Going on vacation is an exciting time for the whole family, and your little ones are probably the most energetic of the bunch! 

Not every moment of your trip will be thrilling though. There is bound to be some down time, whether that’s sitting in the airport, on the plane or in the car, or even enjoying dinner at a nice restaurant.

The trick to keeping the peace while on vacation is packing items that will keep them occupied. We’re sharing some items that will hold the attention of the littlest members of your party when what you’re doing at the moment isn’t the most interesting thing in the world!

Personalized On The Go Busy Book

This personalized busy book from Jane is filled with pages of both fun and educational activities, and it’s all dry erase so they can use it over and over again! These come in three levels so you can choose based on their age, grade level, or specific skills they are currently working on. It’s also a great choice for those who don’t want to bring something with a ton of pieces, because all you need is the book and a dry erase marker.

From practicing writing letters and numbers to developing an understanding of patterns, there are plenty of activities in these books, and we love that this is a quiet option for times when you need to keep the noise down. The personalization is a great way for them to learn how to write their name too! 

Click here to buy the Personalized On The Go Busy Book!

Fidget Toy Variety Set

If your child is a fan of fidget toys then you should grab this set! It has a ton of different kinds of toys that will suit a variety of attention needs. This is also great for those with multiples who want to ensure everyone has something to play with.

With these you could either pack all of them into a small travel bag and keep in your carry on, or have your child pick out a couple they wish to take with them on the trip. Either way, it’s probably a good idea to still bring a few so if they grow bored of one they can switch to another.

Click here to buy the Fidget Toy Variety Set!

Soft Busy Board

Sensory toys are another item that can come in handy when you need something to hold their attention. This busy board is a two in one, with alphabet and time-telling boards on one side and a “dressing” set of activities on the other.

The time-telling board will help them understand both broad and small time increments, and the other objects include things like a buckle, button, shoelace strings, and other activities to help them develop fine motor skills around getting dressed. The entire activity is soft and folds up with a carry strap for easy transport!

Click here to buy the Soft Busy Board!

Dinosaur Activity Book

We feel like most kids go through a dinosaur phase at some point. If your little paleontologist-to-be has a trip coming up, gift them this fun dinosaur activity book! Each page is filled with colorful illustrations of dinosaurs and features activities to help them learn not just their alphabet, numbers, and shapes, but also includes dino facts!

This book is spiral bound and the pages are durable enough for toddlers who may get a little rough on it when they are excited! It also comes with two dry erase markers that have erasers on the caps so they can stay entertained with the dinos over and over. 

Click here to buy the Dinosaur Activity Book!

Whiskware Stackable Snack Containers

Snacks are always a great distraction (hey, it would probably work on us too!). Especially when you’re on the road, hungry tummies can be highly distracting. Bring along their favorite snacks and make snack time fun with a cute container!

How adorable is this stackable set from Target? Two piggies are nestled together with a smaller compartment at the top that exclaims “oink”! With this set you can bring three different snacks. When finished just pop each piece in the dishwasher to clean for next use!

Click here to buy the Whiskware Stackable Snack Containers!

Educational Reusable Placemats

Restaurants are particularly tricky because there isn’t as much space for play, and you might be wary of bringing any sort of markers or other potential staining hazard into a nicer establishment. Some food service locations are more kid friendly and might have paper placemats for them to draw or color on. But for those that don’t, why not bring your own?

We like these reusable placemats because they don’t require any drawing, so no worries about accidentally getting marker ink on a nice table cloth or napkin. Each set comes with four placemats with different themes, like transportation, weather, and even sign language! They even have one about table settings, which would be a great option to bring with you. We also love that these products were created by a mom, so we trust these would be a hit with your kids too!

Click here to buy the Educational Reusable Placemats!

Before scheduling your next trip, download and review our guide to the best Disney World hotels!

What tricks do you use to keep kids occupied while traveling? Let us know in the comments!