We have a couple family trips planned in the next few months that involve flying. We fly about once a year so the activities that occupy the kids change every time we fly. Our first trip will be about 4.5 hours out to the Pacific Northwest (a first time for all of us) and I am especially excited. The part of the trip I probably dread the most is the plane ride so I am always looking for fun and engaging activities to keep my toddler and preschooler busy. Here are some activities that my kids would certainly enjoy.

Plane-Activities-for-a-ToddlerPreschooler
Activities for my 4 year old

1) Gel pens – Lil’ Pizza has been obsessed with her gel pens and uses them daily for writing letters, coloring, and drawing. I like to keep them in a pencil case so it’s easier for travel.

2) Audiobooks – Lil’ Pizza loves listening to audiobooks and it is something I have been so thankful to have discovered with her. Sometimes it keeps her occupied and quiet for over an hour! I usually borrow from my local library through the Hoopla app. I will probably also bring a few books on the plane for her that she has memorized and can “read” on her own.

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3) Stained Glass Made Easy Activity Kit – Lil’ Pizza got something similar to this craft for her birthday and it kept her focused until she was able to complete it  It’s a three-step process for each sticker; 1) locate the number and shape on the sticker key, 2) locate that actual sticker on the sticker sheet, and 3) place the sticker on the picture. It is recommended for children 5 years and older, so it could be frustrating for some children. There are similar stained glass stickers with two steps but Lil’ Pizza went through this one much faster.

4) Coloring book – Lil’ Pizza is perfectly fine with using her gel pens on a blank notebook but this coloring book is so cute. She has improved staying in the lines and loves to make things more colorful these days, so I think she would have a lot of fun with this coloring book.

5) How to Draw book – Last week, I showed her how to draw a few animals by teaching her in a few simple steps just like this book. She was so proud that she was able to draw some of the animals the same way that I did. I think she would absolutely love this book to practice her drawing.

6) Puffy Sticker Set with Reusable Stickers – Lil’ Pizza loves this Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Activity Pad but it’s a bit large to take on the plane. This other sticker pad by Melissa and Doug seems just as fun and much more portable.

Activities for my 21 month old toddler

7) Funny Animal Magnet Faces – I was trying to find magnets that came in a travel container and were larger pieces that Lil’ Pizza would enjoy and came across this one. I think both the girls would have fun playing together with this one.

8) Triangular Crayons – Crayons that won’t roll off the trays?  Yes, please.

9) Board book – Baby Pizza’s language skills have really grown in the last couple months and she has also been obsessed with books lately. I plan to take this book with us because she enjoys “reading” this book and pointing at all the different pictures. I will also have a few extra books for our trip that both Lil’ Pizza and Baby Pizza enjoy me reading to them before putting them to bed.

10) Scribbling pages and stickers – Baby Pizza just needs paper and a few crayons to keep her busy for a little while but I like that this scribbling book also comes with some stickers she could put on the pages.

11) Wow! Water-Reveal Activity Pad – Both girls are always delighted to see the pages change into colorful pictures.

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What are your favorite activities to take for your toddler and preschooler to keep them occupied on the plane ride?