Save This For Later
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Flying with toddlers isn’t always easy. Long flights mean close quarters, lots of waiting, and limited movement — and that can be tough for little bodies with big energy.
A little planning goes a long way. The ideas below are simple, mess-free, and easy to pack, with plenty of options for curious 1-year-olds, busy preschoolers, and early elementary kids.
💡If a family trip is coming up, you may also like our Helpful Travel Tips For Families.
Quick Picks for Toddler Airplane Activities
- Best for 1–2 year olds: Window clings, masking tape, Water Wow, snack spinner
- Best for 3–4 year olds: Reusable sticker books, magnetic tiles, fidget cube
- Best for 5–6 year olds: Audiobooks, doodle tablet, early puzzles
- Best mess-free activity: Color Wonder
- Best quiet-time option: Drawing tablet
- Best travel apps: PBS Kids, Lego Duplo World, World of Peppa Pig
Airplane Activities for 1-Year-Olds
Curious, busy, and always reaching for something—1-year-olds do best with simple, sensory activities they can repeat over and over. These ideas require almost no setup and work well in tight airplane seats.
Window Clings
Reusable window clings are a great way to keep little hands occupied. They can stick, peel, rearrange, and repeat as many times as they want.
Post-It Notes
It’s amazing how long a stack of sticky notes can hold their attention. Let them peel, stick, scribble, and decorate the seat around them.
Painter’s Tape or Masking Tape
Tape is a toddler favorite. Tear off small pieces for them to place on the tray table, armrest, or your sleeve. It’s great fine-motor practice and totally mess-free.
Snack Spinner
A Snack Spinner turns snack time into an activity. Rotate through little bites to keep things fun and keep your toddler happily distracted.
Water Wow Books
These no-mess books reveal colors with a simple water pen—perfect for tiny hands and a small airplane tray.
Color Wonder Books
Another mess-free win is mess free coloring books. The markers only show up on the special paper, not on clothes or airplane seats.
Baby Wipes “Cleaning Game”
Most 1-year-olds love helping. Give them a wipe and let them “clean” the armrest, tray table, or window.
Fidget Toy Cube
A fidget toy cube with buttons, switches, and textures keeps little fingers exploring.
Suction Cup Spinner Toy
Stick the suction cup spinner toy to the window or tray table and let them spin, tap, and explore the colors and movement.
Silicone Darts
These soft silicone darts stick to smooth surfaces with a satisfying “pop”—simple, quiet fun.
Koosh Ball
Soft, stretchy strands of Koosh Balls make these easy to grasp, shake, and squish.
Board Books & Texture Books
Short, sturdy books with flaps or textures are ideal at this age. Check out a few new titles from the library before you go. For more ideas, here are the 100 Best Books for Your 1 Year Old.
Magnetic Wooden Blocks (Supervised)
These wooden blocks stick together easily and are less likely to fall to the floor, but keep an eye out for dropped pieces.
Soft Figurines
Choose a couple of favorite characters or animals for simple imaginative play.
Audiobooks (Short Nursery Rhymes)
Short, familiar songs or rhymes can be soothing—just pair them with toddler-safe headphones. For more ideas, here are our 25 Best Audiobooks for Families.
Simple Screen Time
Download a few episodes of a favorite show ahead of time. A little familiar viewing can go a long way.
Chalk + Mini Chalkboard
A tiny chalkboard offers a fun sensory switch-up from crayons and wipes clean easily.
Erasable Doodle Book
These reusable drawing books let toddlers scribble freely and wipe everything clean with a damp cloth.
💡 These flight activities will help you reach faraway destinations like the ones featured in our handpicked family vacation destinations.
Airplane Activities for 2–3 Year Olds
Toddlers in this age range love doing things independently, making choices, and exploring with their hands. The best airplane activities mix simple creativity, fine-motor practice, and open-ended play. These ideas are easy to pack and work well in a small airplane seat.
Reusable Sticker Books
Stickers are endlessly entertaining at this age. There are also reusable sticker books that let kids create scenes, move pieces around, and start over as many times as they want.
Model Magic or Play Dough
Crayola Model Magic travels especially well—soft, squishy, and far less messy than traditional dough. Toddlers can roll balls, make simple shapes, or press it into lids and cups.
Writing Tablet / LCD Doodle Board
This LCD doodle board gives little artists plenty of space to draw and erase without any mess. Perfect for pre-writing doodles, shapes, and simple pictures.
Magnetic Picture Scenes
These magnetic picture scenes include themed backgrounds and magnets that toddlers love arranging and rearranging. Great for storytelling and imagination.
