It’s no secret that we’re on the go with our kids… a lot. Our kids have spent about a third of their little lives traveling and we love that we’re able to give them that gift – I feel very fortunate. Even when we’re home, I like to give them fun adventures and we’ve found some fun toys for life at home and life on the road for our adventurous little toddlers.

Toys for Adventurous Toddlers on the Road

When we’re getting from point a to point b, it’s all about distraction and entertainment – and we’ve managed to do it screen-free thus far with a 2 & 3 year old. These are the top toys for road tripping with our toddlers!

Mess-Free Hours of Crafty Fun – Car Approved

These aqua art things are the greatest mess-free craft activity for the car that has ever been invented! These paint pages are activated by water and they’re reusable again once they dry. If the kids happen to get them unscrewed, the only “mess” is a tablespoon or so of water that dries mess-free. These have given the kids hours and hours of entertainment in the car.
Bluey Aqua Art Activity Book, 4 Pack Water Coloring Book, Water Paint Alphabet Cards

This Multi Pack of Mini Tubes

My kids both love these little tubes because they can be a million things. We talk about colors with them, make shapes with them, make necklaces or bracelets and they even become horns while listening to music. I like to give them each a new one every-other-day or so until the pack is empty. It’s something fresh that we can talk about or play with and if one get irreparably damaged, they’re a quick, easy replacement. I know that’s not a great sustainable mindset, but we’re doing our best over here.

This Sensory Cube

We got this little sensory cube for Liam when he was a year old, but both kids still love to play with this. Their imagination has just changed the way they play with it, but all the sensory sides to it have allowed them to play so many different things with it.

Popup Alphabet, Numbers and Colors

This popup alphabet toy has been a source of so much fun for our two kiddos. I love that it’s educational, interactive and quiet.

Threading Toy – Our Daughter’s Favorite

These threading toys are probably my daughter’s favorite road trip toy and they’ve stood the test of time. They’re durable and in addition to threading, Charleigh loves to play “cowboy” and wrangle her other stuffies with string too. Liam is also starting to show an interest in these. The only caveat to these would be that you’ll want to make sure your kids don’t tie each other up or swing the wooden shapes around – learn from our mistakes.

Books, Books and More Books!

We are huge fans of books in our house. Both kids are little bookworms and love to see the pictures and hear stories or make their own up. These are some of our favorites that come on essentially every trip:
Acorn Was a Little Wild, Let’s Go On A Hike, Teddy Roosevelt Loved the Outdoors, Georgia O’Keefe Loved the Desert, The Adventures of John Muir, Little Blue Truck, all the Grumpy Monkey Books, Daniel Tiger 5 Minute Stories, Zero Zebras, Woodland Dance, and The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Toys for Adventurous Toddlers Outside

Kidnoculars

I think that these kidnoculars just might be Charleigh’s favorite outdoor toy. I love that she always looks like such a little adventurer when she’s hitting the trails and peering through them.

Kidamento Digital Camera for Kids

We got Charleigh one of these kidamento digital cameras for her third birthday and I love getting to see the world and our adventures through her eyes. My parents used to get us a disposable camera before trips, so I love that we’re able to continue that in a new way and foster her creativity and let her take notice of things that interest her.

Bugnoculars

We’re just now really delving into the world of bugs. So, we have these bugnoculars and I only see them getting more and more popular as time goes on. You can put little ladybugs or fireflies or whatever in here and watch them for a bit before setting them free. I love that in addition to the stare down looking glasses, there are small magnifying spots on the sides so you can check out the bugs or plants or whatever they choose to inspect from all angles.

My parents bought the grandkids this shovel/scoop/rake set for the beach and they’ve been used over and over again. From water to dirt to sand, these definitely encourage play out in nature.

Soccer Ball

We carry a soccer ball with us in our camper at all times. It’s a great way to get outside with the kids and when we’re at campsites, but looking to get some energy out while one of us is fixing dinner or the other kid is napping.

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Nature scavenger hunts are so much fun! You can make your own, or buy one – like this one – but either way it’s such a fun way to get your little ones to really look at what’s around them. It’s also a great way to teach about the different objects on the cards and continue the conversation back at your campsite, hotel or home.

Toys for Adventurous Toddlers in the Camper

Obviously, all the toys mentioned above can be brought inside the camper, but there are things that are easier play with when you have more space, and I also think it’s important to give your kids space from the toys they’ll have in the car to be able to get maximum enjoyment out of them while you’re on the go. So, we have a small bucket of toys that stay in the kid’s room of the camper while we’re on the road.

Magnetic Tiles

These have been a game-changer because you can just do so much with them. You can make patterns, you can create mosaics, you can build castles or houses or whatever their little minds can imagine. They talk about shapes, colors, all the things. There are several different brands of these, but we always use the Tytan Tiles because they’re a bit cheaper and they work just as well.

Mess-Free Markers and Paper

Mess-free is the name of the game as often as we can do it. I love these mess-free coloring sheets, and you can buy plain mess-free-marker paper so your kiddo isn’t limited to the color-sheets provided. I love that these markers will only write on these specific papers and no other surfaces. They’ve made for hours and hours of fun.
Get the whole mess-free setup: Mess-free markers, coloring sheets (Bluey, Alphabet Sheets, dinosaur, prehistoric pals and baby shark), and mess-free paper.

Board Games

Right now Candy Land is our go-to, but as the kids grow up, you better believe there will be many, many game nights in the camper expanding to Trouble, The Game of Life, and Monopoly eventually!

I hope this gift guide helps you find the perfect toy or book for the adventurous toddler in your life this holiday season. Of course, gifting experiences can be super meaningful and just spending time outside with the adventurous little ones in your life can be just as impactful and special!

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