With the holiday season fast approaching, families will be hitting the road a lot more to visit friends and family and take seasonal vacations.
Holiday travel, especially with babies, toddlers, and young children, is no easy feat. There are several things to consider when it comes to picking a toy for trips near or far, whether you’re traveling by plane, train, or automobile. Parents and caregivers want toys to be travel-friendly, safe for kids to handle on their own, and hold a child's their interest for a extended length of time.
To help out those families with young kids, we've carefully curated a list of our top toys for holiday travel, with great options for a range of ages. These toys will keep your kids busy and their minds engaged, no matter how long the trip. No screens required! Need more help? Visit our Holiday Gift Guide page, and let it do the work for you.
Our Top Travel Toys for the Holiday Season
Blockables Dinosaur Play Set
Ages: 2+
Why it’s great: Melissa & Doug Blockables™ are connectable, stackable, and playable! The solid wood connect-and-play building blocks are perfect manipulatives to help preschoolers boost developmental skills while using their imaginations and having fun. Smooth, colorful, easy-to-grasp wooden blocks fit together in a snap with large connectors that even little hands can push in and pull out. An illustrated guide shows how to arrange and link the Blockables™ to create multi-textured dinosaurs – T-rex, apatosaurus, pterodactyl, plesiosaurus, triceratops, stegosaurus) – or kids can use their imaginations to mix, match, and combine pieces to make unique figures and play their own way!
Sweet detail: Kids can easily expand their collection -- the 69-piece Dinosaur Play Set is compatible with all other Blockables™ play sets. The packaging folds out to convert into a fun play space and pieces store in the sturdy corrugated box with a soft handle for easy cleanup and portability.
Skills: Blockables™ are designed to promote and support important developmental benefits for kids: They encourage fine motor, problem-solving, and matching skills, introduce storytelling, and help build self-esteem as kids build and create their own toys again and again.
Wooden Gingerbread House Play Set – Winter Frost
Ages: 3+
Why it’s great: Fit together, decorate, and play with the re-buildable Melissa & Doug winter wonderland wooden gingerbread house! Decorate with reusable wooden accessories and “icing” cords that cling to hook-and-loop tabs for a mess-free, festive, pretend play celebration anytime! The cool blue sturdy wooden house stands about 6 inches tall when assembled (no tools required; hook-and-loop tabs keep pieces together). Panels are double-sided, with cozy interior artwork on one side and a snowy exterior on the other. Self-sticking decorations include wooden play candies, lollipops, windows, door, and chimney.
Sweet detail: More than just a decorating activity, play figures, including a fox, bear, penguin, tree, and a reversible pond/snow field, offer countless hours of playtime possibilities. Pieces store neatly in a decorated package for easy cleanup. The Melissa & Doug Gingerbread House Play Set is a great activity for holidays or rainy days!
Skills: Reusable and mess-free activity is great for holidays or rainy days and helps encourage creativity, problem-solving, fine motor skills, sorting, matching, counting, and color recognition
Make & Bake Pies Play Set
Ages: 3+
Why it’s great: Feed hungry imaginations! The Melissa & Doug 27-piece pretend play pie-making set has everything kids need to prep, put together, and “bake” deliciously imaginative play pies.
Sweet detail: Roll a squishable, moldable fabric pie crust dough flat with the wooden rolling pin, then press it to form-fit into pie tins. Fill with double-sided puffy fabric filling for meringue or crumble-topped pie; with sliceable wooden fruit for blueberry, cherry, peach, or apple pies; or with double-side textured filling from a play can for pumpkin or cherry pies! Top with a lattice crust and pop a pie into the sturdy wooden play oven with built-in cutting board to “bake”! Top creations with shaped whipped cream dollops for scrumptious-looking play pies!
Skills: Engaging way for budding chefs to boost motor skills, learn to follow directions, and practice counting, sorting, storytelling, and communication skills.
