Let’s be honest: the thought of being in a car with your kids for a long road trip has the potential to make any parent feel trapped. From tears and tantrums to “Are we there yet?”, it can be hard for kids to sit still during a road trip, no matter how long the duration. My family often takes mini road trips in the summer, and over the years, I’ve found that having a collection of travel toys stashed in my car can turn our trip from a bumpy ride to a smooth one. 

From tried and true Melissa & Doug toys and a scavenger hunt bear built just for toddlers to a mesmerizing sensory puzzle and a $5 classic toy that a Parents editor swears by, these travel toys are all $10 or less and are bound to keep your kiddo focused and entertained mile after mile.

Now that my kids are 5 and 7, they actually enjoy playing with each other (most of the time). This Melissa & Doug activity pad is the first thing I whip out during a road trip because it’s filled with games that they can play together. It comes with two dry-erase markers so they each have their own, and they pass the booklet back and forth to play educational word, number, and picture games. 

This cuddly little bear is a stuffy and scavenger hunt all in one. Hidden inside the bear’s see-through belly, there are colorful sensory beads and 25 different items to find. It’s for ages 3 and up and comes with a set of cards that give 40 seek-and-find challenges. The best part is, there’s no reading required, so toddlers can play with it on their own. One shopper called it a “cool little hide-and-seek game” for when on the go, while this parent said that it kept her 4-year-old “entertained on a road trip.” 

Wiki Stix are a nostalgic toy for many parents, and they continue to provide endless amounts of fun for young kids. Made from knitting yarn and food-grade wax, these colorful, bendy sticks give kids the freedom to build and create (without making a mess). Wiki Stix can be used again and again, and my kids have built everything from glasses for everyone to wear to long ropes that extend from one end of the car to the other. 

Recently, a friend of mine brought this sensory board for her kids on a trip with our family, and my kids were mesmerized. It comes with a collection of colorful strings and a board that has a different pattern on each side. Similar to a puzzle, the goal is for kids to arrange the strings in a way that fits within the board’s pattern. My husband and I couldn’t believe how long our kids were quiet and focused, and they really enjoyed creating different shapes and color combinations. It’s one of Amazon’s best-selling fidget toys and has been purchased by more than 6,000 shoppers in the past month. 

Do you remember playing with a Wooly Willy when you were a kid? This nostalgic toy will keep your kids laughing and entertained during a long road trip. Using the magnetic wand, they can rearrange Willy’s face to give him silly hairstyles, a mustache, and more. “I have so many great memories playing with Wooly Willy when I was a kid, so naturally I bought it for my own kiddo,” said Katrina Cossey, Parents editor. “I refuse to take it out of the car because it keeps him busy on long car rides and he has a blast giving Willy all kinds of haircuts and styles.”

My daughter really enjoys coloring, but bringing paper, markers, and crayons in the car can get messy. These LCD writing tablets save the day when she’s in a coloring mood, and I always keep them in the car so she has something to doodle on. Since this comes in a pack of two, my kids will often use them to play tic-tac-toe, write secret messages to each other, or make up their own version of Pictionary to pass the time. At $8 for two, these handheld writing tablets are an inexpensive travel toy to bring along for the ride. 

This Melissa & Doug sticker book has 24 pages of activities, including numbers, counting, matching, search-and-find, and more. It comes with an adorable sticker stamper, which kids use to place 300 stickers throughout the book. Hayley Kraakevik, a mom of two, calls this her “go-to” item when traveling with her kids. “As a mom who is always on the go, I’ve learned that it’s mess-free and keeps little hands busy during our family adventures.” 

As a kid, my family would play “animal guessing game” when we took road trips, which basically involved one person choosing an animal while the others asked “yes” or “no” questions to figure it out. This Skillmatics game is an upgraded version, allowing players to ask up to 10 questions to try and guess the animal. If you get it right, you get to keep the card, and the goal is to collect as many cards as possible. My kids love this game so much that we’ve even brought it from the car into a restaurant when we make a pit stop because the competition is fierce and they’re having so much fun. 

Hidden Picture books are a favorite in our family, making them one of my go-to items for road trips. My kids enjoy the detailed drawings and searching for hidden items throughout each page. This book has a permanent place in our car, and they love using a bright marker to color in their pictures. With more than 200 pages and 1,500 objects to find, one book has lasted for more than a year for my kiddos! 

Busy boards are a great travel toy to keep toddlers entertained in the car. Using the magnetic wands, littles move the colorful beads through mazes and counting and sorting games, which one shopper said “is so fun” and is “ideal for road trips or quiet time, or any focused play!”