40 EASY Airplane Activities For Toddlers On A Long Haul Flight

• Make a puppet out of the seat waste paper bag/barf bag – just bring along some pens or colouring pencils.

• Make cup animals from the paper drink cups from the crew.

• Pack post it notes with different colors or themed plasters/band-aids for them to stick around their seat (remove them afterwards!)

• If you are sitting next to the window, use window gel clings. You can get them in all different patterns and shapes and as they are reusable, you can use on the flight home, in the hire car or hotel.

• Bring an old spice container and pipe cleaners or even Q-tips for some fine motor skills. Little ones love to ‘post’ things through holes.

• Bring an old wallet with pretend cards and/or low value coins for them to play with for older kids.

• Pack a few piper cleaners and uncooked pasta shapes for them to thread and make a bracelet.

• Find an old empty tub or container, fill it with different coloured small pom pom balls. Put holes in the lid, and then your toddler can post them back through and practice their color knowledge too.

• Any old zips attached to a piece of material for them to play with.

• Triangular crayons so they don’t roll away when coloring pictures.

• Kids washi tape. You can get rolls themed with dinosaurs, pirates, cars, fairytales and more. great for roll play and sticking on the tray table as it is easily removable and mess free. You can even buy washi tape or masking/painters tape which is marked out like a road. Or draw your own road markings on plain painters tape. Just add a toy car and zoom!

• Another easy busy bag idea and great travel toy for toddlers and preschoolers is pack some pre cut up card in half, but in various shapes, wavy line, in half, zig zag etc for an easy 2 part puzzle where it doesn’t matter if the pieces get lost.

• Lift the flap game – use old ‘close down lids’ from baby wipes and stick 8 to a piece of card. Under each open lid draw a picture, colour or number and then close. A quick and easy game of ‘lift the flap’ or ‘where is?’  My 10 month old loved doing this! You can make it into a sensory toy for younger babies too.

• Finger puppets of dinosaurs or animals or with photos of family members on is great for pretend play and imagination.

• Another idea for younger children, is a travel busy board – where everything is in one place but there are plenty of different things to do for little hands. This Montessori Busy Board is a great sensory toy with lots of zips, buttons and games to engage pretend play and imagination whilst learning. It can fit their favorite books, coloring crayons, paper, snacks and even a water bottle too!

• Colouring books or Activity Books with play scenes and numbers and letters or a magazine

Some airlines will provide some travel packs on board – you can find this information before you book on your airlines website or have an idea here.

Airplane Activities for Toddlers

Fidget Spinner

These are so portable to grab and pop in your travel bag and stick on a plane window, train window, a hotel fridge and a variety of places. They are recommended for 18 months and up. Inside is a tiny rattle so a small sound is made as they twirl around but it didn’t disturb any passengers. Our toddler loved playing with them. We’ve bought sets to friends who have also loved them and used with younger toddlers under strict supervision.

You can buy them easily from Amazon worldwide and Walmart is another alternative store for U.S readers. They are a similar price at either place.

Munchkin Caterpillar Spillers Stacking and Straining Cups

We had these at home already for the bath, so I always packed them for our trips. They are perfect for bath time fun abroad, for the swimming pool at our destination, but they also came in handy for as stacking towers on the plane.

The cups are in bright colours so the have an educational element to them too as babies and toddlers can learn the colours and develop their fine motor skills when stacking them.

They also have the option of being stuck together to form a caterpillar and for pouring water. These were definitely one of our go to’s for travelling. You can buy them from several places, including Amazon worldwide, Walmart (the most expensive) and Munchkin directly.

Melissa And Doug’s Take Along Shape Sorter

The regular shape sorter game was a hit at home at the “posting’ stage of my two tots. And this one is ideal for on-the-go with it’s soft carry case.

It’s a great game for little hands and one that is easy to transport whilst traveling. Yes, it does have pieces which could drop, but this is useful for little ones to play with in the more secure airplane bassinet (if they don’t keep throwing them out which is another game in itself with mine!) or at your destination.

The shape sorter is available worldwide on Amazon and also for the same price on Walmart if you are in the U.S

Sassy Ring-O-Links Teethers

A firm favourite of ours since she was a tiny baby and she still loved these link rings as a small toddler. The links have bright colours and have different textures on which appeals to babies sense of touch.

All linked together they can be used as a rattle, or separately as a teether. Another very versatile toy.

They work brilliantly on airline bassinets and are ideal for travel car seats too. Another use is to use them as a tether for other toys, so they are easy to retrieve if dropped. You can buy them from Walmart if you are in the US, but they are cheaper and also available worldwide on Amazon

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Buckle Toy Whale

My 1 year old LOVED this interactive buckle toy whale and it kept her so busy.

