Games to play when you're travelling with kids

If you’re going on holiday, but you’re dreading the journey more than you’re looking forward to the holiday, this post is for you! This list has loads of ideas that will keep a small person happy and busy in a car, train, boat or plane. Happy travels!

Games to play in the car

1. Draw a monster picture and hold it up to give fellow passengers a roarsome makeover!

2. Play car spotting! Choose a colour each and look out of the window. When you spot your colour car, you score a point.

3. Challenge kids to spot things the same colour as their crayons and draw them. Bring the crayons and paper or magazines in a box to keep them together and to provide a hard surface for resting on.

4. Don’t be afraid to pack craft items. Bring a sandwich bag filled with a glue stick, a few crafty bits like pompoms, pipe cleaners, stickers and sequins, plus some paper. Challenge children to make a fun holiday collage or a postcard to post.

5. If the sound of moaning and squabbling becomes too much to bear, 'the quiet game' will become your saviour. Your kids simply compete to see who can stay quiet for the longest. Blissful silence, here you come!

6. Meet numbers, play games and spot objects with these Numberblocks activity cards that are perfect for journeys.

7. Come prepared with activity books or magazines that you can whip out when you hear those dreaded words, “I’m bored!”. This Andy’s Adventure Dino Pack is bursting with sticker and colouring fun and comes with a fantastic set of fact cards.

9. Pack some crayons and paper, and learn how to draw a dinosaur with Giggly's Marie.

10. Bring a tablet – of course! And download some programmes onto it that you all might want to watch, like Go Jetters, PJ Masks, or Hey Duggee.

11. Don’t forget stickers… they’re flat, light and you can use them in lots of different ways. Grab a copy of our Bluey Sticker Magazine for lots of sticker fun.

12. Googly eyes make everything fun! We like the idea of using old scraps of paper to make scrunch paper monsters. Simply scrunch up the paper and stick on the googly eyes. Your child could also draw and stick on mouths.

13. Download nursery rhymes and audiobooks for some easy downtime for everyone.

14. These children's books are easy to throw in your bag for quiet time on the go.

15. Play an animal guessing game. Pick an animal, sea creature, bird or bug and give your child simple clues such as: “It has eight legs and spins silky webs”.

16. Bring bubbles. They cost next to nothing and provide lots of fun for kids of all ages. Or why not make your own bubble mix before you set off?

17. Play “I packed my suitcase”. Take it in turns to say what’s in the suitcase. Each player adds one thing to the list. Be silly – pack sausages and smelly socks! The challenge is to remember everything that’s been said before.

18. Wipe-clean cards are perfect for holidays because you can use them again and again. These Numberblocks Wipe-Clean Activity Cards get our vote! They’re fun and educational, too.

20. For an all-in-one fix, we love kids' magazines. Puzzles? Check. Stories? Check. Stickers? Check.

21. Turn snack time into a game. Pack mini-icing pens and have a go at decorating some biscuits.

22. Travelling can be a little stressful for everyone at the best of times, so have these 3 cute mindfulness activities for kids up your sleeve to help everyone feel calm.

23. Get children to look out of the window and doodle the clouds.

24. Plan ahead and download these Disney princess colouring sheets – they're super easy and lightweight to pack.