love these because our kids can work on them independently without having pieces fall everywhere or the puzzle moving around.
These make great travel activities for toddlers because they are simple puzzles, stick to the puzzle board, and can be done more than once. My older 2 year old can do these puzzles and my 4 year old does them easily.
The felt puzzle set comes with 8 animal puzzles, each with its own board.
21. Window Clings
I’m sure most of you have used window clings in your house, but did you know they are also some of the best toys for traveling with toddlers?
Both of my toddlers can reach the window from their carseat, which is important in order for these to be fun.
We buy clearance window clings after holidays but you can also choose from specific sets offered on Amazon, like animals, food, etc.
22. Sensory Board Travel Toy
A sensory board is similar to a busy board but focuses on different tactile tasks that make different noises.
This is one of the best travel toys for 2 year olds!
The sensory board includes: shoelace, buckle, wheel, zipper, door with latch, switch, gears, velcro, and labyrinth.
23. Buckle Toys for Toddlers
Buckle toys for toddlers are a great fine motor toy. They are also great toys for in the car because they are small and lightweight.
This buckle toy features three different types of buckles which uses different fine motor skills for each buckle. It also includes color matching for the buckles! Be warned-this is probably not one of the best travel toys for 1 year olds because the buckles can pinch. However, my 2 year old and 3 year old do very well with it.
24. Quiet Book – Silent Toddler Travel Toy
Montessori toys are some of the best toys for traveling with toddlers because they are busy yet quiet.
The My Quiet Book features buttons, snaps, shape matching, and more.
Each page has a different “task” that teaches a different skill, all pieces are attached, and it is soft/lightweight. It even comes with its own washing bag!
Could these car travel toys for toddlers work on airplanes too?
ABSOLUTELY! I would probably omit books with noisy buttons and Picasso Tiles so that your fellow flyers are not telling stories about your noisy children while they are picking up their bags.
However, the rest of these toys are quiet, time-consuming, sit-down activities. These are perfect travel toys for an airplane ride. Toddler is a must-have on a plane and these are some great options!
I have road trip toys for toddlers. Now how do I keep my 2 year old entertained in the car for a long road trip?
Choosing the right road trip toys for toddlers can provide hours of entertainment if they are presented in the right way. To keep your 2-year-old entertained in the car (or any child at any age, really) you’ll want to pass these out one at a time. Keep the extra toys in the travel bag until the first toy has been exhausted and then exchange.
By keeping the others hidden, there is a possibility you can circle back around and use the toys that were first played with again. In our car, whoever is not driving is the toy passer. Spoiler alert: it’s always me.
Final Thoughts: Best Toddler Toys for Travel
This is obviously not an exhaustive list but it is a well-tested list. For us, the best toddler toys for travel pack easily, are lightweight, are quiet, and can be reused. We hope you find something you can use for your next car ride!
We would also love to hear your ideas! We are always looking for great new travel toys to add to our collection.
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