They don’t call Australia the Great Southern Land for nothing. Thousands of miles of lonely roads stretch out in every direction, so Australian parents have to be adept at keeping kids entertained in the confines of a car or plane. Keeping them entertained is one thing — keeping them entertained in style is quite another. Mandi Gunsberger of Australian-based lifestyle and design blog Babyology shares some fabulous ways to distract kids, big and small, during your next family road trip or get-away.
Bingo!
Clockwise from top left: Bingo/Scavenger Hunt Games by Personality Plus; Little Pocket Tic Tac Toe by My Happy Hobbies; Highway Traveling Game by ramblingtimes; Monsters In My Closet Playing Cards by Dr. Badvibes House of Oddities.
It’s not a road trip without a few games of I-Spy and Bingo. Personality Plus has terrific dry-erase Bingo games that can be used over and over again in the car and at restaurants. Put observation skills to the test with Rambling Times’s Highway Traveling Game, a version of car bingo that keeps eyes fixed on the window. Pack some portable fun with pocket-sized Tic Tac Toe from My Happy Hobbies. For older children, Monster Playing Cards from Dr. Badvibes House of Oddities will pass the time. Along with the multitude of games that can be played with cards, consider packing a book about simple card tricks. A long trip in the car or on a plane is the perfect time to learn some magic skills!
Get Crafty
Clockwise from top left: Sophie Paper Doll Set by emilee rose; Portable Chalkboard Maps by Ashgate Crafts; Kinetic Kelly Spool Knitter by JSorel; Crayon Wallet by My Happy Hobbies; Printable Paper Grocery Store by neskita.
Creativity needn’t be restricted by the confines of the car. Avid crafters may have to leave the paint and glue at home, but there are oodles of traveling craft fun to be had with pencils, paper, scissors and Sellotape. For littlies, the portable chalkboard mat from Ashgate Crafts is a winner, as is the super-cute crayon wallet from My Happy Hobbies. Snip some paper with gorgeous paper dolls from Emilee Rose and sensational bright printable play sets from Neskita. Older children can busy themselves with spool knitting — just think, they may finish a scarf in time for next winter! We love the little spool knitting characters from JSorel.
Play Time
Left: Felt Food Japanese Style by Tomomo Handmade. Right: Blast Off Finger Puppet Set by stayawake.
My kids have a habit of trying to pack half their toy box into their bags when we go on holiday. Bring along a few special toys reserved for vacations to keep their interest. We love small and light felt play food from Tomomo Handmade for back-seat “feasts” and sweet finger puppets from Stay Awake for storytelling and imaginary games.
Clockwise from top left: HOTI Leash by Apple Tree Boutique; Owl Crinkle Toy by Lil Bundle of Joy; Viewmaster Teether by Regal Cottage; Crochet Rattle by nitdia; Mini I Spy by Emmie’s Designs.
The littlest travelers can keep all their favorite toys at hand with a HOTI Leash from Apple Tree Boutique. The nifty leash attaches necessities, whether it’s a sippy cup or a toy, to your baby’s car seat, stroller or high chair. This saves you from scrounging around on the floor, trying to find things that have been thrown overboard! Add a rattle (we like the crinkly owls from Lil Bundle of Joy, the retro-tastic Viewmaster rattle from Regal Cottage and the crochet bell rattle from Nitdia) or an I Spy bag from Emmie’s Designs and you’re all set.
Write It Down
Clockwise from top left: Personalized Kid’s Notebook by Stitchin’netka; Black Beauty Travel Journal by Karen Geddings; Leather Journal by in blue.
Travel journals are a great way to record happy holiday memories, and they don’t have to be all words — collections of drawings, photos and holiday keepsakes make wonderful mementos. Stitchin’netka makes sweet personalized travel journals for children and In blue’s smart leather bound journals are perfect for older children. We have a little tradition of writing down each family members’ “Favorite Thing of the Day” when on holiday — it’s a great reminder of everything you enjoyed, whether it be a super-duper ice-cream cone or a visit to major tourist attraction. For something a little different, check out Karen Geddings’s superb scrapbook-style travel journals — all the pockets, pages and envelopes are perfect for kids who like to collect.
118 comments
Sign in to add your ownredhardwick says:
Great ideas! I know it's always a challenge to keep our son entertained in the car. :)
1 year ago
Chelseaesq says:
where can i buy that suitcase in the main picture??
