Toys

Preschool Easter Basket Fillers Under $5

February 23, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Find tons of preschool Easter basket fillers under $5 for both boys and girls!

When you have a bunch of Easter baskets to fill, being frugal in the process is something that our Easter bunny needs to do! We have 5 baskets to fill with the new baby this year so I decided to come up with some items under $5 that could be used to fill those baskets.

The list in this post is geared towards your preschool babies aged 3-5. Don’t forget to check out the Infant Basket fillers under $5 if you have a baby under 1. And since we literally still have Halloween candy hanging around our house, I am leaving candy off this list. No need to worry, I am sure some chocolate bunnies will find their way into the baskets but I want to focus on non-candy items for this list.

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Preschool Basket Fillers Under $5:

Unicorn Sunglasses for Girls and Blue Shark Sunglasses for Boys!
Crayola Color Wonder Coloring Kits – Baby Shark or Paw Patrol – I love the size of these, great to throw in your purse or diaper bag for restaurant entertainment.
Play-Doh Multi Pack
Egg & Chick Shaped Sidewalk Chalk and this Unicorn Horn Chalk is perfect for your Unicorn loving kiddo.
Bath Crayons
Crayola Bath Bombs – to turn their bath water fun colors! The pretty colors will look great in a basket too!
Shark Shaped Water Squirters – Fun for backyard or pool play.
Toothbrush – A new toothbrush with their favorite Princess on it is required after all that Easter candy! My kids love these light up toothbrushes too.
Bunny Ears Headband
Water Bottle with Wonder Woman or Black Panther characters.
Bunny Kid’s Plate
Trolls Blind Bag or Ryan’s World Blind Bag – I really do not get the blind bags but my preschooler LOVES them.
Sand Bucket Set – Fun if you have a summer beach trip planned.
Mini Sand Vehicles – I am planning to use these in our sand/water table
Paint Your Own Easter Canvas – They have several different choices, cute inexpensive craft. Add some paint or Markers for a complete Easter Art experience. Only $1 Each!
Spring Girls Bunny Tee or Boys Bike Riding Shark
Light Up Bouncy Balls – this comes in a multipack so it is good if you have multiple baskets or Eggs to fill.
Jelly Bean or Chocolate Bunny Kinetic Sand
Berenstain Bears & the Easter Story Book – Reminds us of the reason we celebrate Easter
Emoji Stickers or Spa/Makeup Stickers
Shopkins – I do not understand the appeal of these either but my 4 year old is obsessed.
Barbie Color N Style Purse – little purse craft kit that you color and bedazzle
Confetti Eggs – These look like fun to smash outside!
Mini Jenga Game
Crayola Washable Paint
Baby Doll Play Food
Hurricane Disk Pool Toy
Lego Easter Chick Kit
Sand Tools – Another toy we will use in our sand/water table until our beach vacay
Silly Scents Markers
Hatchimals Egg
Paw Patrol Bubble Glove – Perfect for outdoor fun
Spring Colored Jump Ropes
Playground Kickball
Pool or Outdoor Spash Balls
Plastic Bat & Ball
DIY Slime Kit
DIY Stress Balls
Jeli Rez Jewelry Making Kit

If you need other ideas, check out this list of personalized items for the Easter basket for kids. And if you have teen girls at your house, here are tons of teen personalized items they will love too.

Have an Infant’s basket to fill? Check this out for practical fillers under $5.

Toys That Get Played With From 24 Months to 3 Years

November 2, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

There is nothing worse than spending money on toys that get played with for a couple of hours and then go to the corner of the room to die a slow death.

I’ve put together a list of tried and true toys that get played with from 24 months to 3 years old.

My youngest just turned 3 and with Christmas coming up, toys are on the brain. I was doing a review of the things in my house that have really been played with over the last year and thought I would share with ya’ll.

So if you have a 2-3 year old or are shopping for a grandchild or niece/nephew, this will give you some ideas of products that will bring lots of joy at play time.

Get value for your money with this list of toys that get played with from 24 months to 3 years! Since I have a boy and a girl, you will find options for both and gender neutral gift ideas as well.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Toys That Get Played With From 24 Months to 3 Years

Getting a good, quality toy doesn’t mean that it has to be expensive. Here you will find a wide range of toys that range from inexpensive to splurges. These toys are tried and true gifts that have been used in our home for at least the last year (some for a lot longer than that).

