1. A busy board: Busy boards give infants a tactile and visual sensory stimulation. They allow the child to develop their fine motor skills with grabbing, pinching, and eye hand coordination. It is a great way for a child to stay entertained and problem solve independently on an airplane.

   Here is my favorite one easily available on Amazon: Montessori Busy Board,

2. Coloring Books and Non-Toxic Crayons/Paint Sticks: Coloring books allow a child to focus, express themselves, be creative, build their confidence, practice strokes that will eventually help build their writing skills. Pick coloring books with large simple designs, and dark outlines.
   • First Coloring Book : I’ve bought this particular one over and over because of how many pages of pictures it has of day to day items and animals.
   • ABC Coloring Book: This particular book was great because it has letters in addition to day to day items and animals
   • Simple and Big Coloring Book for Toddlers: This is another book that allows the child to color animals, shapes, fruits, and other objects
   • Lebze Jumbo Crayons for Toddlers: The quality and variety of colors makes this crayon set perfect for travel.
   • Tempera Paint Sticks: These paint sticks allow a child to feel like he/she is painting in a mostly mess free manner especially for a plane ride.
3. Sticker Books: Sticker books can help improve a child’s fine motor skills and their eye/hand coordination at the same time. It also brings out their creativity since they will be deciding where to put the stickers in the themed background.
   • Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Play Set (Choose your favorite theme)
   • DOT IT (Choose your favorite theme)
   • Cupkin Sticker Books (Choose your favorite theme)
   • Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad: Dress-Up
   • Sticker Activities ABC
   • First 100 Animals Sticker Book
   • Build your Own Cupcake
4. LCD Writing Tablet: Great way to introduce a child to a digital tool. This is another portable and mess free item that allows a child to develop their creativity and fine motor skills during travel.
   1. Bravokids 10 Inch LCD Writing Tablet
   2. TEKFUN LCD Writing Tablet
   3. FLUESTON LCD Writing Tablet
5. Puzzles: Puzzles encourage a child to problem solve and build their spatial awareness. It also builds their self esteem and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
   1. Nashrio Wooden Puzzles for Toddlers 2-5 Years Old
   2. Magifire Wood Puzzles for Toddlers 1-3
   3. LiKee Open Ended Wooden Shape Puzzles
6. Water Wow Books: Water Wow books are interactive, reusable, and mess free. The book comes with a pen that is supposed to be filled with regular water. Once the child uses the water filled pen to paint the picture, the colors will be revealed. This is another great way for a child to stay entertained with a variety of themes during travel.
   • Melissa & Doug Water Wow! (Farm, Under the Sea, Safari)
   • Melissa & Doug Water Wow! (Shapes, Fairy Tales, Animals)
7. Lacing cards: Lacing cards help a child build their pincer grip along with their fine motor skills. This skill will eventually be necessary when the child has to use scissors, tie his/her own shoes, or write with a pencil.
   1. Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace
   2. Variety of Lacing Cards
8. Play-Doh/Molding Clay: Play-Doh/Clay is a great way for a child to build their hand/arm strength and muscles. Due to the variety of colors, it is a great way for a child to learn their colors and build their creativity. The child must be supervised at all times, since children may be tempted to put the play-doh in their mouth. In addition Play-Doh may cause an allergic reaction to those who have an allergy to wheat gluten or any other allergies.
   • Two Ounce Play-Doh
   • One Ounce Play-Doh
   • Molding Clay Kit
9. Wikki Stix: Wiki Sticks are a fantastic way for a toddler to use their creativity and imagination on a flight. These sticks are mess free and reusable. Practicing letters, numbers, and shapes would be a great idea for a plane ride.
   1. Wikki Stix for Doodlers
   2. Wikki Stix Rainbow Pak Arts & Crafts
   3. Wikki Stix Arts & Crafts
10. Magnetic Blocks/Magnet Tiles: Blocks/Tiles are a fun way for a child to develop their dexterity and spatial awareness. Although blocks/tiles can get heavy for a carry on on a bag, taking a small number of them can keep them entertained. The magnetic type are less likely to continuously fall through the plane ride.
    1. Picasso Tiles Travel Size
    2. Geomag Magi-Cube
    3. Magnetic Building Blocks
    4. Magnetic blocks

Disclaimer: While playing with any of the items above, the child must be supervised and attended at all times. None of these toys are intended for consumption and there may be small parts to the toys that can be a choking hazard for children.

I never imagined I’d be able to travel so much with a toddler, but these ten items have made the travel happen. I’ve found that the more variety of toys I bring, the longer my toddler can stay entertained through the flight. I also try to bring toys that she hasn’t seen in a while and rotate them so that she won’t be easily bored. These toys also don’t make much sound so that passengers nearby are not disturbed. I found that coloring and sticker books keep my child engaged the longest, so I start with those so that I can rotate them again on a second round of the same flight. My daughter did not stay as engaged with the busy board compared to the other items, but every child is different. She definitely enjoys her time with play-doh and I would bring lettered stencils since this would be a great time for her to start learning letters. I would also try to squeeze in a puzzle during each activity rotation since completing them made her content. My daughter was also fascinated by the water wow books and LCD writing tablet since it brought change from the coloring books. Although lacing cards were her least favorite activity since it involved more concentration and brought more frustration, a plane ride was the perfect time since she knows she can’t run away!