So many people have sung its praises to me after purchasing it, so I often buy it as a travel gift for friends with little ones.

This durable Buckle Toy Whale has several buckles to do up and a zip mouth.

The only issue is once my toddler mastered the buckle, she asked a pretty quickly for me to unbuckle it so she could undo them all over again. Nonetheless, it has easily occupied her for over 30 minutes – a minor miracle!

Now it’s a firm favourite on all our journeys, car included. It’s one of the best toddler toys for plane use, because it is so quiet. We bought ours from Amazon, but US readers also have the option of buying it for the same price at Walmart.

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Melissa & Doug Water Wow!

These water pen books by Melissa & Doug Water WOW have an educational bonus. Just make sure you empty the pen from water before security or add it to your clear plastic bag.  They are reusable and both liked the activity.

I also used to pop them in my bag for when we were eating at restaurants too. You can buy from Amazon and US readers also have the option of Walmart too.

Zoo Magnetic Playset

The magnetic board opens up and creates a scene with characters and accessories that stick to the board. The magnetic board does reduce the chance of them being dropped on the floor when travelling so a pretty good travel game to bring along. You can buy this on Amazon worldwide.

Silicone Pull String Activity Toy,

This is a fairly quiet multi-sensory silicone activity toy for babies 18 months plus. Just pull the cords from side to side to hear and feel the various sounds and vibrations the cords make. With the sound of an aircraft white noise this wont disturb other passengers. Bonus is it makes a great fidget toy for older siblings too! You can buy this on Amazon worldwide or Walmart for US residents

Find the Duck book

Our family love this classic book of from the ‘Find The .. series There are lots of things to spot besides the duck on each page.

Both of our girls have loved this book so much that I had to buy two copies due to over use! You can buy it on Amazon worldwide and US readers can also buy it for the same price on Walmart.

Triangular Crayons

Every person we have sat next to on a plane has been amazed by these, Such a simple idea but clever! We were given the ones above but if you want a wider selection of colours; Melissa & Doug have them on Amazon and Walmart. Genius and one of the best toys for toddlers on planes!

Wooden Lacing Cheese Threading Toy

A friend recently recommended this wooden threading block which is great for developing younger toddler and baby fine motor skills – plus it’s a very quiet travel toy. Its available on Amazon worldwide and Walmart for US readers

Fat Brain Toys Original Dimpl Brand Baby Toy

The Dimpl toy is a pop it type toy with different sized bubbles to pop – a good little fidget toy. You can get this travel toy from both Amazon (worldwide) and Walmart (USA only)

Hide-and-Seek Pig Lift the Flap Book

The pictures are by Axl Schelffler and are so engaging, with a lift the flap on every page. It’s easy to see why these books are so popular with young children.

Both of mine loved them from an early age and now the older one reads it to my youngest. Win win! You can buy it easily on Amazon and other book stores.

Soft Touch and Feel Activity Cloth Book

Soft cloth books have pages with quiet, sensory types of activities kids can do which often teach them practical skills (think: zips, buttons, laces and buckles etc.) You can get it on Amazon

Pop Tubes

Pop Tubes Sensory Toys can connect together to form different shapes and words. They are textured and a great sensory fidget toy. The tubes stretch and help improve fine motor skills, motor planning & hand strength. Recommended for kids age 3+.

You can get this toy from Amazon worldwide or Walmart for US residents only

Playmobil Dino Explorer Carry Case

My youngest daughter is a HUGE dinosaur fan. This Dino Explorer Playmobil set is ideal for dinosaur lovers aged 4 and above.

The set includes 2 figures two dinosaurs, net cannon, rock wall, and other accessories a mini map and dinosaur bones!

The carry case is sturdy with a handle, so compact and easy to transport. There are other similar sets in the series including a fairy unicorn case, construction case, a puppy play set amongst others. It’s available on Amazon.

Wikki Stix

Wikki Stix have been popular with both of mine, but they are ideally suited to an older toddler. preschooler and beyond if played with independently. Otherwise-they can help you make fun designs. My eldest made the glasses in the photo above.

They are mess free and made of string with wax over, allowing the pieces to stick together for fun designs. It’s one of those mess free toddler plane activities that you can throw in your bag and pull out when boredom is settling in. You can buy packs from Amazon or even a Wikki Stix carry travel case full of them from Walmart.

Montessori Quiet Book for Toddlers

This Montessori Quiet Book is a set of sturdy pages covered with a fabric which have 9 activities for your toddler. We liked how the parts are all tied to the book so pieces can’t be lost. Perfect for plane journeys and road trips!