Find something that fits in your budget and enjoy the entertainment that it provides to your little one.

Budget Friendly Gifts for Toddlers

Little Tikes You Drive Remote Control Car

This is a great first remote control car for toddlers! It is easy to operate and didn’t get stuck like I thought might be an issue with a 2-3 year old using a remote control car.

LeapFrog Sweet Treats Learning Cafe

The play that this one gets may be a result of my coffee obsession but he loves making coffee for me. It is also a great way to have the feel of a play kitchen if you don’t have room for the whole big setup.

Melissa & Doug Scoop & Serve Ice cream Set

Lots of Ice cream shop has been played since we got this cute set.

Cleaning Toys

My littles have both enjoyed doing tasks like mom. So the Fisher Price Vacuum and a broom just their size both get a lot of use. When I’m cleaning, they go get their tools to help.

Bouncy Hopper

My 3 year old is getting another one of these for Christmas because after riding his for approximately 900 hours (lol) he popped his old one.

Mid Range Toys That will Get Played With from 24 Months to 3 Years

Little Tikes Trampoline

My kids (3 & 6) love jumping on this trampoline. There favorite time is when I am exercising & they like to do their “exercise.” It is also a great way to get some of their energy out during the cold and dreary winter months.

Cozy Coupe Car

This is an old classic that kids still love. We have played with this outdoors and even indoors when the weather is bad. Don’t forget the gas station pump to go with it.

Step 2 Vanity

My daughter really enjoyed this from about 3-5. It is recommended for 2 & up but she didn’t get it until 3. We still have it and she turns 7 next month. She enjoys using it while playing dress up.

Check out this simple dress up station to organize dress up clothes, jewelry, make-up and more.

Black & Decker Toy WorkBench

Some of the activities on this bench may be too advanced for a young two year old but they will still enjoy the tools. As they get a bit older, they will be able to adjust the bolts and screw the screws.

My little boy loves to grab his tools whenever we have people working on something around the house.

Toy Splurges for 2-3 Year Olds

6 Volt Paw Patrol Ride On Chase, Marshall or Skye

My little guy got this for his 2nd birthday and at 3 it still gets used a couple of times a week. Even our almost 7 year old gets in on the action. While this toy is a little large, it works indoors and he has a path that goes through the house.

You can read a full review of this toy here.

Pottery Barn Personalized Anywhere Chair

While this might not qualify as a traditional toy, kids love furniture that is just their size. These chairs get used when we watch movies and they love them.

Little Tikes Inflatable Bounce House

We bought 4 years ago for my daughter’s birthday party instead of renting a bounce house. Since then, we have used it for several more birthday parties and my kids jump on it frequently throughout the year.

It is a bit bulky but when I know the weather will be nice, we will put it out on a Friday and leave it out all weekend. The kids love it and it keeps them active.

I hope this list of toys that get played with from 24 months to 3 years helps make your Christmas shopping a little easier this year.

More Toy Guides

Best Outdoor Toys For Preschoolers

Active Play Sports Toys for Toddlers

10 Toys that You can Get a 3 Year Old That They Will Still Play with At Age 5

Little Tikes Water Slide Review

The Ultimate Frozen Gift Guide

November 2, 2018 by Stacy Craft 2 Comments

Do you want to build a snowman? If you have a Frozen obsessed little one you probably can’t count the number of times that you have heard that! Check out the ultimate Frozen gift guide for all things Anna, Elsa & Olaf!

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

When I set out to write the ultimate Frozen gift guide, I decided I would start with the Frozen things that my kids personally own and then move on to cool things I found online. Shock and a little embarrassment came when I discovered just how many Frozen products that we own.

My name is Stacy and my daughter is Frozen obsessed. There I said it. I thought we just liked Frozen but apparently we deserve a place in that obsessed category. Anna is the favorite in our house but Elsa certainly has made an appearance (and the rest of the gang).

And in honor of Frozen 2 being released on 11/22/19, I have updated this post to include all of the newest Frozen toys, clothes and stocking stuffers!

The Ultimate Frozen Gift Guide

Use the ultimate Frozen gift guide to find gifts for the kid that wants and needs everything Frozen. From Frozen toys to clothing to everyday essentials there is something for everyone! Pick out the perfect gift for a Frozen birthday party or a great Christmas present.