Activity Books (Toddler Level)
Look for simple matching games, trace-the-line pages, lift-the-flap puzzles, and basic mazes. They’re short, engaging, and sized for travel.
Magnetic Wooden Blocks
Chunky magnetic blocks stick together easily on the tray table, allowing little builders to create simple towers without pieces rolling away.
Window Crayons
These washable crayons wipe right off the airplane window with a tissue or wipe, giving kids a fun vertical drawing space.
Toy Cars
Bring two or three small cars for simple pretend play. The tray table makes a perfect roadway, and the cars tuck neatly into a small bag when it’s time to clean up.
Kinetic Sand
Pack a tiny amount of kinetic sand in a sealed container and pair it with a small lid or tray. It’s soft, moldable, and surprisingly manageable in small doses.
Triangular Crayons
Toddler-friendly and won’t roll off the tray table. These triangular crayons pair with plain paper or simple coloring sheets.
Quiet Book
These fabric books include zippers, buttons, matching games, and flaps. They’re soft, quiet, and filled with fine-motor fun.
Pop-It
A simple, repetitive fidget toy that keeps hands busy. Great for takeoff, landing, and transitions.
Erasable Doodle Book
Color, wipe, repeat. These dry erase books come with multiple reusable pages and are great for toddlers who love to draw.
Fun N’ Fly Travel Tray
A travel tray creates a small workspace and keeps snacks, crayons, and toys from falling to the floor.
Water Wow Books
Still a favorite at this age. The water pen is easy to grasp, and the color reveal feels magical every time.
Chalkboard + Chalk
A small chalkboard offers tactile play and wipes clean in seconds—nice variety if they get bored of crayons.
Simple Audio Books
Short stories, rhymes, and familiar songs work well. Pair with toddler-friendly headphones for a little quiet time.
Airplane Activities for 4–6 Year Olds
Preschoolers and early elementary kids can stay focused a bit longer and enjoy activities that involve imagination, early problem solving, and creativity. These ideas give them plenty to do in a small space without making a mess.
Drawing Tablet / LCD Doodle Board
Kids this age love drawing pictures, writing letters, or creating scenes. The one-button erase makes it easy to start fresh over and over again.
Activity Books (Preschool + Early Learning)
Look for simple mazes, spot-the-differences, matching pages, dot-to-dots, and early logic puzzles. Many come in compact, travel-friendly sizes.
Magnetic Wooden Blocks
Lightweight and easy to build with, these blocks stick together to form simple structures without pieces sliding around the tray.
Scratch Art
A great mess-free option for preschoolers and early elementary kids is Scratch Art. Kids use a wooden stylus to scratch away the dark coating and reveal bright colors underneath. It feels creative and satisfying, and the designs always look impressive. Best for ages 3+.
Wikki Stix
Soft, bendable, and easy to shape into letters, pictures, or simple sculptures. Wikki Stix sticks lightly to the tray table and peel off cleanly.
Magnetic Picture Scenes
Even older kids enjoy creating stories using magnets and themed backgrounds. It’s a calm, screen-free option that travels well.
Chalkboard + Chalk
A small chalkboard gives them a tactile way to draw, practice letters, or play quick games like tic-tac-toe.
Lacing Cards
These simple sewing-style cards are great for fine-motor practice. Kids at this age can follow patterns or make their own designs.
Small LEGO DUPLO or LEGO Kit
Choose a small zipper pouch with just a few pieces of LEGO DUPLO—enough to build something, but not enough to frustrate or spill everywhere.
Water Wow Books
Still fun at this age, especially themed sets like animals, vehicles, or alphabet pages.
Reusable Sticker Books
Preschoolers enjoy creating their own scenes or decorating pages with stickers they can reposition. Great for storytelling and imagination.
Toy Cars or Figurines
Simple pretend play still goes a long way. A few small toys can entertain kids through takeoff, landing, and transitions.
Model Magic or Play Dough
A small ball of Model Magic allows for quiet sculpting and shaping without crumbs or mess.
Kinetic Sand
Pack only a small amount in a sealed container. Older kids can build shapes or stamp designs using the container lid.
Pop-It or Sensory Fidget
A simple fidget can help kids settle during long stretches when they’re expected to sit still.
Drawing or Travel Journal
Kids who enjoy writing or drawing can use a small notebook to record the trip, draw what they see, or make lists and stories.
Simple Audio Books
Longer stories, early chapter books, or kids’ podcasts pair well with headphones for quiet time.
Screen Time
Downloaded shows, movies, or simple games can help break up long flights—especially when kids need a break from hands-on play.
