Journal

Screen-Free Travel Activities for Toddlers: Car, Train & Plane

13 October 2026 5 min read

Practical screen-free travel activities for toddlers: how to pack a play bag, quiet and fidget toys, rotating toys, and tips for car journeys, trains and flights.

Toddler at a train table by the window playing with a soft felt busy book during a screen-free journey

Looking for screen-free travel activities for toddlers that actually last longer than the first motorway junction? The trick is a small, well-planned play bag, a mix of quiet and fiddly toys, and handing things out one at a time rather than all at once. Here is how we approach car journeys, trains and flights with little ones, plus a few toys from our screen-free travel collection that pack down small.

Packing a travel play bag

Think small, light and familiar. A toddler does not need ten toys for a two-hour trip; they need four or five good ones, a snack and a bit of your attention. Pack the bag the night before so you are not grabbing whatever is on the floor at 6am.

Two quiet toys for when everyone needs calm.
One or two fiddly toys for busy hands.
One "surprise" they have not seen for a few weeks.
Snacks, wipes and a spare top, because travel always finds a way to be sticky.

Letting your child carry some of it helps too. The Plush Animal Toddler Backpack has a main pocket, an outer pocket and adjustable shoulder straps sized for toddlers, and comes in 30 animal designs, so they can choose their own travel buddy and feel in charge of their things.

Featured in this article Plush Animal Toddler Backpack £18.99 View

If part of the trip involves walking through stations or airports with the pushchair, the Pushchair Organiser Bag attaches to the handlebar and has compartments for bottles, phone, keys and wipes, with a hook-and-loop flap that opens with one hand. It keeps the essentials within reach while toys stay in the backpack.

Featured in this article Pushchair Organiser Bag £19.99 View

Quiet toys for calm moments

Quiet toys are your best friend on a busy train carriage or a plane at night. Look for things that can be done in the lap, have no loose pieces to drop under the seat and do not make much noise.

A Magnetic Drawing Board is a good fit here. The magnetic pen picks up the 380 steel balls, which are kept inside the board, and guides them into little holes to make pictures, letters and shapes. There is no ink and no paper, it measures about 22 × 17.5 cm and has a slot for the pen, so there is less to lose between seats.

Featured in this article Magnetic Drawing Board £19.99 View

For slightly older toddlers, a felt busy book is a lovely quiet option. The Felt Busy Book with Activity Pages comes in two designs, with pages to open, fasten, pull and play with, such as a zip, a shoe to lace, carrots to pull up and shapes to match. It contains small parts, including wooden beads, and is for ages 3 years and over with adult supervision, so it suits children who are past the mouthing stage.

Featured in this article Felt Busy Book with Activity Pages From £33.99 View

Active and fidget toys for busy hands

Some toddlers simply need to press, twist and flick things. Rather than fighting it, give those hands a job.

The Montessori Wooden LED Busy Board has real switches, buttons, a key, a dial and a plug, and a light comes on with each action, so children see cause and effect straight away. At about 17 × 13.5 cm and 370 g, with the batteries under a screwed-down panel, it is easy to pass to the back seat or slip into a cabin bag. The LEDs are gentle rather than glaring, which is handy in a dim cabin.

Featured in this article Montessori Wooden LED Busy Board – Toddler Travel Toy £53.99 View

For a hand-held option, the 8-Sided Toddler Busy Ball has a different hands-on activity on each face and is made to be held in one or both hands. It is for ages 3 years and over and may contain small parts, so check it before each use and keep an eye on play.

Featured in this article 8-Sided Toddler Busy Ball – Hand-Held Activity Toy £16.99 View

Rotating toys to keep things fresh

The single most useful travel habit is rotation. Hand over one toy, and when interest fades, swap it for another and put the first one away. Coming back to something after twenty minutes makes it feel new again.

At home, keep a few travel toys in a separate bag so they stay special. The Felt Animal Busy Board works well as a rotation toy: it is a flat felt board shaped like a dinosaur, elephant or shark with fabric fastenings to open and close, and weighs about 240 g packed. It is for ages 3 years and over, contains small parts such as buttons and snaps, and needs adult supervision because laces and cords can be a hazard.

Featured in this article Felt Animal Busy Board – Travel Activity Board From £17.99 View

You can find more ideas across our toys and on-the-go ranges.

Tips for each type of transport

Car journeys

Plan stops every couple of hours so everyone can stretch. Keep the play bag in the front where you can reach it, and pass toys back one at a time. Flat or light toys are easiest for a child in a car seat to hold. Simple games like "I spy" colours or counting red cars cost nothing and often work best.

Trains

If you can, book a table seat. It gives you a surface for a busy book or drawing board and a bit of space to play together. Walking up and down the carriage (when it is safe) is a perfectly good activity in its own right.

Flights

Save a new or rotated toy for take-off and landing, when you are both stuck in your seats. Pack toys without lots of loose pieces, as anything dropped tends to roll under the seat in front. Quiet toys are kind to fellow passengers on longer or night flights.

Screen-free travel activities for toddlers: FAQ

How many toys should I pack for a toddler?

Four to six is plenty for most trips. Mix quiet and hands-on toys and rotate them rather than offering everything at once.

Are busy books suitable for under-3s?

Check the age on each product. The felt busy books and busy boards we stock are for ages 3 years and over because they contain small parts, and always need adult supervision.