Frozen Footwear

Frozen Girls Light Up Tennis Shoes – Fun Fact: I swore I would never buy light up shoes. Never say never right? My daughter loves these and they are good quality.
Frozen Princess Socks – my little one loves to wear these on “Silly Sock” day at mother’s day out. We have the Anna ones of course but they also have an Elsa pair.
Frozen Boot Slippers – These are so cute. I can never keep socks on my kids in the winter. Maybe these would encourage them!

Frozen Crafts

Frozen Watercolors Paint Book – my daughter starting liking these types of books when she was 3-4. We have had lots of different characters and this Frozen one was entertaining for her. She loves to paint the coloring book pages and hang them on the fridge.
Frozen Aquabeads Refill – Did you have perler beads as a kid? The aquabeads remind of that in a slightly easier for the parent format. Fair warning, if these beads spill it is a mess! But it is fun and my daughter loved the Frozen theme. You will need a starter kit to go with this if you don’t already have one. And here is the Frozen II version!
Frozen Imagine Ink Book – Another childhood memory for me. These are such fun little books with the “magic” marker. The price point is great too!
Frozen Crayola Color Wonder – Coloring is one of my kid’s favorite activities. We love the color wonder products and this Frozen inspired set is no exception.
Frozen 2 Necklace Activity Set – This is the coolest toy at such a reasonable price. You string the beads, add your Frozen charm and wear your creation. Then just undo the clasp to make new creations over and over again.

Essentials

.Frozen Divided Zak Plates – the zak brand has the best kid plates in my humble opinion. They hold up in the dishwasher and still look new years later. Not to mention that they make meal time fun!
Frozen Thermos – My daughter takes this to school at least twice a week. We fill it with chicken nuggets, pizza, ABC’s & 123’s and even milk with cereal on the side.
Frozen Backpack – Make school a little more fun with this cute bag. We had a Frozen backpack last year for school and used it every day!
Frozen Nap Mat – these are the best! Lightly padded and with a built in pillow and soft blanket. My little one has been using this at mother’s day out for 2 years.
Frozen Child Luggage – we actually have just a princess version of this but my kids use these for overnight trips to grandma’s. They are the perfect size for a few outfits and your favorite stuffed animal.

Stocking Stuffers Under $10

The ultimate Frozen gift guide wouldn’t be complete without some inexpensive stocking stuffers! And don’t forget to grab a Frozen stocking too!

Frozen Book – A book is always a great stocking stuffer! Inexpensive, educational and fun!
Elsa Squishy Jewelry Bead Kit – This looks fun and is the perfect size for a stocking.
Frozen II Lipgloss Set
Elsa High Heels
Frozen 2 Sunglasses – Perfectly practical Stocking Stuffer.
Frozen 2 Uno Game – A classic game with your favorite Frozen II characters
Frozen 2 Rubbing Art
Da Bomb Frozen Bath Bomb
Frozen Reusable Sticker Play Scene
Frozen Color By Number – my 5 year old loves color by numbers!
Frozen Magic Ink Book – With Mess free marker – kids are happy and mom is too.
Frozen II Fizzy Charm Surprise – My daughter loves all types of surprise blind bags. This one makes a cute necklace.
Peel N Stick Frozen Puzzle – This is a cute mosaic style craft, perfect for a stocking.
Frozen Earrings
Frozen Nail Polish Set

Pretend & Imaginative Play

Frozen Hopper Ball – Toys that double as energy release agents always get an extra star! These are great for those super cold Frozen like days outside when you can’t get out. The kids can bounce inside with minimal damage to your stuff. We don’t own this but every time we go to our local children’s museum both of my kids love the hopper balls.
Frozen Lip Gloss & Nail Polish Set – My daughter was just using this nail polish last night. It is a cute set that allows your little girl to pretend she is her favorite princess.
Frozen Mirror & Lipstick – The mirror is a hit. Even my one year old son loves making it light up. It is a toy so the mirror is a stick on reflective which I like because my crazy baby would have a glass mirror broken in about 10 seconds.
Frozen Bath Bomb – Pretend your tub has turned into a Frozen wonderland. My little princess is obsessed with bath bombs. I think this would be a great stocking stuffer! And it is handmade in TX!
Anna & Elsa Cool Tunes Sing Along Boombox – My daughter has the older model of this item. She used to walk around singing “Let It Go” in the microphone at the top of her lungs. I like that it is portable and easy for a 2-3 year old to carry around.
Anna Coronation Costume – We have so many Anna dress up gowns. My little one was Anna for Halloween one year and still likes to dress up as her favorite princess.
Elsa Costume – This is on the Christmas list this year. Ya’ll this is going on a 3 year Frozen obsession. I can’t wait to see what happens next year when movie #2 releases. Check out how we organize our Princess dress collection here!

