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It’s summertime! And time for a road trip. Whether it’s setting off for vacation, or just a day trip, road trips can be a great adventure…especially if the kids in the car are happy. Cue up the travel activities for 4 year olds!
Years ago our family decided to make the 9-hour trip to Banff, Alberta with an 18-month-old along for the ride.
Before we left I put together a little travel kit for Morgan, and we were absolutely over the moon with how much she enjoyed the activities.
It was also a great help in restaurants. We would choose just a couple of the activities, tuck them away in a purse or tote and take them out as needed.
Then Morgan got older, and it was time for a travel kit update. I spent some time thinking back to my preschool teaching days and scouted out ideas online as well.
Then I searched my closets, hit up the bargain section at Target, the Dollar Store, and Amazon as well.
The result? I shipped off a literal ‘bag of tricks’ for my daughter to have up her sleeve when they set out on their next road trip. Now let’s grab the travel busy bag for preschoolers and give you a tour!
Want to see what’s included? Here we go!
Road Trip Bingo – from the dollar section at Target
Amazon option linked right here if your Target doesn’t have these.
I remember using these growing up! They might be a little bit on the older side for Morgan, but I am constantly amazed at how observant she is. Plus if someone in the front seat also has a set they can play together.
Also – I think she will just have fun sliding the little windows open and shut.
Pre-school Workbooks – from the Dollar Store and the dollar section at Target
Morgan loves to ‘do school’ and these little workbooks are the perfect on-the-road solution!
Legos w/ a travel board – Dollar Store cookie sheet and containers, lego sheet from JoAnn Fabrics (legos from Morgan’s closet)
I’ve seen this on a ton of posts. Simply cut the lego board to fit the cookie sheet. Some people have glued it to the cookie sheet.
I decided to add magnets to the bottom of both the lego board and the plastic containers.
Office Supplies – the Dollar Store
Morgan loves office supplies, and the Dollar Store is a great place to stock up on them.
Found this super cute (and water resistant!) folder, as well as the pencil box, stickers, and post-it notes at one of our local stores.
The post-it notes are a particular favorite of hers. She can write her notes and stick them anywhere her little arms can reach.
I also added extra paper and a picture of Amma and Papa just for fun.
Color-in Mask – Michaels
This has been in my closet for a while.
Morgan is super into ‘I Spy” right now, and I thought this would be a fun addition for her to use while playing the game.
You could also purchase or make some pretend binoculars.
Another idea is to go with the old paper plate mask and perhaps even customize it to look like your grandkids or their favorite character!
CVC Picture Words – The Dollar Store
‘Making words, or finding the letter that ‘belongs to that word’ is a favorite activity for Morgan.
This one takes me back to my Montessori days! There are a lot of versions of this online. This article from Montessori for the Heart explains them well.
Shapes and Pipe Cleaners – The Dollar Store
I created these from remnants of foam sheets in my craft cupboard, but these fun sheets are available at the Dollar Store.
Simply cut out fun shapes, hole punch them, and add in something they can string them on. Shoelaces work well.
I didn’t have shoelaces, so I am sending pipe cleaners, which are nice and stiff and may actually work better for her little hands.
Craft Stick Puzzles – The Dollar Store
These were super fun to make!
I selected a few photos I knew Morgan would love and printed them out. If you didn’t want to print photos, you could also select some of their favorite things, such as bugs or Baby Shark, and print out some pics at home.
Here’s a simple set of instructions from Motherhood On a Dime.
I used spray adhesive rather than glue.
I also first used thinner craft sticks and discovered that the puzzles were way too hard for a preschooler so switched to the thicker ones. Much better!
Box ‘o Dinos – The Dollar Store
I bought a bag of little dinosaurs and put them in this perfect size little container.
She will have so much fun using these little manipulative toys for pretend time in the car.
Magnet Craft Sticks – The Dollar Store/JoAnn Fabrics
Simply add adhesive magnets to one side of the craft sticks (make sure to use the sticks that lay flat) and your grandkids can use them to make shapes or patterns on the back of a cookie sheet.
Playdough to Plato even has some patterns to download on her website! Check it out!
Mini Beasts – The Dollar Store
OK – I just picked this up because Morgan says “I like bugs now”.
What I didn’t realize is that there is an app you can download that literally brings the pictures to life!
It’s a great use of screen time.
Also – there were other books available in this ‘WowBooks’ series. I went back to purchase more.
Wow Water Books
If you’ve seen your grandkids use these before then you’ve probably thought the same thing I have. Where were these when my kids were little?!
I got this set of three from Amazon and our granddaughters (ages 2 & 5) both use and love them.
Pom Pom Sorting – The Dollar Store
A little bag of pom poms will be fun to sort into these metal containers. I added magnet strips to the bottoms of the round metal containers so she can use them on the cookie sheet. They could also hold some snacks!
Personal Items
When it comes to a travel busy bag for preschoolers we can’t forget that everyone needs their own special personal items for the road – I picked up this mini fan, and a great little water bottle too!
A Few Things to Keep in Mind:
-Consider the weather as you create your kit – make sure nothing will melt!
-Include some prepackaged parent-approved snacks
-Encourage parents to save these activities and us them just for road trips – that way they are ‘new again’ the next time they load the car!
-Putting each activity in its own container is a huge plus. I look for sales on fun little containers throughout the year.
We hope this little tour of Morgan’s kit, a.k.a. the travel busy bag for preschoolers, will jumpstart some ideas for your own grandchild. We’d love to hear your ideas!
