Hitting the road this summer? Pack top travel toys to engage kids!
For families with young children embarking on summer travel plans, we recommend having a selection of hands-on, screen-free toys from Melissa & Doug to make sure your kids are entertained and engaged while in transit.
If this summer will be your first time ever traveling with little ones, it’s critical to have a few thoughtful, engaging toys on hand to help younger kids manage their big feelings, avoid meltdowns, and help make lasting family memories.
But with so many toys to choose from, what are the best items to consider? The best travel toys share the following positive qualities:
✅ Smaller, self-contained items without a lot of pieces that can go missing.
✅ Something that fits your child’s lap while in their seat.
✅ Screen-free, hands-on toys that will encourage skill-building play.
Scroll on to get the lowdown on a specially curated selection of Melissa & Doug’s top toys for kids to have THE most summer travel fun ever!
10 Top Toy Favorites for Summer Travel Fun
Love Your Look Makeup Kit Play Set
Summer Travel Fun: Perfect for mess-free imaginative play, this 16-piece play set gives kids everything they need to play makeup artist and to practice daily skin care and makeup routines! Accessories look real, but are toys—items do not contain cosmetics, and no color is transferred. Everything, including two cloth makeup wipes in a resealable pouch and a reusable activity card, stores in a portable, durable makeup kit with built-in mirror!
Skills at Play: Role playing real-life experiences with this Love Your Look playset is a great way for kids to build confidence, empathy, and self-esteem while developing gross and fine motor skills, imaginative play, and creative expression.
Summer Travel Fun: Kids can take farm animal fun wherever they go with the Take-Along Sorting Barn! Fit the 10 wooden play pieces into shaped holes in the sturdy wooden barn, or stand the pieces up for pretend play. Flip up the barn roof for quick and easy access, and use the handle to take playtime anywhere.
Skills at Play: A perfect gift for toddlers and preschoolers! The chunky pieces (ducks, horse, pig, goat, sheep, chicken, dog, cow, tractor, and farmer) are easy for little hands to grasp and maneuver, and help promote fine motor skills, matching and sorting, and creative play.
Water WOW! Take-Along Multi-Activity Drawing Set
Summer Travel Fun: Discover new ways to color with water, then let dry and color again and again! The take-along zip-open case has a built-in drawing board with water-reveal rainbow swirls for free drawing, and pockets to hold reusable double-sided activity cards, two stencils for tracing, two stamps, a sponge stamp pad, and a large water pen that can tether to the case so it doesn’t go missing!
Skills at Play: The Melissa & Doug Water WOW! Multi-Activity Drawing Set is the perfect mess-free, reusable travel activity for families on the go, which helps kids develop important skills such as fine motor, C-grip strength, creative expression, and imaginative play.
Also available: We offer a full assortment of water-changing arts & crafts toys…check out our full Water WOW! Collection!
Summer Travel Fun: A fun-filled activity that lets kids stamp out stickers as they play, create, and learn—collect them all! Sticker WOW! is a whole new way to play with stickers: Each character-themed sticker stamper comes preloaded with 300 stickers, and our refill packs are compatible with every Sticker WOW! set! Kids use the stickers to stamp, stamp, stamp their way through creative adventures, fill in the Sticker WOW! Activity Books, or enjoy sticker fun anywhere—including summer travel destinations! Shop our Sticker WOW! Collection!
Skills at Play: Gross & fine motor skills, C-grip strength, creative expression, imaginative play.
Vroom & Zoom Interactive Dashboard
Summer Travel Fun: Rev up playtime and take imaginations for a spin with this realistic play steering wheel mounted on a sturdy wooden dashboard with lights, sound effects, and moving parts, including a scrolling GPS! Movable parts and buttons let kids beep the horn, adjust air vents, turn on signal, hazard, and headlight indicators, and rev the engine. Set a timer to count down to empty gas tank, and remove the gas cap when it’s time to fill up!
Skills at Play: A terrific toy for hand-eye coordination, imaginative play, and to help teach cause and effect.
Summer Travel Fun: Built-in tracks, colorful scenery, and fun play pieces let kids take their imaginations for a spin…and take playtime anywhere they want to go! Unfold the sturdy wooden case to create an illustrated play surface with built-in train and road tracks for the three wooden wheeled trains and a park ranger vehicle. All the pieces store in the fold-up case with a convenient carrying handle for easy cleanup and travel—there’s plenty of room to add other toys, too!
Skills at Play: Keep playtime rolling for kids and encourage independent play and motor skill development.
Summer Travel Fun: Take imagination on the go and create deliciously fun ice cream treats anywhere, any time! The durable cup with a handle and attached lid is chock full of wooden and fabric play food for making ice cream cones, ice cream sandwiches, and fun milkshakes. Kids will love placing their orders on the pop-button fidget lid, following the instructions on the activity card, and serving up “cool” treats! Made to fit in car seats, strollers, and cup holders, making Play to Go an innovative and easily portable travel toy for preschoolers.
Skills at Play: Gross & fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, creative expression, imaginative play, storytelling.
Play to Go Cake & Cookies Play Set
Summer Travel Fun: Take imagination on the go and create sweet play treats anywhere, any time! The durable cup with a handle and attached lid is filled to the brim with wooden and fabric play food for making decorated cookies, cupcakes, and layer cakes. Kids will love placing their orders on the pop-button fidget lid, following the instructions on the activity card, and serving up “sweet” treats! Made to fit in car seats, strollers, and vehicle cup holders, Play to Go is an innovative and easily portable travel toy for preschoolers.
Skills at Play: Gross & fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, creative expression, imaginative play, storytelling.
Flip-to-Win Hangman Travel Game
Summer Travel Fun: Kids will love playing this classic word game with a twist! This Flip-to-Win Hangman travel game includes 37 plastic letter tiles attached to the Hangman game board with an erasable whiteboard, and a self-storing dry-erase marker and eraser. Since there are no loose tile pieces and everything stores on the board, it's an ideal travel game—anytime you want to keep your kids entertained on the go!
Skills at Play: Fine motor skills, cognitive development, problem solving, vocabulary, speech processing.
More travel games & activities available:
✅ Game On! On-the-Go Write-On Wipe-Off Activity Pad
✅ National Parks Foundation Picture Matching Magnetic Game
✅ On the Go Secret Decoder Deluxe Activity Set
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For more great toy content from Melissa & Doug, follow the links below:
Shop Melissa & Doug Toys by Age
Explore New Blockables Construction Toy Collection
Shop All Melissa & Doug Pretend Play Toys
Shop All Melissa & Doug Learning Toys
Shop All Melissa & Doug Puzzles
Shop Melissa & Doug Trains, Vehicles & Outdoor Toys
