Packing and keeping the travel toys organized is half the battle, which is why I created this Kids Travel Activity Bag. I personally designed this bag to meet the needs of my family, and it’s been so helpful on both short and long trips. Whether we’re flying, on a road trip, or simply spending a day out, this bag makes it easy to stay organized. 

The best feature of these travel bags are the two detachable pouches, so you don't need to use the entire bag every time! You can just grab one of the pouches for a daily outing or swap out the contents as needed. It’s a practical solution for keeping everything in one place and easily accessible.

Yoto Mini - I'm a HUGE fan of the Yoto Mini Player and I honestly can't imagine travelling without at this point. It's hands down the best travel toy for kids and screen-free device that exists for travel! We've used it pretty much daily for nearly 4 years now. Yoto is a simple, easy-to-use audio device that plays books, music, and podcasts for my kids. It keeps kids entertained without the use of screens, which is perfect for long flights, car rides, or downtime on any trip. The fact that it doesn’t need Wi-Fi is a huge plus, and it can play radio stations and the daily Yoto podcast. Plus, you can create your own Make Your Own cards to add personalized stories, audiobooks, or music! It’s compact, portable, and the absolute best travel companion for kids.

*As of September 2nd, 2025 Yoto is having a Back to School Sale - 10% off Yoto Player (not the Mini though) and 20% off Education Cards. You can use my code below to STACK THE DISCOUNT and get an additional 10% off - which gets you up to 30% off some of our favourite Education card sets like BrainBots, LadyBird Audio Adventures and The Magic School Bus.*

Use the code below to get 10% off 👇

(discount applies to any order above the price of a Yoto Mini $69.99 USD or $99.99 CAD)

We’re a little obsessed with magnetic toys over here. I think they’re the BEST type of travel toy - they’re compact, mess-free, and don’t end up rolling under airplane seats every two seconds. Plus, if you happen to be at a restaurant with metal chairs or tables, your kids suddenly have an entire new way to play. Here are the magnetic toys we rotated through this summer:

Magnetic Travel Kit - Two years later, and this magnetic travel set is STILL the best and most played-with travel toy we own. I designed it for my own kids and have since sold it to thousands of families around the world as a compact, mess-free and open-ended solution. The unique part is that it comes with a variety of magnetic pieces to create endless ways to play for all ages - including magnetic tiles, cubes, sticks, bendy people, wheels and road tape. Everything comes in a slim lightweight tin container that doubles as a play space for the magnetic toys. Makes the perfect travel companion and gift!

Clixo - If you haven’t tried Clixo yet, this is one of the best travel toys for kids, with a great STEM twist! They’re flexible magnetic shapes that snap together with the most satisfying click and fold into 3D creations - birds, crowns, cars, whatever your kids dream up. The best part is you don’t need a flat surface, so they work everywhere from train trays to car seats. They’re super lightweight and take up hardly any room in your bag.

Magnetic Dot Board - This one is always a win and one of the best travel toys in the Open-Ended Play Pouch because kids ages 1 to 10 are all drawn to it immediately. Dragging the magnetic stylus across the board and “popping” the beads up and down is repetitive in the best way. It’s oddly satisfying, and kids are obsessed with making patterns and erasing them over and over again.

Tiny Magnetic Photo Book - These tiny photo books from Social Print Studios are so adorable! Photo albums keep littles (especially toddlers) surprisingly entertained for a long time. These come in a set of 3 and have a magnetic backing so you can stick them to your fridge or in your magnetic travel set.

Mini Magnetic Cubes - These mini 0.5" magnetic cubes pack a big punch. They’re half the size of regular magnetic blocks (so be careful with younger kids as they can be a choking hazard), but they're fantastic for building little figures, towers, and just adding an extra element of variety to the Magnetic Travel Set. After visiting Paris and finding all the Flash Invader mosaics, my son was using these to build his own.

Beyond magnets, I also packed a few other open-ended building toys - beads, threading boards, a geo board and sticky cubes - which I think are also some of the best travel toys for kids. They’re the kind of activities kids never really “finish,” because they can be played with in endless ways, making them perfect for travel: creative, mess-free, and lasts way longer on a trip. Whether we were waiting for food at a restaurant, killing time at the airport, or winding down in a hotel room, these were the ones my kids kept coming back to all summer.