Sticker WOW! Collection
Sticker WOW! is a whole new way to play with stickers! It's fun-filled activity that lets kids stamp out stickers as they play, create, and learn using character-themed sticker stampers. Collect them all! Shop our entire Sticker WOW! Collection, and peruse this curated selection of new releases:
Sticker WOW! Activity Pad & Sticker Stamper - Disney's Minnie Mouse
Sticker WOW! Activity Pad & Sticker Stamper - Disney's Mickey Mouse
Sticker WOW!™ Activity Pad & Sticker Stamper - Shark
Sticker WOW!™ Activity Pad & Sticker Stamper - Purple Unicorn
Sticker WOW!™ PAW Patrol Chase Bundle: Activity Pad & Sticker Stamper + Mini Activity Pad and 200 Refill Stickers
Sticker WOW!™ PAW Patrol Marshall Bundle: Activity Pad & Sticker Stamper + Mini Activity Pad and 200 Refill Stickers
Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym
Why it's great: The Melissa & Doug Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym with Quick-Close™ storage is thoughtfully designed to encourage babies to play and learn through multiple stages and ages! Sturdy, wide wooden arches are pre-assembled for easy set-up, and offer caregivers easy access to the baby. The arches stay secure on the comfy, reversible play mat with sensory ribbons and a crinkling peek-a-boo clam shell. Press the innovative Quick-Close™ button to unlock the frame and easily fold for storage or to take the play gym on the go! The included Play Guide illustrates the many ways the play gym supports the powerful role play has in brain development, physical well-being, and creating connections.
Sweet detail: One side of the mat features high-contrast black-and-white graphics for early visual stimulation, and the other includes a full-color ocean scene to keep older babies engaged as vision develops. Attach the included soft, skill-supporting toys to the gym or play with them independently! Mat and toys are machine washable.
Skills: Encourages sensory stimulation, hand-eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, and cognitive development.
Ocean Tummy Time Triangle
Why it's great: Make baby’s tummy time extra special with this engaging, double-sided folding cloth triangle toy! Three fold-out panels with adorable ocean-themed graphics and friendly characters lie flat or fold and connect into an upright pyramid. The Tummy Time Triangle helps babies stay engaged and strengthen muscles during tummy play.
Sweet detail: One side features high-contrast black and white graphics, great for important visual stimulation during baby’s first months. The other side includes colorful sea creatures with developmentally appropriate features.
Skills: Encourages gross motor development, visual and tactile stimulation, and interaction with caregivers.
Take-Along Railroad
Why it's great: 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.
Sweet detail: All the wooden pieces are stored in the fold-up case with a convenient carrying handle for easy cleanup and travel.
Skills: Encourages storytelling, narrative ability, independent play and gross & fine motor skill development.
Ice Cream Take Along Toy
Age: 0+ months
Why it’s great: This super-sweet clip-on vibrating pull-toy is a delicious way to entertain babies while stimulating their senses—without the sugar rush! It looks like a soft, smiling ice cream cone, but pull it down and it expands to four stacked scoops in different patterns, colors, and textures (cotton, corduroy, and quilted materials). When baby lets go, the cone vibrates and plays chiming sounds as it jiggles its way back to a single cone!
Sweet detail: Bring the fun wherever baby goes—the self-stick strap lets you easily clip the all-in-one, multi-textured toy onto a stroller, car seat, diaper bag, or high chair to keep it close at hand.
Skills: Reaching, grasping, C-grip, gross & fine motor skills, sensory development
K's Kids Musical Farmyard Cube Baby Toy
Why it’s great: This "farmyard" is full of noisy animals and compact enough to take anywhere! Four animals sound off with their animal songs and play a lively melody when their noses are pressed. Or babies can grasp the padded handle and bump the block against the floor to start the sounds! This feature-filled activity cube also boasts a sturdy textured ring, knotted tags, crinkly flower petals and tabs, and a toddler-tough plastic mirror.