1 year ago
HoldTheWire says:
So cute! I used to use finger puppets in the supermarket line to keep my kids entertained. :)
1 year ago
Verdurebydesign says:
We did a road trip accross Australia 2 years ago. The best thig about traveling in the car is the conversations. I would head off tomorrow just for that. Thanks Mandy for your finds.
1 year ago
TheCakeStandBoutique says:
This is fantastic! Thank you!
1 year ago
MegansMenagerie says:
Adorable! What a great post! Love these finds =)
1 year ago
SweetandDandyVintage says:
So funny...we're on our road trip starting tomorrow. I've been out today gathering things to keep my son entertained and happy. Great article!
1 year ago
DecadesOfVintage says:
i love the black beauty travel journal
1 year ago
SimpleJoysPaperie says:
What adorable items for children!
1 year ago
Traderwinds says:
love it
1 year ago
Traderwinds says:
love it
1 year ago
designedbyjane says:
Superb finds!!!!!
1 year ago
FreakyPeas says:
Road Trip! We take road trips every summer. I find it much easier with three kids than flying. I love the time our family spends together.
1 year ago
ljenner says:
Such cute items! I love this post.
1 year ago
rozzie says:
Very cute items, great gift ideas for people like me with no little kids to gift to my friends. -Rozzie
1 year ago
quirkyshop says:
Love it!!
1 year ago
ThePolkadotMagpie says:
This is fantastic for moms of the wee ones. love!
1 year ago
jammerjewelry says:
Lovely article, thanks!
1 year ago
vKnit says:
Such fun and cute items!
1 year ago
TheBloomingThread says:
Oh, im in much need of a road tip!
1 year ago
BInspiredVintage says:
We keep a handled cleaning bin full of toys in the middle of the back seat between my little ones' car seats. These would make great additions!
1 year ago
accentonvintage says:
Great ideas and play things!
1 year ago
notApplicable says:
fiNGeR PuPPets roCk!
1 year ago
dayslonggone says:
What great ideas! I am sure children will love these!
1 year ago
dayslonggone says:
What great ideas! I am sure children will love these!
1 year ago
NecessiTees says:
Fantastic idea! Makes me wish my son was little again:)
1 year ago
SweetSincerity says:
This brings me back to the cross country car trips my family used to take when I was a child! My parents woul have loved us kids to have your items! Maybe then I would've stopped annoying my siblings to death :)
1 year ago
LittleWrenPottery says:
Great collection, these would make fab gifts too I really like the colourful games and playing cards. I had quite a few travel games when I was a kid including pass the pigs!
1 year ago
paramountvintage says:
i'm almost 30 and i still love road games! great article!
1 year ago
thevelvetheart says:
Great ideas! We spend a lot of time in the car and this was the perfect article!
1 year ago
lacepetals says:
the felted toys are adorbale. they would be so much fun to make!
1 year ago
rebourne says:
Oh wow, I can't wait to prepare for our August road trip with this article! Thank you!!
1 year ago
UUPP says:
Love these!!
1 year ago
IcingOnTheCupcake says:
Great ideas to help keep kids entertained!!!
1 year ago
sogigi says:
Road trip ideas for the kiddos...how fun!
1 year ago
StudioCherie says:
fantastic picks
1 year ago
hankietankie says:
LOVE the idea of travel journals for children, something they can treasure for the rest of their lives! xo
1 year ago
FranceGallery says:
Some really cute and fun ideas!
1 year ago
opheliasapothecary says:
such fun ideas! thank you for sharing.....ophelia
1 year ago
judythejazzcat says:
Chelseaesq says: where can i buy that suitcase in the main picture? Hiya, Chelsea! That wee little suitcase is part of my "Remixed Vintage" luggage series. See all my art-on-luggage here: http://judythejazzcat.etsy.com Thank you to Etsy and Mandi for another great blog, and for including me in the fun! ♥
1 year ago
NaturalPetProducts says:
This is great, all we had was "car bingo" but then I'm really telling my age!
1 year ago
babyjives says:
Awesome post - we used to do I spy but these would be so much better to entertain my kids now!
1 year ago
lapetiteposy says:
LOOOOOVE that suitcase in the main photo! Everything else is amazing too!
1 year ago
SuperGozi says:
wow! wonderful crafts!
1 year ago
LampShadeDesigns says:
We're travelling from Oregon to Virginia this summer with 2 kids - we'll need all the help we can get! Thanks for the ideas and I love the finger puppets and the journals!
1 year ago
ACupOfSparkle says:
Cool... I loved all the things...
1 year ago
ElvenWreathsJewelry says:
My kids are grown!!! Yea!!! ...still getting one thru the teenage years but no more strollers! This stuff is all so CUTE!!!
