We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. An LCD writing tablet so your little artist can get creative without you having to pack a bunch of art supplies. And, you won't have to worry about it dying in the middle of a flight because the battery life lasts around 3–6 months!
Promising review: "This tablet has entertained my 4-year-old grandson for hours at a time. He loves that he can erase at will and that the drawings are multicolored. I highly recommend this item for 18 months old and up. I bought a pink one for our 18-month-old granddaughter, and she too is just enthralled with it and the 'power' she has to erase, create, erase, create! They loved them so much, that we bought another set of two different colors so that they would have them at home as well as at 'Grammy's.'" —Kindle Customer Red Heart
Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in four colors).
2. Or a scratch paper art set because it works like magic to reveal colorful images that your child creates just by scratching the surface with a wooden pick. This is perfect if your kiddo hates to erase their artwork.
3. Search and find activity mats that are reusable and entertaining. This set comes with six double-sided mats filled with hidden items your child will be busy trying to find. Use included dry-erase markers to track found items and simply wipe away to start again.
Includes six double-sided activity mats, one duster cloth, two dry-erase markers, and an achievement certificate.
Promising review: "My daughter loves this product. She just turned four and she is able to do the activities. She feels so proud of herself once she’s done. The only part she doesn’t like is when she has to erase it but then realizes she gets to do it again after it’s erased. The cleanup is easy. We just use a paper towel to wipe it down. We use this product daily now that we’re under a stay at home order." —Kathryn
Get it from Amazon for $24.97+ (available in 12 activities).
4. A wooden puzzle because it's like a real lifeTetris minus the screen time. This puzzle can be played over and over for some fun away from their tablet. This is perfect when you don't have access to Wi-Fi or when your kiddo's iPad battery dies and they need something to keep them occupied ASAP.
Reviewers say this is a great toy for all ages — from 3–12.
Promising review: "I was pleasantly surprised with how popular this was! I just bought it as a side gift for a child just because it was cheap and it was a puzzle-type toy. However, this kept both kids and adults immensely entertained for hours. It was challenging for everyone but a fun challenge. I’m purchasing another so we can race each other to finish at the next gathering." —Mrs. Dinkleberg
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
5. Reusable sculpting sticks perfect for crafting so your child can create anything they can think of (except a mess) on the go. These sticks are bendable and can twist into anything they can imagine. They're made of nontoxic, food-grade wax and can stick to surfaces like paper without glue and "without leaving a mess behind."
Each pack contains 24 Wikki Stix.
Promising review: "My kids love Wikki Stix. They can create little sculptures again and again. You don't get many per pack, but enough to entertain them. I definitely prefer these to Play-Doh, due to mess. These are zero mess, easy cleanup. They store for many uses." —Eric S.
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
6. A mess-free Crayola light-up doodle board with a sealed gel surface that allows little fingers to experience finger painting without actual paint. Your kiddo will love drawing or writing on this board during a long flight or car ride.
Promising review: "My 10-month-old loves this toy. She especially likes the light and the music. The third time she played with the board, she started to scribble a line or two with her little fingers. Before I bought this doodle board, I spent a lot of time looking for paints that were safe for infants. So this board is perfect! My baby can create artworks with the blue gel and it is safe and there is no mess for me to clean up. Do NOT expect to draw in detail or write small letters with this board. As you can see in my picture, the blue gel will blur your words a bit when you do cursive. But it’s perfectly fine for us. Babies still find it amazing!" —CC
Get it from Amazon for $25.40.
7. A toddler busy board because it can help develop fine motor skills and keep your child entertained. This board is portable, making it great to keep your child busy during long drives, while traveling, or at the doctor's office. And you just fold it away when they are done.
This board has various zippers, snaps, buttons, and strings to help your child learn to tie their shoes and get dressed.
Promising reviews: '"My 1-year-old loves it and it will grow with her with so many different things to master. Super handy for in the car or at other people’s houses. Lots to do with no mess." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in three colors).
8. A Melissa & Doug sticker book that won't get you into a sticky situation. This book has pages of various scenes and include stickers that your child can add to them. This will keep them entertained without you having to worry about stickers getting all over the plane. These are not regular stickers — they are reusable and only stick to the glossy pages included. If they happen to stick anything else, they are easy to remove and leave no residue behind.