You can get this soft touch book from Amazon and a similar book from Walmart as well.

Busy Board Backpack

Another novel idea for younger children, is a travel busy board – where everything is in one place but there are plenty of things to do for little hands. These include: a great sensory toy with lots of zips, buttons and games to play which are all part of a bag.

This Montessori toddler travel bag has enough space for favorite books, coloring crayons, paper, snacks and even a water bottle too!

You can buy it from Amazon, or if the US, there is also a similar Busy Backpack on Walmart

Window Gel Clings

A hit with our toddler. Gel Window stickers or gel clings are reusable, mess free and very handy if you have a window seat on a plane, or even for road trips in a car or coach. These are better for older pre-schoolers though as younger ones may like to put them in their mouth. 

If you cannot find any window stickers or don’t have a window seat, then stickers, bandaids, post-it notes are another option for cheap toddler travel games. These can easily be stuck on seat rests and airplane tray tables for fun too!

You can buy these from several places including Amazon like we did.

Melissa & Doug Tape Activity Book:

For ease, this Melissa and Doug Tape Activity book has reusable scenes with this kids washi tape.

You can get rolls themed with dinosaurs, pirates, cars, fairytales and more. Great for roll play and sticking on the tray table as it is easily removable and mess free. You can even buy washi tape or masking/painters tape which is marked out like a road. Or draw your own road markings on plain painters tape. Just add a toy car and zoom!

The Melissa and Doug activity book was from Amazon but you can also buy it from Walmart.

My Busy Book – various themes including Disney, Transformers, Paw Patrol and more

My Busy Books are a great option for kids. These are very good value activity boxes with a story,  12 figurines and also contain a folded up play mat for role play. Whilst the play mat is too big for a plane or public transport, (trust us on that one – we tried and failed) the figurines are still fun to play with. Once at a destination or a flight delay, the play mat can come out.

This is all very compact and easy to pack in your hand luggage making them ideal travel toys for toddlers. We have a Paw Patrol, Frozen, Trolls and My Little Pony one! These books are also available on Walmart

LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train

This was a staple for our baby stage and toddler too!

My one-year-old and four-year love Duplo. The number train is easy to pack both girls loved playing with the set. (We just discarded the box for easier packing). We actually bought this on one of our trips away, I think in Vermont and then kept bringing it along as it was such a success. 

Pieces can obviously drop on the floor of a car or plane, so we opted to just use a couple of pieces from this set on the plane and saved the rest for playing with at the destination.

If you are staying in a hotel room, villa, or Air BNB which doesn’t have any toys, bringing a few toys for moments of boredom or quiet time can prove invaluable. You can buy from Amazon worldwide though if you want a speedy delivery, and US readers also have the option of Walmart.

Crayola Color Wonder Mess Free Coloring

Crayola Color wonder is available at most airports shops, but you can also get it from Amazon and Walmart. So a good idea if you have forgotten to pack any toys for the flight. if you have not seen it before, I would also recommend it for home use too as it avoids any messy pens ruining clothes, walls and furniture.

Water Drawing Mat Painting

These water drawing sets are great for toddlers. They are re-usable colouring in mats, which just use a water pen. Once they have dried out, you can reuse them again.

This is a great idea if you are packing travel toys for 18 months and older. It’s easily available on Amazon and Walmart.

Fisher-Price Little People Helpful Harvester Tractor

Mini figurines;  such as the Happy Land characters from the Early Learning Centre (UK) or the  Fisher Price Little People.(Worldwide) or small toy animals and dinosaurs.

These have been played with SO much on all modes of transport and are a firm staple for us.  These are brilliant for imaginative play – arm rests become mountains, tray tables become roads and seat belts

Toy in a Tin

There are quite a few of these toy play scenes in a tin. One version is a toy train set and track. You can buy extra rail track to extend the track around the tray table or hotel floor which leaves no messy residue behind! You can buy the Train in a Tin from Walmart or Amazon.

We have the Farm in a Tin version from the UK, which has been SO popular with my daughter from the age of two. It does have small parts (especially the 3 ducks)  but it’s such a compact toy, which has been handy to have in my bag and whip out if there has been a flight delay.

It’s also been great for her to play with whilst away on holiday and stuck inside a hotel room or winding down with some jet lag.  Even at home it’s played with frequently, making our list as one of the best toddler travel toys for 2 year olds.  