Toys

Frozen Small Doll Collection – My daughter got this for her birthday and loves using this set to play in slime and playdough. They are small, figurine type dolls that fit in the palm of an adult hand. As a mom, I like these because although they are small, they are not dinky. They are chunky little figurines and we haven’t had one break yet (despite the slime plunges that they take often).
Frozen Elsa Magnetic Doll – Dress Elsa up in tons of different ways. My daughter enjoys this quiet time activity while her brother is napping. And if you are more into Anna, she has a magnetic doll set too. This one does have quite a few small pieces, so keep that in mind if your little one still puts things in his/her mouth.
Anna Baby Doll– We have the set with Anna & Elsa.
Frozen Bowling Set – These little bowling sets are great for indoor fun on a rainy day.
Frozen Tent – Tents are just fun period.
Frozen Magnetic Activity Scene – This is another good travel toy. We have used this on car trips and plane rides.
Frozen Pie Face – the popular game with an Olaf twist.
Frozen Operation – A game that is fun through the ages. Did you have operation when you were younger?
Anna Barbie Type Doll – There is also an Elsa. My daughter likes to play with these in her doll house.

Educational Items

Anna Lego Set – Legos are on my 4 (almost 5) year old’s Christmas list this year. Since this is her favorite Princess, we may have to give it a try.
Frozen Look & Find – Your kids can never have too many books! Reading is so important and i love the look and find interaction that this one provides. If you want to see our Frozen Christmas books, check out our Christmas book advent calendar tradition.
Frozen Puzzle Set – We have this item in the Peppa Pig version. I cut the picture off the back, put the picture and the corresponding pieces into a ziplock bag and then store all the pieces in the wooden box. It makes it easy to keep the puzzles separated.
Olaf Play Doh Set – Play doh is a great way to encourage the imagination and sensory development of young kids. If your frozen obsession is a snowman, this is for you.
Frozen Matching Game – Challenge your child’s memory with this fun game featuring your favorite Frozen gang.

Frozen Clothing And Accessories

Anna Hat with Braids – This was another birthday gift from a friend. It always gets cute comments when we are out and is a fun way to “dress up” without actually wearing a costume out. It is all about compromises when it comes to little princesses isn’t it! There is an Elsa option too.
Frozen Panties – A practical gift that is still fun for the recipient is the best.
Long Sleeve Elsa Nightgown – No better way to sleep than in an Elsa gown.
Frozen Hair Clips – Cute clips that would be great to add on to a gift or a stocking stuffer.
Elsa Robe – This looks nice and warm for chilly winter mornings.
Gloves and Hat Combo – There are several different character choices. I love hats and gloves as a practical Christmas gift.

Target even has matching family Olaf pajamas that are really cute if you want to wear matching Frozen pjs on Christmas morning.