Airplane Games
Kids this age enjoy simple games you can play together without supplies. Try “I Spy,” “What Color Is It?,” ABC Categories, or quick rounds of Name That Tune or Story Starter. For even more ideas, here are our 50 Fun Car Games Your Kids Will Love.
Airplane Scavenger Hunt
Create a simple list of things to spot—clouds, a drink cart, a red suitcase, a seatbelt sign, or a flight attendant. Great for passing time during boarding and cruising.
Lacing Cards
A quiet, fine-motor activity that keeps hands busy. Kids thread the string through holes around the edges of animal or shape cards and can create their own patterns.
Small LEGO DUPLO or LEGO Kit
Pack a tiny zipper pouch with a handful of blocks or one mini-playset. It gives kids a focused building activity without taking up too much space.
Scratch Art
A mess-free art option where kids use a wooden stylus to scratch designs into dark-coated paper to reveal bright colors underneath. Satisfying and creative.
Books for Older Kids
Short picture books or early readers are great for quiet time. Keep one or two thin books in your bag for an easy change of pace.
Best Apps for Toddlers on a Plane
A few thoughtfully chosen apps can make a long flight run much more smoothly. These options work well offline once downloaded, are easy for toddlers to navigate, and offer the right mix of calming moments, creativity, and learning.
Sago Mini World
A top pick for toddler travel. It includes dozens of open-ended play worlds—pets, airplanes, camping, space, baking, and more. Safe, simple, and endlessly entertaining for ages 2–5.
Khan Academy Kids
One of the best free learning apps available. Features stories, tracing, early math, alphabet games, and a lovable cast of characters guiding the way.
Moshi
A calming app filled with kid-friendly sleep stories, gentle music, and mindful breathing exercises. Great for helping toddlers settle during takeoff, landing, or mid-flight wiggles.
Endless Alphabet
A high-quality, playful app that teaches letters and vocabulary with delightful animations. Kids drag, drop, and sound out words at their own pace.
PBS Kids
Educational games featuring familiar characters from Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts, and more. Free, safe, and easy for little ones to use independently.
123 Numbers
Covers counting, tracing, and number matching with bright visuals and simple, toddler-friendly interactions.
Nick Junior
Includes interactive games and short videos based on shows like Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig. Downloads available for offline play.
World of Peppa Pig
A playful mix of coloring pages, puzzles, mini-games, and videos in a very toddler-friendly layout.
Lego Duplo World
Toddlers explore themed scenes and build with digital Duplo bricks. Encourages creativity, early STEM skills, and open-ended play.
Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame
A simple, sweet problem-solving app that helps toddlers learn calming strategies through guided breathing and interactive stories.
Dr. Seuss Treasury
A full library of classic Dr. Seuss books with optional read-along narration. Great for quiet time or screen-free storytelling with headphones.
Disney Coloring World
Kids color favorite Disney characters using virtual brushes, crayons, and markers. Completed artwork becomes animated stickers they can play with.
ABC Mouse
A full early-learning curriculum covering reading, math, music, and art. Works offline once lessons are downloaded.
Starfall
A well-loved early-learning app with phonics, stories, counting, songs, and simple games for preschoolers.
Best Tips for Family Travel
1. Pack plenty of snacks
Kids melt down when they’re hungry. Simple as that.
2. Set realistic expectations
Plan for delays, waiting, and at least one meltdown.
3. Move around when possible
Walk the aisle, take stretch breaks, or do a lap during layovers.
4. Let them “discover” the toy
Instead of handing them one toy after another, set something out for them to find.
5. Screens are a lifesaver
No guilt required — it’s a short window of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rotate simple, mess-free activities every 20–30 minutes and pack more snacks than you think you’ll need.
Window clings, Water Wow, simple board books, Post-its, and snack play usually work well.
About 6–8 small items. Keep some hidden as “extras” for tricky moments.
Yes — all markers and water pens are TSA-friendly.
Related Posts
In 2013, Calie Herbst, a former teacher with three little ones, saw a need for a “One Stop Shop” for family fun in Milwaukee. So she founded Milwaukee With Kids. Her goal was to find the best this city has to offer families and share it with other parents. In one place.
In 2019, she published “Exploring Milwaukee WIth Kids”, a comprehensive Milwaukee travel guide for families and kids.
She appears regularly on WISN News, Fox 6’s ‘Real Milwaukee’, B93.3, and Wisconsin Morning News. She has been featured in Medium, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, NPR, the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, and on CBS 58 News.
Calie is available for hosting, moderating and media appearances.