1 year ago
yaelvs says:
like, like, like!!!!
1 year ago
SoapForYourSoul says:
good stuff to keep the little ones entertained. Love it that it's creative and not game/video oriented. Great job.
1 year ago
SpringwoodSoaps says:
I use to love playing a car game my parents got me when I was young and on a long drive. Was car bingo and you got to mark down things that you saw until you got BINGO! LOL Love all these games brings back memories.
1 year ago
alittleindie says:
I love this! We make a 7 hour trip almost once a month, home to visit family, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
1 year ago
blessedvintage says:
cute ideas!
1 year ago
WildPoppyShoppe says:
I love these ideas!! Inspired for summer road trips with my little boys!
1 year ago
LoveYourBling says:
Such great ideas love it!
1 year ago
Iammie says:
Cute items. Nice picked!
1 year ago
lorenabr says:
Lovely :)
1 year ago
BeMyBee says:
Awesome!
1 year ago
bec71121 says:
i love this its so sweet and wonderful ideas and ways to stay connected to your children
1 year ago
PolClary says:
Fun picks. It's too bad my kids are both grown up! Actually, I think they'd still like half the items here. ;)
1 year ago
ikabags says:
Such cute items!
1 year ago
BozenaWojtaszek says:
Great ideas!
1 year ago
babyology says:
It was such fun choosing all the travel items, makes us want to pack up and travel!
1 year ago
humandrattle says:
We did the across Oz trip last year with our three children, i had to give back gift DVD players to two separate people. (If they knew us they'd know that's not our thang) I kept telling people i'd prefer the children look out the window, but apparently keeping them continually immobilised is the aim... Such a wonderful opportunity to hang with the fam and listen to music. I make up snack packs with the children's names on them and bring them out when it gets a bit scary back there. Also i make up little lucky dip bags of little toys from the Op shop and then re-donate them when the trips over...
1 year ago
girliepains says:
That case is to die for!
1 year ago
lalalandArt says:
Thia is such a cute selection! That Crayon Wallet is simply amazing!
1 year ago
toofashion2010 says:
Good ideas!
1 year ago
teconlene says:
So cute!
1 year ago
realfaery says:
Lovely!
1 year ago
ChaChasTreasure says:
Great ideas! I wish I had found much of this stuff when my kids were little, mostly the leash for thing--Genius. I love that you put in travel journals for older kids, we have these for our girls and they only come out for trips, SO THEY ARE SPECIAL. They have to answer the same 5 questions for each trip and then write a couple of line about each day. I hope that one day they will look back and cherish this journal. If you haven't started one yet for you kids do it now. Thanks for reminding me what an adventure travel time can be, not just the destination. Cha Cha
1 year ago
BarnshopAntiques says:
Great ideas - I was the "Are we there yet?" Kid Comic books (which we weren't allowed to have all the time) did the trick back then. I see things have gotten classier . I love it.
1 year ago
Mietjie says:
Great ideas, and such cute products! My little son is 2 years old, so anything and everything helps when we travel, even for the shortest tips!
1 year ago
ddfoto says:
So many cute items! As a traveler I love the travel journals.
1 year ago
inblue says:
Amazing!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for including my leather journal! This gave me some great ideas for awesome baby gifts!!!
1 year ago
bpPhotoProps says:
Fun items - I especially like the crayon and paper holder!
1 year ago
oneofakindbabydesign says:
This is fantastic and what a great bunch of items!
1 year ago
BelladonnasJoy says:
It looks like you've thought of everything!! This is a great traveler's kit.
1 year ago
GloryBDesign says:
Our family makes a yearly 1100 mile trip to visit grandparents. Spending two days in cramped quarters can be a challenge, even with two great kids! I came up with the idea of taking the spare change we'd been collecting throughout the year, as a reward for the kids good behavior. Everytime we had an incident of "he's on my side" or "she's not sharing the crayons" we would remove money from the stash. At the end of the trip the kids got to divide what was left to use as their vacation cash to go on a special shopping trip with their grandpa. It was very effective, as everytime a squabble would start to ensue, the kids would remember and find a way to work out their differences before we had to intervene!
1 year ago
NoaSharonDesigns says:
Such cool items! I want it all! :)
1 year ago
TagAlongAdventure says:
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
lauraprentice says:
When I was little my mom would pack my brothers and I special activity bags for long cars trips (of which there were a lot). We'd wake up early, and run out to the car to find a drawstring bag that she had sewn for each of us and packed with snacks, a new box of crayons, a coloring book, a little toy, car bingo, a Barbie, or Mad Libs. There was always one new thing that made the long trip a little bit more special and interesting!
1 year ago
WhirlyBirds says:
I love these ideas! It would be a great gift to get a travel kit with all of these items in it!
1 year ago
henatayeb says:
I just got back from a road trip with my 11 month old.. will keep these great activities in mind on our next one.
1 year ago
KMalinka says:
Great items!
1 year ago
VintageChildModern says:
Fantastic ideas! I love the finger puppets and paper dolls! Brianne PetalPetal and VintageChildModern
1 year ago
DesiCloe says:
woooooow!
1 year ago
TheScarfTree says:
Kids love to be kept busy, travelling long distances can get very boring! Great innovative idea's! Wishing you and your family well! Thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
dollybirdboutique says:
so cute x
1 year ago
PinesVintageClothing says:
Fantastic ideas! I used to love playing with paper dolls on summer trips to the lake.
1 year ago
ValintheValley says:
Oh wow that everything is so creative and bold and fun ! I don't have children of my own but all these definately at least inspire me to be creative for the kids : ) Val
1 year ago
worksofwhimsy says:
Cute stuff. But, the item I clicked on was sold in November and the shop is now empty!
1 year ago
nowvintage says:
Super great post!! These are some great things for car travel activities.
1 year ago
ModernMarvelousHome says:
I used to love road trips as a kid! I would spend days cutting puzzles, collecting paper, etc. all for things tod do. I always collect way more than what was needed. It was such fun but my sister thought the whole event was just booring.
1 year ago
TheNightjar says:
great ideas for a plane ride to Australia with little ones-thanks for sharing
1 year ago
PaintedHorse says:
What a delightful article! It reminds me of my childhood when the five of us kids would pile into the back of the station wagon - constantly fighting over who would sit next to a window. My father always swore he was going to paint the windows black! Those were the days...
1 year ago
lazydayz says:
Wonderful handcrafted fun and in such bright cheerful colors! ahhhhhh childhood :)
1 year ago
ChrissiesRibbons says:
Brilliant ideas! xx
1 year ago
TheMillineryShop says:
Great ideas. You really need this stuff for a road trip.
1 year ago
moseyhandmade says:
yay! love this one!
1 year ago
theroyal says:
cute
1 year ago
prendasbyenid says:
cool stuff!!! I love them all!!!!
1 year ago
Littlezozo says:
cute stuff :)
1 year ago
silversamba says:
Great read! thx Alana :)
1 year ago
Rewoodtoys says:
Love it. Great ideas!
1 year ago
CuffandCollar says:
Very cute :)
1 year ago
UFCMoose says:
Good ideas, gotta love road trips Scott Myhervold Anthem AZ
1 year ago
TheIndigoToybox says:
what great ideas, thanks!
1 year ago
fuzzysushi says:
What fun toys! We spend a lot of time on trains, and we always bring along this miniature memory game: http://www.etsy.com/listing/68627612/miniature-memory-game Super portable and easy to make new pieces if any get lost.
1 year ago
GraphicAnthology says:
Some great picks! I really love that crayon wallet. Thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
ForgottenYarns says:
Oh there all so cute and what great ideas. I so love the main image, the one with the frog prince and the princes. That is so creative.
1 year ago
buttonsandbottles says:
Next long flight with my child.. need to stop at your store first. Nice work. Thank you from a mom....
1 year ago
NiChaPoN says:
very cute stuff ^_^ I love them. Thanks
1 year ago
ManuelaS says:
Some really cute & extremely fun ideas! I just love everything! ;)
1 year ago
pukapuka says:
great ideas- must look some up!
1 year ago
BanglewoodSupplies says:
Lovely! The teether gave me baby fever...awww!
1 year ago
thepaperplume says:
If you only knew how I used to carry around my crayon wallet! Everywhere, all the time! Well done, @My Happy Hobbies!
1 year ago
KristyLynnJewelry says:
SO cute! Love them all!!
1 year ago
WigglinWasabi says:
My fiance' runs our local toystore and I'm a nanny, suffice to say we have a fair amount of toys at home. I love all the hand made small toys in this post! We don't yet have kids of our own but I know a few little ones with birthdays coming up!
1 year ago
cmlvpp says:
Great Blog you have here, really interesting ideas, i'm also in this industry of road trip ideas, you and your friends are wellcome to visit any time! http://www.road-trip-ideas.com
356 days ago