Ultimate Frozen Gifts

Frozen Castle Playset – My friend at work sent me me this when her granddaughters outgrew it. We have had it for a little over a year and it is still in great shape so I would say that it is a good quality item. If you are looking for a dollhouse at a lower price, this one is cute and less than $50. And here is the brand new Frozen 2 Dollhouse.
Frozen Bike – My 4 year old is in need of a new bike this year and she may just get this one for her Birthday! i think she would love the little doll sleigh on the back.
Frozen Jeep – My Dad and Stepmom bought my daughter a power wheels toy when she was 2. We still laugh at how now 2.5 years later, she can finally use it! We don’t own this Frozen version but it is very cool and would be super exciting to a Frozen fan.
Frozen Table, Chairs & Toy Organizer – I love this because it doubles as a gift for kid and parent. Kiddos love a table meant just for them. Use it for home picnics, to color or play. The toy organizer displays our favorite Frozen characters so maybe just maybe the kids will pick up their stuff off the ground and put it in the toy box? Wishful thinking?
Frozen Sofa – Ultimate doesn’t have to mean expensive! This is less than $40 and will be a favorite. My mother in law sent a vintage kids couch down for us recently and my kids go crazy for it and it doesn’t even have a Frozen princess or queen! Read the reviews, looks like this is best for small kids.
Olaf Snow Cone Maker – Do you want to build a ….. snow cone? Oh my gosh, I know some kids (and a hubby) that would love to have a snow cone maker at home. Especially one shaped like Olaf!
Frozen Ride on Sleigh – My daughter saw this on the computer screen and was losing it. “I want that!”
Olaf Inflatable – Wow your kids or grandkids with this Olaf inflatable. My kids go crazy for inflatables!
Frozen Ball Pit – A ball pit is every toddler’s dream!
Frozen 6V Quad ATV – This is a great ride on toy for kids as young as 18 Months. My 2 year old loves riding this toy (we have a different character for him but it is the same toy). The battery stays charged pretty well for lots of use before you have to recharge. It is small enough to ride in your house (things I said I’d never do) or outside in the driveway.

I hope the ultimate Frozen gift guide helps you to find the perfect present for your little Frozen fan. I am off to see if we can find some of our Frozen items to donate to make room for the new items that my baby girl is wanting for her birthday and Christmas this year.

And if you have any other little girls in your life that love the LOL Surprise dolls, check out this Ultimate LOL Doll Guide. Tons of LOL stuff to make your little one happy.

10 Best Toys for 3 year Old (That They Will Still Play With at 5)

December 18, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

A list of 10 toys for a 3 year old that will get played with and used for years to come. Best of all, they are all under $25.

Toys. Toys. Toys. They are everywhere and they can take over your home quickly if you don’t choose wisely. I love when I find a gift that really gets played with. Even better if it gets played with for years to come.

Over the last few weeks I have been trying to get a big donation pile of unused toys and other things to give to others in anticipation of the new toys that will come at Christmas time. While I was doing that, I noticed several toys that have been around a while that are still being used.

I wanted to share with you the top 10 toys that we bought for our daughter when she was 3 that she is still playing with as a 5 year old.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Reasons We Love These Toys

There are several criteria that put toys on my must have list for my kids.

Inexpensive – When buying for a 3 year old, you don’t want to break the bank with a toy purchase in case it doesn’t get used or
Mostly Independent Play – Obviously supervision is required. However, these are good because they provide some level of independent play or quiet time. As an example, my daughter might color or paint at the kitchen table while I am cooking dinner.
Encourage Creativity/Imagination or Motor Skills – A toy that teaches or allows my kids to create something is one that I like buying.

10 Best Toys for 3 year Old

Here is the list of the 10 best toys for 3 year old kids. We purchased these for our then 3 year old daughter that she still consistently plays as a 5 year old now. These toys have held the test of time. They are durable, fun and entertaining. Best of all, you can buy these on Amazon for less than $25 each (and a bunch are under $10)

Mega Bloks Building Set

These big building blocks are perfect for little fingers (our 1 year old even has fun trying to build things). I love the wagon that it comes with for storing the blocks. It is also an easy way to teach your little one the art of cleaning up their mess.

Alex Discover Button Art

This is my favorite item on the list! Starting at 18 months, the kids can work on pushing the buttons into the art. When the child is younger you can work on color identification and matching the correct color to the button. My five year old still gets this out to work on. She can of course do it independently now so it is now a nice quiet time activity.

Playhut Tent

What is it with kids and tents or forts? They love them! My daughter has loved her tent for years. She likes to hide in it, read in it, play with toys in it and play pretend. They also fold up to make storage super easy.

Learning Resources Rise & Shine Breakfast Play Food

Good quality play food is really hard to find! This set is realistic looking and has a couple of really cute features. An egg that you can crack, a muffin that you can fill with blueberries and a small toaster for the bread. My daughter still plays restaurant and loves to serve us food.

Hot Potato Game

The laughter that this game brings is the reason it has made this top 10 best toys for a 3 year old list. Now that my daughter is five and the baby is 14 months, we all get in on the fun. The baby of course doesn’t understand the concept but he loves chasing around any dropped potato! It is always a good time.

