On-the-go Quiet Time Activities

Quiet time activities for trips and travelling! Are you getting tired of me sharing quiet time activities yet? Impossible!

Great quiet time activities make for great quiet times.

Great quiet times make for happy kids.

And happy kids – well in my world, that means a happy me!

One time when I really, really love using quiet bins is when we are stuck somewhere and I need my little ones to be still. Like when we are waiting at an appointment somewhere, or in the car, or at a restaurant

(well, that last one hardly ever actually happens – but in my dreams when I would be brave enough to venture out to a restaurant with my crew, you bet I would be hunkered down with quiet bins up to the eyeballs!)

In my Year of Educational Quiet Bins eBook there is a whole section on quiet bins perfect for on-the-go, along with quiet bins for every other occasion possible! Please be sure to check it out.

And in the mean time, here are some to get you started!

***Some of these ideas use small parts. Please use your own judgement and knowledge of your child and supervise when necessary***

Mazes and Dot-to-dots in Page Protector. This one is actually right from my Quiet Bin book and it is one of my go-to activities for on-the-go. I print a bunch of different activity pages from the computer and pop them in page protectors. My little guys love using the dry erase markers to do them again and again! It’s amazing how quick they can get at doing a maze!

Button Snake from Happy Hooligans – Threading a button through felt pieces takes some quiet concentration. This could be adapted with different colors and shapes depending on the kids’ interests.

Printable Road Trip Games from LalyMom – A fun way for kids to keep track of what they’re seeing on a road trip! Turn it into a game with siblings and other passengers.

DIY Travel Busy Bag for Writing Practice from The Educators’ Spin On It – Make your own portable write-and-erase book with a few simple materials! Kids can draw, write, and scribble away as they’re traveling.

Train Track Counting Activity from Play Trains – Little train enthusiasts will have fun counting out their engines and matching them to tracks. This could easily be adapted for other interests, too!

Little Town Quiet Book Pages from And Next Comes L – Kids can play and create all kinds of stories with their very own little town.

Quick and Easy Baggie Maze from Powerful Mothering – The baggie makes all the difference with this quiet traveling game! Kids can run through the maze over and over without fear of the marble getting lost.

Shoe Tying Busy Bag Board from Coffee Cups and Crayons – An easy and fun way for kids to practice tying their shoes. Kids can help make the boards, decorating and personalizing the shoes as they’d like.

DIY Travel Geoboard from Left Brain Craft Brain – A travel-sized geoboard that can snap shut is perfect for a long trip. Includes printable template so kids can record the different designs they create.

Traveling Peg People Families from Buzzmills – Darling peg people based on everyone in the family. Add a magnet and a tin, and kids can tell all kinds of stories while keeping them attached to the tin.

DIY Pattern Book from Say Yes – This magnetic pattern book allows kids to recreate pictures or create their own using a variety of colorful shapes.

Tic Tac Toe Busy Bag from The Pleasantest Thing – Super simple to put together, with the possibility of endless games of tic tac toe!

Kindergarten Math Activity Bag from Chasing Cheerios – Beads and pipe cleaners are almost always a hit with children! This bag can easily be customized depending on the interests and needs of the kids.

Magnetic Buttons Busy Bag from Teach Me Mommy – Grab some things from around the house to put this quiet traveling activity together. So many different ways to use it – creating designs and pictures, counting, patterns, etc.

Portable LEGO Kit with Printable Activity Cards from Fun at Home with Kids – The kids can help put together this portable kit, choosing the pieces that are needed based on the activity cards.

Portal Pretend Model Train Set from Play Trains – Put together a carry-along train set with the kids! I bet adding some magnets to the materials would help keep them in place on a cookie sheet.

Bead Maze from Your Therapy Source – This can be used as a quiet book page or on its own, and it works on visual tracking and fine motor skills.

I-Spy Bags from Homemade by Jill – If you enjoy sewing, there are instructions for using your favorite fabric to make the bags. Kids search through the bags trying to find all the items on the cards.

Magnetic Puzzles from My Kind of Makeover – Favorite puzzles can easily be transformed into a travel activity with magnets!

DVD Case Coloring Kit from unOriginal Mom – An inspired way to carry around colored pencils and coloring sheets while traveling with family.

How to Make a No-Sew Quiet Book from Powerful Mothering – Put together a 10+-page book for kids to take while on a trip, all without needing to know how to sew.

There you have it. Oodles of quiet time activities to keep your little ones quietly and happily entertained when you are on-the-go!

And if you are looking to really get the most out of quiet time – or even wondering how to begin – be sure to check out my eBook. It shares all my secrets and has an entire year of educational quiet time activities!

Thank you for reading friends, I hope you are having a lovely week.