Choose the RIGHT toy to pack
Busy, happy, engaged kids = peace, quiet and the trip of your dreams! Choose the right toy to pack and make the trip of your dreams a reality.
How to choose the RIGHT toy to pack.
Choose the right toy – It will be quiet
Quiet is the number one criteria. Why, you ask? (Seriously? Do you mean you have to ask this question?) Because there is no zen listening to a loud toy 800 gazillion times for you or your neighbors, whether at the dinner table, or airline seat, or hotel room!
Choose the right toy – It can still work if missing a piece.
Have you ever slaved over a puzzle only to get to the end and find a piece missing? That is a bad feeling!
Small pieces will get lost…left behind…fall behind an unmovable piece of furniture….or disappear magically as only small toy pieces can. (I think they hide out with all the socks that go missing from the dryer. ) Be sure the to you choose can still be fun without all the pieces.
Choose the right toy – It has multiple uses.
Open ended play is the end all be all tip when it comes to choosing the correct toy. Otherwise…a toy gets boring.
Think…blocks, legos, army men and polly pocket dolls.
Tinker Toys, lincoln logs, and blocks are good choices, too.
Choose the right toy – It is lightweight and small.
Shave weight off anywhere you can!! The lighter the better!
Balloons are fun! Balloons can be raced by blowing or play volley ball with them.
Don’t bring books…download reading material on electronic devices.
Remember paper dolls? They are new and improved now! They feature real people like William and Kate.
Look at current events like this Hillary Clinton Paper Doll Collectible Campaign.
Look at historical events like Vikings of Legend and Lore by K. O. Leonard.
Compare fashions of different times…
Great Fashion Designs of the Sixties Paper Dolls by Tom Tierney
Choose the right toy – Thinking outside the toy box.
One of my all time favorite ‘toys’ to bring on trips is painter’s tape.
It won’t hurt anything like walls and carpets! This is a spy car garage made during a very long layover at an airport! (In case that isn’t obvious.)
The uses are endless. Use anything on hand to add to the fun – trashcans make great hotels and parking garages.
Give it to the kids and turn them loose. Make a web and throw crumbled papers at the sticky side. Thanks handsonaswegrow for the clever idea.
What is your favorite all time toy for travels? I would love to hear all about it!
Happy and quiet travels!
Natalie, The Educational Tourist
Neat piece and spot on! Love the spaceship taking off with the socks and the Lincoln Log “hat!”
We have to stay one step ahead of them! 🙂
Genius!!! I never thought of the tape:) I will definitely bring 2 for my 2 rascals:) Thank you for the tips…
They’ll enjoy it!! We should buy stock in the company!! Would love to see photos of your creative fun!
The toy is the travel essential for kids that I almost always forget. Our eldest will turn anything into a character for acting out little plays. If you give him some felt-tips, he’ll draw for a while, then put them all together to make dinosaurs and start acting out Jurassic Park.
He has a lot of imagination!! Thanks for stopping by!