Coloring Book with Water Colors

Coloring is fun but painting is a blast! These coloring books come with a watercolor palette and a coloring book featuring your favorite characters.

Melissa & Doug Water Wow

These are so amazing. The kids “paint” with a refillable water paint brush. The pages come to life with pretty colors when they get wet but the magic happens when the water dries. As it dries, the pages turn back to white so you can paint them over and over again. We play with these at home and on road trips or plane rides.

Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Scoop Pretend Set

My daughter wanted this on a random Target run and I didn’t really want to spend $24 on it. I almost passed it up but during the summer, I usually choose to let her get a toy or two. It has been played with so much. I am not sure that I will ever forget her little voice yelling “ice cream for sale” 600 times a week!

The set is very cute with 4 different flavors and cone and cup options. There are magnets in the scoops and the cone so you can serve up a double scoop and it will stay together.

Disney Princess Necklace Activity Set

This is awesome for the ability to create again and again. The necklaces are a silicone type stretchy material with a fastener. String the beads, add a princess and wear. When she wants to change up the necklace, just pop the fastener and create again. This does have small pony beads but at 3 my daughter could do this craft mostly on her own.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Wooden Recorder

Music is always a great thing to expose children to. We love singing silly songs and we have a big bucket of noise makers and instruments. This recorder is a fun way to make some fun sounds. We also have a xylophone and a small keyboard.

Hopefully this list of the 10 best toys for 3 year old children will help you in your gift search. Whether it is for a birthday or Christmas, I hope your kids love these things as much as mine do. I am just happy that we can find some other toys to play with on occasion because my 5 year old is currently LOL obsessed.

Travel Activities for Kids on Road Trips Under $15 to Free

June 25, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Travel Activities for Kids on Road Trips Under $15 to Free

We recently took a beach trip with our 7 month old and 4 year old. Driving 7+ hours with two kids requires lots of planning. I wanted to have some travel activities for kids, snacks and extra patience packed for the drive.

And if you are going to the beach and need to know the #1 beach item to take with you for an infant, read about that here.

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Since we used to make a trip from our home in Houston, TX to Memphis about every 6-8 weeks for the first two years of my daughter’s life, I am pretty experienced in things that work well in the car. I have compiled a list of things that we used on this trip or have used on previous trips to make the journey a little easier on everyone.

Amazon Road Trip Toys & Activities Under $15

Pop Snap Beads

I put a few handfuls into a solo cup. The cup fits into the carseat cup holder and the kids can assemble chains or jewelry. If they use all the beads by making a super long chain, I will refill the cup. These beads snap together so there is no chance of a string being dropped and all the beads falling off. Good for a car ride and something different than the usual car activities.

Colorforms Reusable Stickers & Background

Do you remember playing with these as a kid? I do! I loved being able to create a sticker scene with all of my favorite characters and then pull them all off and start over. Lots of the current characters are available for your kids – Peppa, Paw Patrol, PJ Masks. These are a great activity for the car, airplane, a restaurant or even just quiet time at home.

Magnetic Dress Up Board

Magnets in the car are always a win in my book because I envision them staying stuck where they should be and not all over my floor. My daughter has been playing with her magnetic dress up board since she was 2 or 3 and still enjoys it at 4.5 years old. We always have to have all thing princess and girl so we love the Frozen and Minnie sets. They also have a Minions and Cars set too that will be perfect for my baby boy in a couple of years!

Melissa & Doug Water Wow

Wow is right. Simply put water in paint brush holder and shut the top. Your kids will paint with the water and all of the pretty colors will magically appear. The best part? Once the water dries, the color evaporates and they can paint again and again.

I bought my daughter a set of these when she was 2 and we are just now having to replace them 2 years later because the paper finally wore out after being painted so many times. She has so much fun using these books, especially in places where painting is not typically allowed like in the car! This pack has 3 books and if you need less, they also have a 2 pack. I keep these in my diaper bag too for times that we might get stuck somewhere and need a distraction.

These might just be my favorite travel activity for kids!

Lacing Cards

Encouraging learning and fine motor is what we do as moms (even if it is in a car)! These lacing cards accomplish just that. The kids think it is fun and we can feel good about them doing something besides watching a screen (and don’t think I am getting all judgey, you better believe a screen will make an appearance in our car during a trip.)