Sweet detail: Features a sturdy textured ring, knotted tags, crinkly flower petals and tabs, and a toddler-tough plastic mirror.
Skills: Sensory, fine motor, gross motor, logical, creative, linguistic, emotional, communication, self-esteem.
National Parks Picture Matching Magnetic Game
Why it’s great: Take a magnetic matching journey through four national parks: Everglades, Arches, Acadia, and Mammoth Cave! Learn and play by matching 60 shaped wooden magnets on large double-sided scene cards to pictures shown on two double-sided identification guides.
Sweet detail: Magnets show animals and plants that are native to each park; each is identified in English and Spanish on the picture guides, so kids learn as they play!
Skills: sorting and counting activities, fine-motor skill development, storytelling, and imaginative play
Water Wow Vehicles
Why it’s great: Your child is sure to say “Wow!” when they realize they can paint with water! Just fill the chunky pen with water before you hit the road, and hidden pictures will appear with every stroke. Plus, pictures erase once the page dries so that you can color it in again and again.
Sweet detail: Includes eight spiral-bound vehiclel-themed coloring boards
Skills: Promotes fine motor skills, early writing skills, and visual discrimination
Wooden Train Cars
Why it’s great: All aboard for some railroad adventures! Eight wooden train cars, each approximately three inches long, link together with magnetic couplers in endless combinations for lots of imaginative play.
Sweet detail: Brightly painted and beautifully crafted train cars include a steam engine, caboose, coal car, passenger car, and more. This set is sized to play perfectly with Melissa & Doug activity rugs or on its own.
Skills: Fine and gross motor skills, counting, problem solving, imaginative play
Wooden Doorbell House
Why it’s great: Ding Dong! Fun is at the door of this soundly-built wooden doorbell house. Four electronic doorbell sounds, four unique locks with matching keys, and four pose-able play people are included with this charming cottage!
Sweet detail: The keys are attached to the house so they won't get lost, and the sturdy handle allows this exciting house party to go wherever children go!
Skills: Fine and gross motor skills, problem solving, imaginative play
Wooden Animal Magnets
Age: 2+ years
Why it’s great: This wooden set comes with twenty magnets of wild and domesticated animals. Each piece features realistic details, so your child can have fun describing the details like, “It's black and white. It has a big belly. It likes to sit.”
Sweet detail: Comes packed in a wooden box for easy storage!
Skills: Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
Wooden Latches Board
Age: 3+ years
Why it’s great: You can count on having fun with this educational wooden play board! Have your child undo a lock or latch, swing open the numbered door, and find fun when the picture beneath is revealed.
Sweet detail: Latches hook, snap, click, and slide
Skills: Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
Flip Fish Baby Toy
Age: 1+ Months
Why it’s great: This cuddly fish friend will swim right into kids' hearts! With bright colors, bold facial features, and washable fabrics that include a variety of patterns and hidden pictures, this crinkling, squeaking, multi-textured soft toy is perfect for car trips with babies and toddlers.
Sweet detail: Features shatterproof mirror to engage baby's interest in faces and light
Skills: Fine motor skills and colors
Created by Me - Flower Fleece Quilt
Age: 6+ years
Why it’s great: Your child can make their very own super-cozy quilt in no time! Plus, it’s easy to make. Just tuck the extra-wide and extra-long fringe into slits and tie single knots to piece together a beautiful flower quilt.
Sweet detail: Both sides are soft and fuzzy, making it perfect for snuggling.
Skills: Fine motor, hand-eye coordination, creative expression
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Want more great holiday toy goodies from Melissa & Doug? Click the links below!
Shop Melissa & Doug Holiday Gift Guide
Shop Melissa & Doug Toys by Age
Explore Melissa & Doug Skills at Play
Explore Melissa & Doug Living Playfully Blog
Shop Melissa & Doug Best Selling Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug Pretend Play Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug Arts & Crafts Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug Learning Toys