PlayTape Road Tape for Toy Cars 

You can buy role play/painter tape or road play tape here from Amazon. It is ideal as it doesn’t ruin furniture and can be used anywhere, making cars and road tape perfect toys for toddlers on airplanes. A great budget alternative is painters tape.

3 Pack Push Bubble Fidget Sensory Toys

This sensory fidget popper bubble toy is made of silicone and comes with a clown fish, whale and turtle. There are so many variations to buy from Amazon or Walmart.

Toddler Travel Games

For active toddlers, you will likely want to stretch your legs and theirs and walk around the plane and explore.

The economy class section will have the longest aisles, but be aware you may not be allowed to venture into the business class area.

Other parents will be doing exactly the same and walking around! It’s worth asking the crew if they need any ‘helpers’ which is a fun adventure for little ones. I used to always have helpers when i was cabin crew.

Airlines like Virgin Atlantic, often hand out sweets before landing and ask kids to help – this can help with that final stretch.

During the main part of the flight,  the crew might also need some ‘help’ after the main meal service handing out ice cream or something similar.

Simplified versions of pairs, or snap can work well or even learning colours or counting/picture flash cards.

Printable Scavenger Hunt/I-Spy

Alternatively, other puzzles and activities for toddlers include an i-spy/ scavenger hunt printable game. Little ones can look around the plane and tick some items off their list.

Here are scavenger hunts for you to download for free: an airport scavenger hunt and the airplane scavenger hunt. Click on the link for your free download.

Toddler Snacks

Snacks, all the snacks! If your kids are like mine, they are want a snack from takeoff to landing! Always pack more than you think you need, especially for a long haul flight with a toddler.

Threading Cheerios on a sweetie lace is a alternative to lacing cards. Using the lace and cheerios can be a great fine motor skill for coordination which combines snacking too – a great activity for your 18 month old or older. Other snack ideas include:

• raisins
• cheese crackers
• fruit squeeze pouch e.g Ella’s Kitchen
• blueberries
• sandwiches (avoid peanut butter in case of other passengers allergies)
• cooked pasta
• mini sausages
• rice cakes
• bananas
• granola bars
• satsumas
• cucumber sticks
• bread sticks

Anything that is fresh, remember to leave on the aircraft or check the countries customs laws. For example, fresh food of any kind is NOT allowed into Australia or New Zealand. To keep the food fresh, I take ziploc bags and fill with ice from home, and refill at the airport and on the plane.

I don’t use icepacks/coolpacks as some countries security laws will not accept these through security. Instead, pack some ziplocs and refill once airside and again from the crew onboard the plane.

I avoid candy, lollies and chocolate etc as a hyper kid on the plane is zero fun and a very different adventure! The only exception is the lollipop I keep for top of descent, in case they find the ear pressure uncomfortable.

Technology – Tablets and Toddler Apps

I used to pack various techie toys or bits, but now I take my phone and iPad and download it with apps, movies and TV shows for the kids and bring some kid friendly headphones. As toddlers they really enjoyed learning apps such as:

• Peekaboo Barn
• Toca Boca
• ABC Toddler
• Mouse Maze
• Lego Duplo House and Trains
• Duck Duck Moose,
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Older toddlers may enjoy the free educational My Town series where they can immerse themselves into various places and role play – like the farm, an airplane, the vets etc. My youngest child is absolutely captivated by them!

I also download the airlines app, as depending on the airline, you may need to have this downloaded before your flight in order to access any of the inflight entertainment.

Some airlines will provide child size headsets but this is not the norm, so if in doubt bring your own to use on your tablet or the airlines TV system.

For more screen fun, you can also download episodes from Netflix or BBC iplayer. These may have a limited watch time once you have either downloaded or began to watch them, so save this tip for the day before you go.

For more toddler apps you may be interested in, I wrote a more detailed post on baby and toddler apps here.

I list more interactive toy ideas in this specific toddler travel toy post which are great for play and your child’s imagination too.

What can’t I bring on a plane for my toddler?

You can bring pretty much anything on board to entertain kids, but for the sake of everyone and other passengers too, toys are best if they are quiet, on the smaller side, do not have liquid inside them, and any activity is fairly mess free. Fill toys like the water toy magic painting pens once onboard, otherwise be prepared to take them out at the security gate. Each country will have different security rules.

100ml or 3-1-1 liquid rules do not apply for baby/toddler food brought onboard but will apply to toys.

Families flying with older children, these travel games for kids may be useful too!

Don’t forget:

• Have you remembered any items you need to help your baby or toddler sleep on the plane?
• Would you like a free printable (no sign up) packing checklist for flying?
• Find out which airlines/airports provide courtesy airport strollers.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions?