If you travel with your kids often, we can understand that keeping them occupied on the trip can be difficult, especially when they repeatedly ask, “Are we there yet?”

If you have a big trip coming up, we have brought you several ideas to keep your kids happy and quiet in the car or on the airplane. The travel crafts we are about to share will most assuredly make your trip even more memorable. These crafts are so entertaining that even you’ll want to join in the fun. So, tell your little ones to remove that deck of cards and any toys from their bags because you will be creating your own travel crafts for kids. If you don’t have the time to put a craft kit together, we highly recommend popping on over to our online store and consider picking up the Pinwheel Crafts Paracord Bracelet Kit.

Let’s begin!

Toilet Paper Roll Airplane

Whenever you plan to do a DIY project, gather a couple of toilet paper rolls because they are so versatile that they are great for creating anything. Toilet paper rolls also make a great craft supply because thea are cheap and (usually) found in abundance around the house. This is one of the best airplane crafts for preschoolers because it’s easy to make but still takes a lot of time.

This is a project you’ll want to tackle BEFORE heading out as it requires a lot of supplies and can get a bit messy. It’s a great way to help you children get ready for a plane ride ands makes a good toy to bring with them if they are nervous.

You Will Need

• Toilet paper rolls
• 4 craft sticks (2 mini and 2 large)
• Paint (or paint markers if your kid is messy)
• Hot glue gun
• Craft foam
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• 1 Pony bead
• 1 Black pipe cleaner
• 2 Black pompoms

Directions

• Use the paint or markers to color the toilet paper roll.
• Paint the craft sticks the same color and set them aside to dry.
• Make sure that the beads you choose match the color of the craft sticks.
• Apply hot glue on the side of one end of the toilet paper roll. And pinch the end together so that the toilet paper roll resembles a cone with a flat end.
• For the wings, take the long craft sticks and glue them parallel to each other with one near the middle front pinched end of the plane, and the second at the very back.
• To make the propeller, place a small dollop of hot glue on the middle of one of the smaller craft sticks and place the other smaller stick on top to form a plus sign, or an “x.”
• Glue the bead where the two sticks meet.
• Place a healthy amount of glue on the very front of the plane nose (the closed end of the toilet paper roll) and stick the propeller to it.
• Use scissors to cut a triangular fin from the craft foam.
• Create a small incision on the top of the toilet paper roll. It should be big enough so that the foam fin fits in easily.
• Apply a small amount of glue in the incision and then insert the foam fin.
• To add the landing gear, turn over the toilet paper roll and create two small holes using the craft knife on the glued end.
• Apply glue on the holes and insert a pipe cleaner.
• Finally, glue the pompoms to the end of the pipe cleaner for wheels, and the airplane is ready!

Magnetic Block Game

Coming up with car activities for toddlers is not easy. They are fussy, and you need to keep an eye on them to make sure that they don’t do something that might cause them harm. We all know how toddlers are. You take your eye off them for a second, and chaos ensues.

So, after much thinking, we came up with a craft that will keep them occupied and happy for hours ― a magnetic board game (similar to playing a blocks game on the mobile phone).

You Will Need

• 1 sheet of magnetic paper (the peel-and-stick kind)
• Magnetic Tape
• Spiral notebook
• Colorful cardstock paper
• Glue
• Printed designs
• Craft knife
• Scissors
• Plastic Ziploc bag

Directions

• Cut long strips of the magnetic tape.
• Measure the strips and cut the colorful cardstock paper in the same size.
• Based on your printed designs, cut the strips into different shapes and sizes.
• Flip open the notebook and paste the magnetic paper on the inside of the cover.
• Cut your printed designs and paste them on the sheet of paper next to the magnetic cover.
• Place all the magnetic, colored pieces in the Ziploc bag and hand it to your kid.

Show them the printed designs and tell them to match them with the magnetic pieces. Then, attach the designs to the magnetic paper.

Velcro Dot Sticks

If your kid is a little architectural engineer in the making, give them something that will allow them to channel their creativity and make something unique. Among travel crafts for kids, this one is pretty easy to make and only requires two things: Velcro dots and craft sticks.

You Will Need

• Different colored craft sticks (You can make the activity more fun by buying simple craft sticks and then coloring them with a paint marker)
• Velcro dots
• Plastic jar
• Glue gun
• Rubber Band

Directions

• Attach the Velcro dots to the the ends of the craft sticks using the glue gun.
• Make sure that the Velcro dots attached on both ends are of different kinds.
• Start attaching the sticks and making shapes.
• Place the sticks in the plastic jar so that your child can easily keep them all together.

Travel Journal

An on-the-go travel journal is a craft that your kid will be eager to make! Are you going on a long vacation and plan to visit plenty of tourist attractions? We suggest purchasing a Polaroid camera and many craft items, like shiny stickers, washi tape, peel and stick gems, and then let them go wild with this crafts project.

You Will Need

• Polaroid pictures
• Glue stick
• Scrapbooking decorations (i.e. ribbons, stickers, washi tape, etc)
• Pencils and color markers
• White cardstock
• Hole Punch
• Scissors

Directions

• Cut the cardstock into equal rectangle pieces. (Make sure they aren’t too small or the Polaroid pictures won’t fit on them)
• Let your child color and decorate the journal’s cover.
• Use the hole punch to create holes along the edge of the cardstock sheets and then tie them together using the ribbon.
• Flip the page and write “Day One” at the top with subheadings “Where,” “What,” and “Special Moment” underneath it.
• Buy a tiny souvenir such as a a sticker, patch, or postcard at the site of each attraction.
• Let your kid take a picture, paste both into the journal, and write down all the details as well as adding any other decorations to the stop.

Final Thoughts

If you have a long trip planned, these travel crafts for kids will come in quite handy. Of course, if you are pressed for time, you can always opt for pre-made kits, such as our Pinwheel Crafts Paracord Bracelet Kit. And, if you are looking for more ideas, make sure to visit the rest of our blog and check out our copious craft ideas there!