Just when you thought the terrible two’s were over, along comes your three-year-old!
A fun yet still really challenging age to be traveling with your kids. Their attention spans are short, and their need for interaction is vital – be it with you or an activity to get engrossed in (before tossing that aside and professing their boredom and a need to wee).
Don’t panic, parents. We’ve been there! This too shall pass….
In this post, we’re going to talk you through all our favorite travel toys taking you from toddler to the pre-school years – the best travel toys for a 3-year-old.
This post is part of our tried and tested travel gear series
If your child is slightly younger, don’t miss our post best travel toy ideas for a 2-year-old.
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TL;DR – Summary of the Best Travel Toys for a 3-year-old
We summarise here a list of the best travel toys for 3-year old, but do read on for more tips on what to look for in the perfect travel toy and exactly why we love them!
| Type/Brand | Capacity & Features | Dimensions | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Skip Hop Toddler Backpack | 100% Polyester w/PVC Backing Front pouch Roomy main compartment Easy-to-clean lining Write-on nametag inside Bottle Holder Max capacity is 62 lbs Recommeded age is 3 - 4 years | 5 x 12 x 11 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Melissa & Doug Jumbo Triangular Crayons | Durable non-roll crayons 10 vibrant colors Triangular shape Made completely of break-resistant plastic--not wax Recommended age is 36 months - 6 years | 8 x 5 x 1 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Coloring Book | An alphabet to color One letter, one animal from A - Z Fascinating facts 56 pages Recommended age is 2 - 4 years | 8.5 x 0.16 x 11 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Wikki Stix | 144 Wikki Stix Scrapbooking Kit Non toxic Waxed Yarn Recommended age is 3 years and up | 10 x 2 x 8 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Wikki Stix" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pop Fidget Bag | Soft durable silicone Removable and adjustable strap Recommend age 3+ | 5.3 x 12 x 4 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Dot to Dot for Tiny Tots Wipe Clean Activity Book | 56 pages Full of simple dot-to-dot exercises Maze puzzles Recommended age is 2 - 3 years | 8.46 x 0.35 x 10.85 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Under the Sea (Magnetic Story & Play Scene) | 8 pages 20 magnets Four different ocean scenes Recommended age is 2 - 5 years | 8 x 0.7 x 9.5 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Skoolzy Stacking Toddler Peg Board | 38 Piece Set Sorting & Stacking Games Color Matching Shape Recognition Toy Non-Toxic, BPA-Free, Lead-Free & Phthalates-Free Recommended age is 24 months and up | 9 x 2 x 10 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Giggle & Pebbles Educational Magic Sticker Pad | Reusable, Washable and Non-Adhesive Stickers Farm, Zoo, Ocean Animals, for Storytelling 3 fun scenes | 11 x 8 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Bluey Sticker Playset | 35 reusable puffy stickers 2 sided play scene | 7.8 x 9.3 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Buckle Toys Barkley Dog | Montessori toy 5 kid-friendly buckles Can clip to car seats or strollers | 11 x 6 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Highlights Hidden picture games | 256 pages Rore than 115 hilarious Hidden Pictures puzzles Recommended age is 3 - 6 years | 8.38 x 0.55 x 10.94 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Highlights Hidden picture games | 10 pages Sensory play without mess Recommended 3 years and up | 11 x 9 x 2.5 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Coolplay Kid Activities Water Drawing Mat | Folded to carry and storage easily Includes magic pen No ink No mess Recommended age is 3 years and up | 15.35 x 11.42 x 0.79 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Melissa & Doug On The Go Water Wow | Mess Free Coloring Books 4 reusable white pages Refillable Water Pen Recommended age is 36 months - 6 years | 6 x 1.5 x 10 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Pocket Etch a Sketch | Magic screen Pocket-sized version Draw with knobs Shake to erase No batteries required Recommended age is 36 months - 12 years | 3.54 x 0.79 x 3.35 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Stacking Robots | 9 wooden robots Durable and non-toxic finish Recommended age is 36 months - 10 years | 11.5 x 1.5 x 7.75 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Bath Suction Toys | 27 Suction toys Dinosaur egg storage case | 4.3 x 5.3 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | PlayTape Road | 1 Roll of 30 ft. x 4 in. Black Road 1 Roll of 12 Curves Easy to tear Sticks to any surface Easy to clean up | 30 ft | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Brio Labyrinth Take-Along | One piece labyrinth game Made of European Beech wood Fully sealed and self contained Recommended age is 3 years and up | 9.45 x 7.09 x 1.97 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Fire HD 8" Kids Edition Tablet | 8" HD Display 32 GB Blue Kid-Proof Case 1 year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited Kid-safe browser | 9.6 x 6.1 x 1.0 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Kidrox Toddler Headphones | Tiger-Ear Max volume reaching 85 dB Durable & Soft Materials Noise Isolation Recommended age is 1 - 3 years | 6.85 x 5.94 x 2.72 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | iClever Kids Bluetooth Headphones | BTH02 Kids Headphones with MIC 22H Playtime, Bluetooth 5.0 & Stereo Sound Adjustable Headband Foldable & Durable | 6.1 x 2.6 x 7.2 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
  | Lusso Gear Kids Travel Tray | Includes a dry erase board and pen/eraser set 8x10" tablet compatible Carry strap included Folds flat | 16.6 x 12.2 x 1.3 inches | $- Check Latest Price Here |
What to look for in travel toys for a three-year-old
Interaction is the name of the game in this age group. Your child can start to take on toys with smaller parts and more involved activities that work on cognitive and fine motor skills as well as creative play.
What sort of toys to take depends a little bit on your modes of transport and luggage space. As a general rule, we insist that travel toys for all ages be as light and noise-free as possible – please, please do not disturb your fellow passengers and nothing with invaluable or integral parts that, if they get lost, will ruin the toy or game.
If you’ll be camping and outdoors, this is the perfect opportunity to find more engaging toddler toys for camping – think wide open spaces and those gross motor skills! And don’t forget special toys for the beach!
Variety is the name of the game too. Don’t overpack, but do have a variety of options available. Coloring was their favorite activity yesterday. Now they can’t stand the sight of it. Bring along several lightweight options in their own pack or slip them into your handbag as a backup.
Toys for 3-year-olds; Don’t forget siblings
The other factor that many parents need to consider for this age group is the interaction with siblings.
- Many 3-year-olds have younger siblings to consider too. If they are at the sitting upright stage, they will no doubt have a fascination with what big brother or sister is playing with, to the huge annoyance of your 3-year-old! Watch for anything with small parts or easily breakable still.
- Older siblings don’t want to be annoyed by the noise, mess, and consistent need to help their sibling if a game is too complicated. Equally, it’s an age where a younger child can learn a lot and enjoy this interaction with an older sibling, so think about toys and games that can span age groups or be played in pairs.
Best travel toys for your three-year old
Without further ado, here are our favourites that have lasted us through both boys and girls in the 3-year-old age group.
Toddler Backpack
Pull along suitcase? Now we know some travel parents will adamantly recommend a ride along suitcase at this age, but our personal experience – just don’t! We never recovered from the trauma of using a Trunki too early; they are made for older kids. As a cautious estimate, I’d say wait until your child is at least 4-years-old. Otherwise, it will end up being simply another novelty item you end up pulling or carrying along yourself.
Let’s start with your Toddler Backpack. At this age, we started introducing backpacks for our children to wear and enjoy the responsibility of carrying themselves. The key is to keep it light. They may not fit all of their toys and snacks into this bag it’s a great start for them (just remember, at some point, you may end up carrying it too).
A good choice for the toddler age group is a backpack that can double as a harness – with a secure chest strap and tether or leash. Your child can have some independence but still be kept close by.
You can check out our full guide to ride-on kids luggage here.
Large Crayons
Large crayons (preferably triangular so they don’t roll away) are the perfect companion for this age group. Bring along their favorite coloring books, or ideal for meals out, anywhere you can grab some paper, really.
If you’re getting an accompanying coloring book for this age group, keep it small enough to fit in their little bags.
Wikki Stix
Three is a great age to introduce Wikki Stix. These are great for creativity and fine motor skills, the different designs they can make is endless. They are inexpensive too, so there is no fear if you lose some, and they are super imaginative. It’s quite easy to just grab a handful at a time for their day pack and pull them out for those short breaks or long car rides.
Fidget Bag
Fidget toys are still on trend for your three-year-old! If they have moved on from basic poppers and stick-on spinners – which we recommend for the younger age groups – this might be the next step for a maturing tot.
Help your 3-year-old girl feel all grown up with her very own push bubble bag! The strap can be removed for an easy toy, or leave the shoulder strap on for easy carrying.
Wipe Clean Dot to Dot
Wipe Clean Dot to Dot is a great simple first activity book for preschool-aged kids developing fine motor skills and problem-solving. The pages are easy to wipe clean, so you can use them again and again with a dry-erase marker, and we love that its spiral bound at this age, making them easy to use on the go.
Magnetic story books
Magnetic storybooks make the perfect toy for the go. Perfect for older toddlers who need a little imagination time with and without some adult help.
They can be used as a smaller book when you’re on the move, and then when you have more space, fold out the larger playmat. Parts can go missing but are not integral to enjoying the game.
Schoolzy Peg Board
Schoolzy peg board is great for travel as it stores up into its own little carry pouch but contains hours of imaginative fun. A lacing and stacking learning game, you have plenty of different combinations to explore. Perfect for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, an introduction to counting, maths, and problem-solving.
Reusable Stickers
Reusable stickers are an absolutely perfect travel companion for your three-year-old. It’s not the end of the world (famous last words!) if one or two go missing along the way, and you can recreate pictures and stories over and over again (with no sticky mess left behind like normal stickers)
These are undoubtedly the best thing to pack if you have a long haul flight and small children to entertain.
(Top tip – be mindful of size when ordering reusable sticker books. We had a lovely Melissa & Doug collection but far too big to fit in any kid’s backpacks, or ours!)
Buckle Toys – Barkley Dog
A buckle toy that can double as a cuddly teddy makes the best toy for travel! Little Fingers will be kept busy with this playful travel companion toy.
Hidden Picture Games
Our kids absolutely love hidden picture games; they’ve been a savior in many a queue or waiting for meals to arrive!
3 is a great age to start kids on the hidden picture journey. Some will find them easier than others, so do base the books on the appropriate age group, or you can lose their interest fast. Highlights have an incredible collection to choose from – sea creatures to farm animals or dinosaurs to suit little kids interests.
Montessori Busy Book
Your 3-year-old certainly hasn’t outgrown the joy of busy books yet. Keeping little fingers busy with some imaginative play on a long journey, these deMoca Montessori Activity Books make great travel toys with their own little carry handle.
Coolplay Kid Activities Water Drawing Mat
Coolplay Kid Activities Water Drawing Mat is a no-mess coloring and drawing game that folds up ultra-small in this travel edition that can easily be used on a child’s lap while on the move. Simply top up the refillable water pen when your little artist is ready to get to work!
Water Wow Water Reveal Books
And equally awesome for this age group are Water Wow watercolor books. A perfect toy for travel in a bring-along size, they only need a few drops of water to work. There’s no need for whole packs of crayons, and they are pretty mess-free. Once the water dries out, it can be colored in again and again. They now come in a wide variety of different themes to suit your young kids interests..
Pocket Etch a Sketch
Pocket Etch a Sketch are a great take-along toy that can last from the toddler years through to pre-school age, with the “better” quality products being introduced as their fine motor skills improve. They are great and lightweight but don’t go too cheap or they breakfast; nothing beats the original Etch a Sketch!
Stacking Robots
Stacking robots are getting on the larger end of toddler travel toys, but they are so much fun for the 3-year-old group (and I bet a few grown-ups will join in!) The box is quite large, but they do easily fit into a bag when you take them out of the packing, and the pieces are large enough tots will enjoy playing with them as individual toys as well as for stacking games.
Bath Suction Toys
Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean bath time can’t still be fun! Bath toys that can double as plane and car entertainment make the perfect toy for travel. We love these little suction toys as they work equally well on car windows as they do on the side of the tub in the hotel room!
PlayTape Road
PlayTape Road has been a favorite with our youngest. Not ideal for on the move, but when you get to your destination, this is a super toy for the pre-school to toddler age group.
The tape leaves no residue, so stick it around your room on any flat surface, and you have an instant portable play space for your tot. 30 feet of tape is just 7 oz, so an easy one to throw in the diaper bag for lots of imaginative fun, BYO cars!
Brio Labyrinth Take-Along
Brio Labyrinth Take-Along would be at the top end of the age group as it definitely takes more skill and dexterity but is good for occupying time and developing all-important hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and fine motor skills in young children.
There are no parts to lose, and it’s made by a top-quality toy manufacturer (we have tonnes of their train set gear too!)
Kindle
We did our best to stay screen-free with this young age group, but I won’t deny that this was around the age we started introducing the Kindle to our arsenal of traveling entertainment.
We would recommend only starting with electronic devices and screen time from age 3; primarily as before this age, younger toddlers really struggle to keep headphones on – I hate it when others loudly play with their electronic devices, so I expect the same from my own children’s toys.
Headphones
This brings us to our final 3-year-old essential, headphones! I’d be lying if I said there was a brand that works really well with toddlers and preschoolers.
Don’t go too cheap as they’ll break on the first go, but equally accept that you may only get one trip out of a pair of headphones – pre-schoolers can be inadvertently pretty tough! The important thing to look for in toddler headphones is volume limiting to protect their ears.
You’ll find our complete guide to the best brands of toddler headphones here
Toddler Travel Tray
Last but not least, 3 is a great age to start using a travel tray on long road trips. It’s a great idea to find a kids’ travel tray that will fit neatly over their car seat, and this will give your tot an extra play surface (as well as keep items like their water bottle in easy reach).
Other ways to entertain your toddler while travelling
Whilst it’s great to have an arsenal of toys and entertainment to hand, the most important thing they want at this age is YOU! Here are a few more ideas to help kids entertained on long trips:
Audiobooks – a great way to pass the hours on a long car journey. A summer road trip is a great time to give something like Audible a try, there’s a great range of kids’ storybooks to choose from – as well as adults’ (yes, one day you may get to read again!), or you can even try free podcasts suitable for toddlers & preschoolers.
Snacks – oh, we cannot emphasize this enough! Any traveling with kids, snacks are your best friend. Use them strategically, keep the sugar levels under control, and keep them coming! Even if you have no toys to hand, have snacks!
Songs – a singalong in the car to their favorite nursery fits is bound to put a smile on your little one’s face. Allow yourself to have fun and be goofy!
Imagination games – I know I find them hard to get into too, but making up tall stories is a great way to entertain little ones and make the hours go by. Take turns adding to a sensible story and see how far you get. Or why not try to invent your own animal, a theme park, or create your dream house?
You can find more of our favorite travel games in the car suggestions here.
More travel tips for your 3-year-old
As we mentioned at the outset, it’s an age we really did love and hate traveling with our three kids.
It’s a real in-between age, not quite a toddler, not quite a pre-schooler. They are incredibly curious as to what is happening around them; many at this age are verbalizing well and clearly expressing their thoughts and feelings, which makes it such a fun time.
However, we know napping is still incredibly important, getting them to walk independently and getting them washed and fed on the move while asserting their will – often very vocally! There’s nothing you can’t tackle, though, with a little careful planning.
You may want to check out these guides relevant to 3-year-olds.
- 15 Tips for Conquering Jet Lag in Kids
- Entertaining road trip toys for toddlers
- Best sunshades for toddlers at the beach
- Best lightweight strollers for travel (that can even fit on the plane)
- The best toddler beds and cots on the go
- Do sleep devices for airplanes really work?
- How to fly with two or more kids
- All our very best toddler travel advice
As challenging as travel was at 3 years old with all of our children, it’s also made for some of the fondest memories as you watch your baby transform into a worldly (and often strong-willed!) little person.
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© Our Globetrotters
I bought the Arts and Crafts set for my 3 year old, she loves playing with them over and over. This is very helpful, it keeps my daughter quiet all the way and doesn’t ask to play on my phone.