Promising review: "My 2-year-old granddaughter loves stickers! This is a great activity to satisfy children's love for stickers without the mess everywhere and having to purchase copious amounts of stickers. It encourages creativity and imagination. Great for developing fine motor skills when peeling off the small stickers." —Andrea K.
Get it from Amazon for $16.79.
9. And a Melissa & Doug water-reveal activity pad, so coloring can be magical and not messy. With a swipe of a water marker, fully-colored, eye-catching images appear.
Promising review: "Hello no-mess art! Yes! Both the baby and toddler can safely use this in the car or at home without me having to chase them down in fear they’ll make a mess! It dries in seconds so the fact that it’s reusable is awesome. The refillable water paint brush is great and can be changed out with other Melissa & Doug water art and even those water mats Amazon always has on special. We have a few of these and this is always a hit!" —DoublehapaFAM
Get it from Amazon for $7.99 (available in seven themes).
10. A magnetic maze board because who wants to look for missing pieces? Not only is this easy to pack, but you won't have to worry about losing anything. The balls can't get lost because they are incased, and the wand is attached to the board. Your little one will have a blast using the magnetic wand to glide the balls around to the end of the maze.
Promising review: "The kids think it’s fun and it's nice because it keeps them learning and entertained without a mess." —Kelli Kassi and Jenni
Get it from Amazon for $18.99.
11. A set of dry-erase travel games so you and your kiddo will be able to play classic games like Hangman, Tic Tac Toe, and Dots and Boxes to keep you both entertained during a long flight. These game boards are tiny enough to pack in your carry-on, yet huge on fun.
Made Of Embers is a woman-owned small biz based in Saratoga Springs, Utah that sells handmade wooden and acrylic keychains, ornaments, signs, and more.
Get a set of three games from Made Of Embers on Etsy for $50 (games also available individually).
12. A Melissa & Doug Paw Patrol magnetic puzzle that keeps puzzle pieces together and in place. This puzzle is also portable and makes the "perfect travel companion."
Promising review: "Great for traveling with a 3- and 4-year-old. It’s a great quiet time toy. The puzzles are magnetic and they don’t make a big mess." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (also available with add-ons).
13. A set of magnetic board games so your fam will be able to play classic board games without the pieces sliding off when you experience a little turbulence during a flight.
This set includes 12 games: Checkers, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Tic Tac Toe, Backgammon, Snakes and Ladders, Solitaire, Nine Men’s Morris, Auto Racing, Ludo, Space Venure and Racing.
Promising reviews: "I loved this product while traveling on the road. With three kids, we needed something to keep them occupied and this did the job well!" —Stacy Lowe
"Got these for the grandsons for a 12-hour drive. They're 14 and 7, and both enjoyed them." —hazel h
Get it from Amazon for $24.97.
14. A wooden puzzle tangram book because your kid will be able to create various shapes and images using magnetic blocks. And, once they get the hang of it, they can move on to more challenging designs.
This set includes: a foldable magnetic board, seven magnetic blocks in various shapes and sizes, and a guide book.
Promising review: "Perfect for traveling. We purchased two of these for my 4-year-old twins for our plane ride across the country. They are well made and the magnets are pretty strong so they didn’t slide off the board when the plane would hit turbulence or if they accidentally slid off their laps. I actually had a couple of parents ask where we got them because it kept them quiet and busy. Definitely recommend." —Revix
Get it from Amazon for $8.99.
15. A foldable car mat so your future speed racer will be able to travel with their fave cars. This mat has an attached zip pouch to store toys and a colorful road for your little one to play on.
This is perfect to play with on a tray table during a flight, but if you're going on a road trip, consider a car tray table.
Dainty Bean is a small business based in Spokane, Washington that sells handmade playmats, backpacks, and clutches.
Promising review: "This car mat is ADORABLE and my two boys absolutely love it. I bought it for an upcoming trip and my four year old cannot wait to get on the airplane with it. The mat is so well constructed and the perfect size." —localgirlcreations
Get it from Dainty Bean on Etsy for $34 (available in four colors).
