Next time you fly — or take a long road or train trip — with your children, consider stocking your carry-on with toys and games that will not only entertain them but maybe even teach them a little something. Here are a few suggestions, aimed mostly at younger children, but often fun for older ones and adults, too.
Pro tip: Whatever your go-to travel toys end up being, reserve them for trips so that they retain their special-occasion allure.
These coloring pads’ water-filled pens and reusable pages — they turn bright hues when wet — let preschoolers “paint” without mess on the plane or in the car.
In this learning app, children explore and shape an imaginary land, watching the flora and fauna change — which helps them become more observant travelers, too.
This analog game offers delightfully tough logic puzzles. Translation: It’ll help keep your grade-schooler occupied through the inevitable real-life traffic jams and travel delays.
An upgrade from the old Magna Doodle, this LCD drawing board is more colorful, more accurate, and easier to erase — and just as self-contained and mess-free.
This quick-paced “pick and pass” card game is simple enough for children as young as 5 to master, but tricky enough for older players to enjoy.