KEEP KIDS BUSY ON ROAD TRIPS & FLIGHTS (WITHOUT SCREENS OR MESS!)
Traveling with kids is lots of fun and is one of our family’s favorite things to do together, But let’s be honest - the "are we there yet?" stage can test anyone's patience. It can be so easy to pack tablets and screens to keep kids occupied when traveling, but it’s not the only way! Before you reach for another screen, there’s another way to keep little hands busy. (And helps prevent toys from falling on the dirty car or airplane floor!) The secret isn't packing more toys - it's packing the right mess-free, screen-free activities directly into a smart travel solution.
We created the Mothercould Travel Organizer to solve this! This hanging organizer has a 360 swivel hook and can hang on so many different surfaces, from the airplane seat to the back of a chair or a car seat headrest. It’s designed for little hands - the zippers are easy to open and close, you can see everything at a glance, the fabric is wipeable and it’s easy for kids to help pack their favorite activities. Clear and mesh pockets make everything easily accessible and easy to see. While it can hold a ton of activities, it easily folds up and is very compact, featuring handles that make it easy to carry. The two sizes allow you to choose what’s the best fit for your travels - the large size is great for having lots of options in the car, while the small size is easier to fit on an airplane.
Let’s talk about how to fill your Hanging Travel Organizer. Think of where you’re going and how you’re getting there, and let that guide which activities are the best to bring. For example, a Lego set with lots of tiny pieces isn’t ideal for an airplane. We’ll walk you through some great activities to pack, helping you keep your kids occupied during a travel day without needing to pull out the screens.
5 Screen-Free Activities for Travel
Hang your Mothercould Travel Organizer on an airplane seatback or the front seat headrest in the car, and pull out these five activities to give your kids instant, organized, low-mess fun.
Felt Board: Felt is a great quiet activity that’s perfect for travel days. There are lots of themed options out there that are easily portable. (Or you could make your own with felt and velcro dots!) Kids can create scenes, build funny faces, or match shapes. Best of all, felt naturally clings together, so pieces won't slide off during a flight.
Magnetic Play: Magnets are your best friend when it comes to travel toys! Magnets help keep everything together, instead of falling on the floor and getting lost under the seat. There are magnetic puzzles, tangram sets, games, and one of our favorites, magnetic mini blocks. I love the ones that come in compact carrying containers - they fit easily into a hanging travel organizer.
Water Pens or Dry Erase Pads: Pack a water-reveal book or a set of laminated dry-erase activity cards or a pad. Fill a water pen before boarding, and loop a couple of dry-erase markers into the elastic bands of your organizer. Kids can trace lines, solve mazes, or color endlessly. You could even DIY your own, with laminated pages! (Check out the Mothercould Activity Packs for some great activities you could laminate for travel!)
Reusable Puffy Stickers and Gel Clings: If you're on a flight, gel window clings are so much fun. Kids can stick them onto the airplane window, rearrange them, and peel them right back off. For car rides, pair reusable puffy sticker sets with a laminated backdrop tucked neatly into the organizer's flat back panel. They offer all the fun of regular stickers without any sticky residue left behind. Make your own laminated backdrops, or find lots of fun theme ideas.
Sensory Toys for Regulated Fun: The ultimate parent hack? Packing toys that are actually amazing for keeping kids regulated and calm! Finding a sensory toy that works well for your kids is great for streamlining your travel day. A few options are these Stickicubes, a color sorting squishy, and this silicone fidget. Compact, easy to travel with, and so great at keeping little hands busy.
Pro Tips for Packing
Imagine if you went through all the trouble to pack a beautiful hanging organizer, only for your toddler to have it completely emptied 15 minutes into your flight and saying that they’re bored. Sometimes having too many options can cause kids to get overwhelmed, and then they play with everything for a couple minutes and then move on to the next activity. To make the most of your travel organizer, resist the urge to reveal every activity at once. Pull out one thing at a time, or even have the others closed off so kids can only see one activity. This will keep things feeling novel and exciting throughout the entire travel day.
Older kids can help with the packing and can have a bit more independence and ownership over their activities. Help them think through what they might want to bring, show them packing strategies, and turn it into a teaching moment.
Tip: You can even pack a second hanging travel organizer for your destination, and only take one activity out each day of the trip!
Peaceful, screen-free travel is SO doable, and you can do it! Visual organization and some pre-planning is the key to setting yourself (and your kids) up for success. Utilizing an organizer like the Mothercould Travel Organizer takes a lot of the guesswork out of how to pack things to make them accessible during travel. You’ll be shocked just how much you can fit into these organizers! Grab yours today and get ready for your next parenting win!