16. A Hasbro Guess Who? card game because it'll allow your fam to play this classic game without bulky game boards.
17. An amigurumi crochet kit so your child will be too occupied learning how to create an adorable dino to even notice how long a flight is. This set comes with step-by-step instructions and everything they'll need to learn a new hobby and create their own crocheted masterpiece.
The Woobles is an Asian-owned small business whose mission is to make crocheting easy and accessible.
This kit might be best for older kids. New to crocheting? Don't worry, kits can be chosen by difficulty level and there are a lot of kits for beginners. And you can get help virtually or over email if you get stuck.
Promising review: "I am a true beginner and found this pattern very easy to follow. I really love the video explanations. Can’t wait to make more!" —K.S.
Get it from The Woobles for $30 (available in more animals here).
18. A magnetic drawing board for a mess-free activity that'll keep your child entertained. They'll be able to create images by pointing the magnetic tip of the stylus on each hole to move magnetic beads to the surface.
19. A tiny Peanuts busy tin because your kiddo will be able to pretend play with their fave characters and it's easy to clean up and stow in a purse or small bag.
Embroidering Sew Much is a small biz that sells adorable embroidered key chains, wallets, vaccine card holders, and much more.
Promising review: "This is the perfect size to take along and occupy a preschooler! It’s amazingly cute and I am so glad I ordered it!" —Rebekah
Get it from Embroidering Sew Much on Etsy for $20 (see more styles here).
20. A Melissa and Doug flip memory game that'll allow your little one to play their fave game without you having to worry about them losing or scattering all the cards. And, it's about the size of a children's book — making it super easy to carry on a flight or road trip.
Promising review: "This product is great for traveling with kids! My daughter recently asked for some travel games to put in the back seat pockets of the minivan. I have a wide range of ages of children that ride in my minivan (my own kids and nieces) so I tried to find games that are versatile and could work for all ages. This memory game can be played by two and have 9 cards with two sides each that can be changed! They can be kept neatly in a slot in the actual game, and the memory pieces themselves are attached - making this a no fuss kind of fun for car rides. My kids love it! I highly recommend. Plus, it fits nicely in the back seat pocket!" —Brittany Newell
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
21. A splurge-worthy felt activity book with so many things for your little one to do, they'll never ask "Are we there yet?" This book has activities to encourage pretend play and teach your little one how to dress themselves.
Kinder Krama is a small business that sells handmade quiet books for children.
Promising review: "This book is incredible. The quality is amazing and it shipped quickly. Everything came exactly as I requested and the detail work on the pages is pure perfection. I can’t wait to give it to my niece, I know she is going to love it!" —toomey125
Get it from Kinder Krama on Etsy for $92+ (available various colors/styles and book lengths).
22. A Polly Pocket play set because it's like having a doll house you can actually take anywhere! This set includes two dolls, a cool water area to float in, a hot tub, a tropical waterfall area, and a diving board. And, somehow it all just folds away in a tiny compact flamingo so your child can play with it in the car, on a plane, or even while waiting for their food at a restaurant.
This contains tiny pieces and is recommended for kids ages 4–8 years old.
Promising review: "Perfect for travel. I bought this for my granddaughter to take in the car so she wouldn't get bored. It's so cute, and small, and the pieces all just close up inside. It's perfect to have handy for her." —MamaC
Get it from Amazon for $14.44.
23. A Rubik's Cube Edge to keep your puzzle-loving kiddo (who isn't quite ready for a full-sized Rubik's cube) busy during a long flight. This is similar to the original we all know and love, but it's slimmer and made for beginners.
24. A magnetic dress-up game so your child will be able to get creative and make silly faces on the go. This set includes a box to pack all the pieces away easily, and the lid has a dry-erase board on one side and a magnetic board on the other.
Promising review: "This is a cute set that has a magnetic board. You can change the pieces to make different faces. It can travel with your child and it has a box to keep the pieces in. Lots of pieces to change the looks. Fun for children for hours of fun." —Amazon Customer
Get from Amazon for $18.98.
You, relieved after packing these toys to keep your kid entertained during your trip:
