5 MESS-FREE ON THE GO SENSORY PLAY IDEAS FOR STRESS-FREE TRAVEL
It’s a universal parenting struggle - you’re stuck in a restaurant, waiting for a table, a long flight or road trip, and your toddler is getting restless. We all know that feeling of panic, digging through your bag to find a toy or something to occupy them, which only adds more unnecessary stress to an outing or travel day.
You know I’m all about sensory play. The benefits for all ages are incredible, especially for young kids. Sensory play is great for fostering the imagination, working on fine motor skills, exposing children to different textures, and can help calm overstimulated kids and keep them engaged. The tactile and visual components have so many benefits!
While sensory play is great, the idea of bringing a sensory activity on the go can seem daunting or unreasonable. But remember that sensory play doesn’t always mean a mess! Sensory play doesn’t always mean dyed rice all over the floor and shaving cream on the walls. There are tons of options for low-mess activities that are easily portable, meaning you can pull out sensory activities just about anywhere to instantly give your kids something engaging to do.
I’m excited to share a list of sensory play activities that you can take on the go, whether it’s to a restaurant or on an airplane, and exactly how to package them for travel. Less mess, minimal clean up, and fits in a diaper bag or purse.
The Snack Box Travel Secret: A Mini Sensory Bin
We created the Mothercould Snack Boxesto create a solution for bringing a variety of snacks on the go. They have been a hit with our Mothercould community, and we are so grateful! But did you know that these snack boxes aren’t just for snacks? They also make an amazing travel sensory bin! The adjustable sections make it easy to fit different supplies, and the latching lid and deep compartments help prevent spilling and messes. The snack boxes are great for bringing an activity on the go, and I’ll share a few ideas that’ll work great for traveling sensory play.
5 Low Mess, Sensory Play Ideas for On the Go
Play Dough Sensory Box: This one is perfect for the Mothercould Snack Box! Wrap some play dough (homemade is best!) in some plastic wrap. Make it in a log shape so it’ll fit in the snack box! Then fill the other compartments with figurines, beads, pompoms, whatever you’d like to stick into the play dough. Add a couple tools to the box and it’s ready! Here are a couple theme ideas:
Green play dough, flowers, and bugs for a garden sensory box.
Brown play dough, farm animal figurines, and popsicle sticks (for a fence) for a farm sensory box.
2. Sticky Canvas Mosaic: This one is great for the car! Tape a piece of clear contact paper (sticky side out!) to a piece of cardboard or a back-of-the-seat car organizer. Give your child some lightweight items, like feathers, pompoms, stickers, tissue paper squares, and yarn scraps. You can pack these in a Mothercould Snack Box for easy travel! You child can press the items to the cardboard to create a mosaic, peel them off again, and rearrange.
Bonus: You can draw something on the cardboard before putting on the contact paper, like make a road for your child to “drive” down, or make some picture frames and they can make creations to go in each one.
Kinetic Sand Fossil Hunt: Kinetic sand is a favorite for kids of all ages because of its unique texture. It sticks to itself, so it’s a lot less messy than a lot of sensory bases! (Especially if it stays contained in a Mothercould Snack Box!) Put a small amount of kinetic sand in a tupperware or snack box. Bury some small dinosaur figurines and plastic gems in the sand. Include some “digging tools” like a small spoon, stick, or brush so kids can uncover the treasures.
Tip: If you’re worried about a mess, lay down a few napkins before setting down the kinetic sand box so it’s easy to gather up any fallen bits of sand at the end.
Dyed Pasta Threading: I love using dyed pasta for sensory play - this is a way to use it that won’t be as messy as a large sensory bin! Make some dyed, uncooked pasta by mixing pasta with a few drops of food coloring and a splash of vinegar. (Full instructions here!) I like to use larger shapes, like penne or rigatoni for this activity. Put several pieces in a tupperware, bag, or Mothercould Snack Box. Include some string, pipe cleaners, and some large pony beads. Kids can string the pasta and beads on the string and pipe cleaners to make bracelets, necklaces, and unique sculptures. This provides great fine-motor work and keeps kids engaged for a while.
The Color Sorting Bag: This one isn’t great for the plane since it involves liquids, but it’s great for a restaurant. It’s a completely sealed bag, so this one is literally no mess! Take a gallon-sized freezer bag and draw colored circles on the bag that match the colors of the pompoms you’ll be adding. Add some clear hair gel and the pompoms to the bag. Get out as much air as possible, seal the bag closed, and tape the zipper closed with strong packing tape. (I like to cover the whole surface of the bag with packing tape to add extra strength.) Kids can squish, slide, and move the pompoms around the bag and sort them into the corresponding circles, or they can move the pompoms to make letters!
Pro Tips for Managing Travel Sensory Play
Pre-Assemble: As we all know, preparation is key to smooth sailing during an outing. Prep your sensory bags and boxes the night before so it’s one less thing to worry about. You can even have several boxes prepped and ready to go so it’s easy to grab one to throw in your diaper bag on the way out the door!
Always Double-Tape: If you’re making a sensory bag, add an extra layer of heavy-duty packing tape to the front and bag of the sensory bags to add a layer of protection from sharp toddler fingernails.
Set Clear Boundaries: Even less-mess sensory play needs some guidelines! Set the expectations for your kids - all sensory play items must stay inside the box or tray. Also remember to have grace for accidents, as sensory play is naturally a little messy. 🙂
Keeping kids calm and entertained when on the go doesn’t have to result in a huge cleanup or pulling out the technology. There are some amazing sensory play activities that you can bring on the go! All it requires is a little pre-planning, the right supplies, and good guidelines for your kids.
The Mothercould Snack Box is the ultimate dual-purpose parenting hack. Pack a variety of snacks and keep them contained, and pack your sensory play activities for an engaging tool when traveling. (The Snack Box Set comes with two boxes, so you can pack one for snacks and one for a sensory activity!) Enjoy your next parenting win while traveling with the Mothercould Snack Box!