Geo Board with Elastics - These mini geo boards are a hit with slightly older kids. Stretching elastics around the pegs to make shapes, letters, or patterns. My 6-year-old will sit in busy airport lounges and restaurants working on new designs. This set also comes with these little design cards, which is great for kids that need extra prompts or have a harder time coming up with their own designs.

Threading Board - These unique threading boards are not your typical lacing toy! Kids use a little pen to poke and thread colourful laces through these tactile boards, and the holes actually grip the lace so it stays put until you pull it out with a super satisfying flick and pop. The set comes with two boards that connect on all sides, two pens, and plenty of laces so siblings can play together. Toddlers love the simple threading, while older kids get creative with letters, shapes, and designs. A quiet, mess-free toy that’s also really great for sensory regulation.

Pony Bead Set - Beads aren’t an everywhere travel toy (lots small pieces and best played with in a container or tray) but they are a favourite travel toy because it’s the kind of activity that keeps kids’ attention for a long time. Similar to LEGO, my kids get really focused on threading and designing. My daughter loves these Tara Toy necklace sets because the cords are stretchy, the character charms are cute, the beads are easy to lace, and everything is reusable so you can create over and over again.

StickiCubes - These little sticky cubes are kind of magical - they’re squishy, reusable blocks that stick to almost any surface (tables, cups, even windows) and then peel right off without leaving a mess. Kids can build towers, patterns, or 3D shapes, and the sticky grip makes them extra fun to play with. They’re washable, durable, and one of the best travel toys for keeping kids’ hands busy for ages.

Along with our main travel toys, I always toss in a few little extras - simple fidgets and handheld games that are perfect for quick distractions. Things like a mini Rubik’s Cube, a digital tic-tac-toe game, or a clicker counter aren’t fancy, but they keep little hands busy and buy us a few of those much-needed quiet minutes.

Retractable Measuring Tape - This one’s a sneaky genius and also included in my Non-Toy Play Pouch. Kids love measuring everything around them: their legs, the table, snacks, even the stroller. It doubles as a fidget toy since they can pull it out and retract it over and over.

Clicker Counter - These clicker counters are not a toy, but might as well be. The simple act of pressing the button and watching the numbers climb is weirdly addictive for kids. We’ve played car games with it (“click for every red car”), restaurant games (“click every time you hear someone laugh”), and even sibling challenges. It’s one of those little gadgets that keeps them busy way longer than you’d expect.

LCD Writing Board - These doodle boards are an “always pack” item. Kids can draw, play hangman, practice letters, or just scribble endlessly - and with a single click, the screen clears for a fresh start. It’s mess-free, super lightweight, and feels like magic for younger kids. Guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Digital Tic Tac Toe Game - A fun upgrade from the pen-and-paper version, this handheld game lights up and keeps score automatically. My 6-year-old loves that he can play it completely on his own, pressing the buttons and watching the board flash without needing a partner.

Handheld Digital Microscope - This kid-sized digital microscope magnifies up to 200× on a built-in screen, letting kids check out fibres in fabric, patterns on coins, or even insect wings up close. Compact and easy to use.

Deck of Cards - A classic that never gets old. From Go Fish to Crazy 8’s to simple matching games, a deck of cards works for almost every age and takes up zero space in your bag. We also love bringing the card versions of Guess Who? and Charades for Kids - both are small, easy to pack, and always get big laughs.

Activity books are some of the best travel toys for kids because they give little hands and minds something to focus on. There are endless options - mazes, stickers, colour-by-number, puzzles - but I’ve learned to just pack one per kid. It keeps things simple, gives them something new to work on, and avoids lugging around a whole stack.

Sticker Puzzle Books
These Color-By-Sticker books and these Sticker By Letter are the best for beginners and both of my kids were obsessed with them at ages 3 and 4. The stickers are easy to place, the pictures come together quickly, and it’s just the right amount of challenge to keep them engaged. For older kids, the Paint By Sticker books and these Klutz Sticker Photo Mosaic books are more advanced with smaller, detailed designs. 

My son is also very into Minecraft and Harry Potter, so this themed Minecraft Sticker Book and Harry Potter Sticker Book are well loved! If you're looking to get a little bit of learning done, we also like these Minecraft Workbooks. 

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