The ocean themed lacing cards were my choice since we were travelling to the beach. The princess, zoo, and transportation cards are also very cute.

WikkiStix

These are pieces of yarn covered in wax. The sticks are moldable and can be twisted and formed into shapes. I like to print off free playdough mats to use when playing with these wikkistix. They are mess free! Picklebums has a great roundup of playdough mats that you can use.

Dollar Tree Travel Activities for Kids

We took a quick trip to the Dollar Tree right before we left. As always they have a million things that you didn’t know that you needed! Since everything is just $1, it is great for little car ride surprises.

Here is what we got:

Stick on By Number Mosaics – These little kits surprised me! They were lots of fun and super economical.

I kept the stickers up front with me and let my daughter pick one number to do at a time to cut down on lost pieces and mess. These were actually really good quality and reminded me of kits I have purchased at craft stores for much more than $1!

Velvet Mickey Mouse Mini Poster Coloring Art

Mini Character Puzzle Tins – Attach magnetic tape to the puzzle pieces and they can work the puzzle on the cookie sheet in the car. Make sure you use a really thin magnet. I used one that was too thick at first and the puzzle pieces will not fit together right if you do that.

Travel Activities for Kids that Dollar Tree Stocks:

Playing Cards

Big Pack of Stickers

Coloring & Activity Books

Crayons

Dry Erase Boards – They had cute little character boards in the school supply aisle that were perfect lap size

Snacks/Candy/Treats

Baby Dolls/Barbie type dolls

Trucks/Cars

School Workbooks – lots of age appropriate workbooks are available.

(Almost) Free Travel Activities For Kids

When you are traveling, money has probably already been spent on travel expenses, lodging and entertainment when you get there. But when you are trying to survive a long drive or plane ride with littles, a few new things can be worth it because it literally helps with sanity.

A couple of new items are fun and exciting for the kids but there are plenty of things that you can also do extremely inexpensively or for free to create entertainment on the ride as well. Travel activities for kids don’t have to cost a lot to be exciting. Here are some cheap ideas to make the car ride more fun.

Gift Wrap Everything

Do you remember the first Christmas or two with your baby? Remember how they had more fun with the wrapping paper and boxes than with the 3 million toys that you and your family gave them? That is the concept here! If you buy a couple of new items, wrap those up. Even better, over the course of the week before you leave, select a few car appropriate toys that you already own. Wrap those toys up too! The mystery of unwrapping will be so fun, the kids won’t care if it is brand new or something they just have not seen in a week. (Do your kids love the cheap blind bags? This is a DIY variety!)

I keep all of the wrapped toys and activities within my reach and pass them out as needed. My favorite container to use to contain this is a trunk cargo organizer (I use this one). I like the trunk organizers more than a plastic bin because they are collapsible so it gives you a little more flexibility. If you want to collapse it once you arrive at your destination, you can save some room.

I also do this with snacks. An animal cracker is so much more fun to eat after pulling it out of a pretty package. I keep the savory and sweet snacks separated in my bag so that I am in control of preventing 4 snacks of M&M’s in a row. I pack some healthy stuff too but treats are kind of a given on a road trip! Your kids will love unwrapping all of their stuff on the road to where you are going!

Just remember to pack a couple of plastic grocery bags to control the trash and dispose of it at your next gas station stop. Brightly colored tissue paper makes a good gift wrap for this and seems to create a little less mess than traditional wrapping paper since it tears away so easily. I just lightly tie a little ribbon to secure it or you could use tape.

Printable Worksheets

There are lots of free printable worksheets available that you can find on Pinterest to print off. Tracing letters, simple math problems, and easy problem solving activities can be good choices to pass the time on a road trip. These are great travel activities for kids that are fun and educational.

Preschool Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a fun and inexpensive way to pass the fun. We use Do A Dot Paint markers to mark off the found items. Paint is always more fun than a regular pencil and these are no spill. I like this scavenger hunt for younger kids since it has large pictures.

I hope these travel activities for kids help you on your next road trip or plane ride. We survived our road trip with no meltdowns (even from the baby!). And if you are looking for a fun Staycation idea for your kids, check out this awesome Slip N Slide Hack.