Easy and Awesome Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

While we have definitely become pros at traveling with our toddler, most of that travel consisted of plane rides. We recently did our first road trips with our 3 year old, and they went super well! A lot of the activities for the car are similar to things we use to occupy her on flights, and all of these road trip activities for toddlers are pretty cheap and easy to bring.

Read The Best Advice for Road Trips with a Toddler too so you can guarantee a great trip.

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Road Trip Activities for Toddlers Quick List/Jump To:

I’ll be honest…. I have seen a lot of road trip activities that require the parent to make things or put little kits together beforehand. Maybe it’s just me, but prepping, packing, and getting my family into the car for the road trip is A LOT. I don’t feel the need to make homemade activities when life is already hard enough.

Kudos to you if you do a lot of DIY things, but if you’re busy and just want some basic, easy things to occupy your toddler, this list is for you.

Basic Drawing Pad

I gave Jovie a basic drawing pad and some new colored pencils, and this occupied the majority of her time. The drawing pad works because it’s a built in hard surface to color on.

Colored Pencils, Crayons, Markers

Keep them in a ziplock or a cheap pencil holder from the school section at the store.

Surprise Toys

Buy cheap, small toys. Wrap them in wrapping paper and give them to your toddler along the route.

Regular Sticker Books

Toddlers LOVE stickers. I don’t fully know why, but they do.

Reusable Sticker Books

These ones always entertain our little one for a bit.

Fidget Popper

This one doesn’t distract Jovie for very long, but it’s cheap and packable.

Play Doh

Cheap, easy, and fun.

Books — Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

Borrow some from the library or bring the favorites from home.

Play Car Games

I Spy is good for this age or practice singing new songs together.

Water Painting Book

These books only need a water pen, so they’re no-mess.

NAPPING – maybe the most important of the road trip activities for toddlers

Try to time your road trip well, let them do a quiet activity to get tired, tell them it’s quiet time/nap time, and hope they nap. This is the best way to make their time go faster, and they’ll be less cranky. Bring a blanket or stuffed animal if this will help.

White Noise Machine

Anyone else a crazy person when it comes to getting your kiddo to nap? Our 3 year old turns into a monster if she doesn’t get enough sleep, so I will do basically anything to get her to nap/sleep. Having a portable white noise machine playing helps to mask the noises of the road and to set “the mood” for naptime.

Toddler using drawing board on plane

I forgot to take a picture of her using this in the car, but this is THE drawing board.

Drawing Board

I cannot believe how much time our 3 year old has spent using this thing. If your toddler enjoys drawing at all, BUY IT. The pen is attached, they just click a button to erase their drawings, and it’s small/lightweight.

Preschool Work Book

This one requires some help from a parent to complete the activities, but it’s educational and fun.

Look Out the Window

Our toddler is still rear-facing (she’s small), so she can’t see super well out the window. But we do talk about what she can see.

Snacks — Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

Definitely an activity and definitely something to make road trips more pleasant – don’t let your toddler get hangry. Always have snacks on hand, and use these no-spill snack cups. Bring some special road trip snacks that your toddler will be excited about.

A Screen

Yes, a screen can definitely be used on long road trips. They’re sitting anyways, so THIS is the time to watch things. Our 3 year old only watched her screen for 20 mins of our 14+ hours of driving because the other things on this list kept her busy. But do not feel guilty for letting them watch a movie if you’re on a long drive. Download things ahead of time, so you don’t have to buffer/worry about having service. We keep a few Bluey episodes and Encanto available and just use a regular Kindle that we already had.

Toddler Head Phones

We use these for plane rides, but they can also be helpful in the car. Imagine you and your significant other being able to talk for a few minutes?! What an idea.

Travel Potty

I am obsessed with this travel potty that includes bags to go in. It’s helpful for emergencies when there isn’t a nearby bathroom, it’s compact, and it’s extremely helpful for camping with a toddler.

Comfortable Car Seat

I know this isn’t an activity, but I think it’s the most important part for having a good road trip with a toddler. This is where they’ll be sitting for extended periods of time, so make sure you have a safe and comfortable car seat for them.

Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

Did I miss anything that has really helped you do road trips with your toddler? Comment below! I hope you have an amazing time traveling with your toddler.

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