12 Screen-Free Travel Activities for Toddlers

Whether you're facing a flight, a long drive or a two-hour wait at the gate, keeping a toddler happy without a screen comes down to one thing: a handful of simple activities, revealed one at a time. Here are twelve screen-free travel activities for toddlers — most using bits and pieces you already have at home.

Quiet activities for the plane

1. Reusable sticker books

The gold standard of travel toys: mess-free, endlessly re-playable and perfect for a tray table. Bring one your toddler hasn't seen in a while for maximum novelty.

2. Water-reveal colouring pads

They ‘paint' with a water-filled pen, so there are no felt tips to lose down the side of the seat. The picture appears like magic and fades to be coloured again.

3. Pipe cleaners and a colander

Sounds odd, works brilliantly. Threading bendy pipe cleaners through the holes of a small colander (or a plastic cup with holes) is superb fine-motor fun that buys real time.

4. A wrapped ‘surprise' toy

Wrap a small new toy in a few layers of tissue paper. The unwrapping is an activity in itself, and the toy keeps them going afterwards.

Story-based activities (the calm ones)

5. A book about where you're going

Books are the ultimate screen-free plane activity. A personalised book set in your real destination works especially well: your toddler spots the beach, the cathedral or the little train from the pages, and lands already excited to find them for real.

6. ‘I spy' on the plane or in the car

Adapt it for little ones: ‘I spy something blue', ‘something round', ‘something that goes vroom'. No props, endlessly repeatable.

7. Finger puppets and lap games

A couple of finger puppets turn the seat-back tray into a tiny stage. ‘Round and Round the Garden' and peekaboo with a blanket work just as well.

Busy-hands activities

8. Wikki Stix or bendy craft sticks

Waxy, bendy sticks that press onto the tray table and peel off cleanly. Make letters, shapes and little animals — no mess, no batteries.

9. Sticky notes

A small pad of sticky notes is weirdly brilliant: stick them, peel them, count them, draw on them. Cheap, light and totally absorbing.

10. A little figure or two for imaginative play

Two small characters from a favourite show can act out a whole story on the tray table. Bring a mini scene (a folded felt mat) if you like.

For the airport and the car

11. Snacks that take time

A pot of raisins to pick out one by one, a rice cake to nibble around the edge. Slow snacks double as entertainment — and help with ear pressure on take-off and landing.

12. A ‘scavenger hunt' at the gate

While you wait, hunt for things together: a red bag, a dog, a big window, a plane taking off. It turns dead time into a game and burns a little energy before boarding.

How to make it all last longer

• Reveal one thing at a time. Ten activities shown at once are gone in ten minutes. Ten revealed slowly can fill a whole flight.
• Keep a couple in reserve for the final, hardest stretch.
• Build excitement before you go. A toddler who's looking forward to the destination is calmer and easier to distract on the day.

Frequently asked questions

How do I entertain a toddler on a plane without a tablet?

Pack a small bag of simple, novel activities — sticker books, water colouring, threading toys, a favourite book and slow snacks — and reveal them one at a time. Keep a couple in reserve for the last half hour.

What are good screen-free activities for a long car journey with a toddler?

Lap-friendly options work best: sticker books, Wikki Stix, finger puppets, ‘I spy', sing-along songs and slow snacks. A short audio story can give you a calm stretch too.

Flying somewhere sunny? Create a personalised book about your child's real holiday, or read our guide to keeping a toddler busy on a plane.