I often get asked for ideas for how to keep kids busy while travelling and to be honest there is no one simple answer.  It’s more of a strategic approach that requires careful planning and some well chosen toys and games.  A multi pronged attack is required generally in the business of keeping kids entertained, but even more so when they are going to be going on a road trip or flying abroad for a holiday.

How To Keep Kids Busy While Travelling + Amazon Fire Giveaway

How To Keep Kids Busy While Travelling

Pack a Bag of Toys: 

When we go on a road trip or a holiday each of my daughters has a rucksack full of essential items that will keep them busy.  I pack things like a children’s magazine, some colouring pens, a pack of children’s cards like Happy Families or Match The Pairs and their favourite toys.  They keep their toy bag with them so they can access it at any point during the trip.

Play Imaginative Games

There are so many games you can play with children when you are travelling, and we always end up playing at least two or three to keep their mind of the journey.  As well as I-Spy and Licence Plate Lingo, you might want to try some of these.

  • Where’s That Plane Going? Pick an airplane at the airport and make up a story about where it’s going to be heading off to and what the people will see.  Will it go to more than one place?  What will the people see when they get there?  The possibilities are endless.
  • The Car Next Door: If you are on a road trip why not try making up stories about where the car next door is going and what the people will get up too.  Are they going on holiday or are they secret spies on a mission.  Let your imagination run wild.
  • Twenty Questions: This game is such a lot of fun.  The first person decides something they are going to be, and the rest of you have 20 questions to ask to help you guess who or what they are.  This is bound to keep everyone busy for a while.
  • Prepare A Scavenger Hunt: Before you go on your trip put together a scavenger hunt.  If you are going to be waiting in an airport lounge for a while this is the perfect game to play.  Your list could include things like a red suitcase, someone in a blue jumper, a tablet, a newspaper and so on.
  • Singing:  Kids love singing don’t they, and it lifts everyone’s spirits.  I’ve been known to burst into a nursery rhyme in the car, on the plane and at Tarragona train station much to the delight of some American tourists who enjoyed my rendition of Wheels On The Bus.  I know no shame when it comes to keeping kids busy.

Airport Scavenger Hunt

Take A Tablet

We all use mobile phones, tablets or laptops to keep us busy on long haul flights and kids are no different.  They are used to using these things at home, so they can be incredibly useful when you are travelling as a family.  At some point everyone gets a little tired and just wants some easy entertainment.  There are some great free online games for kids including Finding Dory, My Little Pony games and Zootopia.  With lots of their favourite characters to keep them busy, everyone will get a little peace and quiet.

Pay As Much Attention To The Trip Home

When we are getting ready to go on holiday, everything we need gets packed properly and is where we need it to be.  Toys are in the toy bag, the tablet is charged and is within easy reach and there’s plenty of snacks and drinks available.

When we are packing to head home, things change a little.  Things are thrown in bags.  Toys get thrown in with the dirty washing and someone forgets to charge the tablet.  Kids need as much entertaining on the trip home as when they are going on holiday and getting this right is in everyone’s interests.  Pack the toy bags first so you know everything they need is in there.  Put someone in charge of making sure the mobile devices are fully charged and devise a new scavenger hunt.  This way everyone will have a good trip home.

Amazon Fire Giveaway

I have got the perfect giveaway to help keep the kids busy when you go on your summer holiday.  One lucky Zena’s Suitcase reader could get their hands on the latest Amazon Fire 7 tablet to load up with apps and games to keep the kids busy when travelling.  This will make a great child’s first tablet and I’m super excited about being able to give one away.  All you need to do is enter via the rafflecopter below.  Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Collaborative post.  Competition ends 28/7/16 open to US and UK residents over 18 years old. Other T&C’s apply

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248 COMMENTS

  1. My girls would love the Finding Dory: Forgetful Friend Adventure game and my boys would love the Ultimate Spider Cycle game!

  2. Really great tips there. We’re going on holiday in August and will be bringing our tablet to keep our three year old entertained on the plane.

  19. Alchemy is the perfect app to download first
    They just love to try out all sorts in our home and are so inquisitive it would be so much fun and learning too

  25. I believe that Candy Crush is the game that will keep my Great Niece and Great Nephews happy, and me

  27. My granddaughter would just love the summer fashion game and my grandson would like the jelly madness!

  39. Red Ball ans Shift to Drift would be some favorites, So many great free games I am sure they would all be tried and played!

  53. My daughter Heidi would like to play Snail Bob 8 she loves snails, we have a little collection outside lol

  60. My neice loves anything to do with fish – Finding Dory and Snail Bob 8 is what shes choose

  70. My kids love the cooking panda games so I;m sure they would like ‘Papa’s Bakeria’

  74. My son loves Dinosaur games so he would definately choose Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaur.

  87. The oldest already plays Slither.io so she would go for that the youngest would like the Zootopia game

  111. I think Finding Dory: Forgetful Friend Adventure game would be popular, and it would hopefully improve their concentration levels too!

  112. My 4 and 5 year old sons would love My Little Green Dragon as they are both animal crazy and who didn’t want a pet dragon when they were younger! My 8 year old son would love a puzzle game like Octopus Hugs and my daughter would love them all – shes only 2 but just loves tapping and scrolling the screen from one page to the next not caring whats on it ! Haha. Fab ideas for travelling with kids I’ve got 5 and we hire a mini bus so I’ll be adding some tips to my list of games etc

  113. Most of those would appeal to my son, and being a big super hero fan the first he would jump at is the ‘ultimate spider cycle’

  118. Tomb Runner for both of mine – although my son would like the Soccer game and my daughter the Cooking one

  130. Oh I will definitely be using these tips when it comes to going away on holiday next year. Thank you so much ?

  132. Definitely the Ultimate Spider Cycle game – my son loves spiders (much to my dismay)

  137. My niece just watched Finding Dory last night so she’d like Finding Dory: Forgetful Friend Adventure game.

  138. My girl is a bit young for those games at the minute but there’s loads for when she’s older.

  146. finding dory and princess fashion for sure. there are so many games! i didn’t realize how many are out there

  191. The boy would probably choose ‘Ramone’s Body Art game’ and the girls would probably choose ‘Fab Tattoo Artist game’, but there are so many to choose from that I could very easily be wrong … which is kind of an occupational hazard of being a parent! :0)

  198. Tomb Runner – a fun and educational game that’s more than a match for Lara Croft’s offerings! 😉

  201. There’s lots that look like fun, we like the look of Papa’s Bakeria and Pou: Real Haircuts

  214. There are so many games that my son already plays….Cut The Rope, Flappy Bird, Star Wars Rebel

  229. My son loves Talking Tom and there are loads to pick from. He can sit and just laugh for ages!

  243. My daughter would love to play Elsa makeover and my son would enjoy guardians of the galaxy

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