Heading off on holiday this summer? Whether you’re taking a flight, hopping on a train or having a road trip, happy children having fun makes the journey speed by. We’ve pulled together a few ideas of what to take with you (and when you arrive) from books and small toys to card games, puzzles and fidgets. Don’t forget to take those all-important drinks and snacks too.
Planes
While flying can be the quickest way to get to a destination, there’s always some waiting around prior to departure. Always allow extra time with kids, keep them busy and have snacks handy just in case. Surprising them with a new gift or toy is a great way to occupy children while you’re checking in, going through security and waiting at the gate. Once on the plane, there are plenty of ways to keep them having fun. Even simple activities like sticking googly eyes or moustaches on each other can make for hilarious fun!
- FACTopia! – 400 connected facts
- Tetris handheld game
- BrainBolt – Fast Light-up Memory Game
- This or That – 50/50 guessing game
- Dog Crimes
1 Factopia – 400 Crazily Connected Facts , £10.99 £10.99
Fun facts from panda poo to outer space
This fascinating hardback book is filled with incredible and hilarious facts, all of which are verified by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Did you know that a squid has a doughnut-shaped brain? That goats have rectangular pupils…Mars has blue sunsets…or that the average dog can understand 165 words? Hop from topic to topic in delightfully unexpected ways to discover what connects dinosaurs with chickens or breakfast with black holes! Follow the fact path as it twists and turns – who knows where your curiosity will take you!
2 Tetris – Handheld Game with Original Sounds , £19.99 £19.99
Portable version of the famous arcade game
Measuring 9cm x 7cm, this pocket-sized version of the classic arcade game has the original sounds and game play, with LCD screen and 3-directional controls. Layer the falling blocks of different shapes to fill the lines and clear them. Tetris has two levels, Marathon and Sprint, complete 15 levels in Marathon or clear 25 lines as quickly as possible in the Sprint challenge – iconic gaming fun!
3 BrainBolt – Fast Light-up Memory Game , £24.99 £24.99
Can you remember the light sequence
Think quick and challenge your brain by remembering the light sequence and pressing the new light. Every time you select correctly, the game adds another light, but which one is new?…with 21 lights, that’s the challenge! With cool sound effects, BrainBolt is great for solo play and has a two-player mode for competitive fun with a friend. There’s a timed mode for quicker games, with added pressure against the clock, as well as a tricky advanced mode for anyone who thinks they’re an expert. A real brain teaser that you can even play in the dark, so you never have to stop – brilliant fun!
4 This or That – 200 Quirky Questions , £12.99 £12.99
Which weighs more, turkey or velociraptor?
Explore lots of unexpected facts in this fun and fast 50/50 guessing game for two or more players. Players must race against each other, as teams or individuals, to answer one simple question: This or That? Which came first – the crocodile or the T-Rex? Google or Netflix? Avoid the red herrings and maybe even learn an interesting truth or two – like the fact that Oxford University is 330 years older than the Aztec Empire! Very entertaining.
5 Dog Crimes – Who’s to Blame Logic Game , £16.95 £16.95
Out of Stock
Use deduction skills to solve 40 canine crimes
Who tore up the homework? Who pooped on the rug? This fun whodunnit game is full of crimes to solve, from beginner to expert. Each of the 40 cards presents a canine crime and a series of clues to help identify the culprit. Use the supporting evidence to place the dog figures around the board in the right order – whoever ends up sat at the crime scene is the perpetrator! Test your logic skills and prove that you’re the smartest hound around.
Trains
Trains are a great way to get about and a popular mode of transport for families both in the UK or overseas. It can be a calmer way to travel than being at the airport as one you’re on the train, those holiday adventures have begun! Fantastic if you can grab an area with a table for the kids to spread out but if not small toys are a great addition to sight seeing throughout the journey.
- Amazing Magic Pens
- Little Pack of Optical Illusions
- May Contain Butts – Wacky Card Game!
- IQ Puzzler Pro – 2D and 3D brain teaser
- Dinosaur Magneti’Book – mix & match!
6 Amazing Magic Pens – Set of 25 , £17.99 £17.99
Change colours & even write invisible messages
Create amazing patterns with this clever set with pens that can change colour, erase colours easily and even write invisible messages. Built with durable, shock-proof tips, draw in one colour and the magic activator pen will change to another colour. Create 3D letters and make magical pictures to proudly display or use the special pen to reveal your secret messages. So much fun and washable too – Magical Pens!
7 Little Pack of Optical Illusions – 50 Cards , £7.99 £7.99
Mind-bending visual tricks to baffle your brain
Get your sights in a spin with this crazy collection of optical illusions! Each of the fifty cards is printed with an extraordinary image or pattern guaranteed to make you think twice. From patterned wheels that spin out of the corner of your eye to kaleidoscopic mosaics that wiggle on the page, these visual tricks are truly brain bending. Baffle your friends and family with some truly mind-boggling illusions – sure to amaze.
8 May Contain Butts – Wacky Card Game , £9.99 £9.99
Out of Stock
Hilarious butt matching card game!
Silly card game including action cards to keep you on your toes, and have you barking like a dog as you look out for matches! Players are on the edge of their seats as their reflexes are tested in the race to match the bottom to the correct face. Look out for snappy crocodiles, sleepy sloths, and more, all with adorable faces and charming butts. The person with the most cards at the end of the game will be victorious!
9 IQ Puzzler Pro – 2D & 3D Brain Teaser , £15.95 £15.95
Over 100 multi-level challenges from easy to expert
Using combinations of coloured connected balls, the challenge is to complete the constructed designs from the enclosed booklet. Split into levels of difficulty from easy to expert, the 120 challenges get harder as you need to fill in more missing pieces, moving from the tricky 2D puzzles to cunning twisted 3D pyramids. Suitable for any age from 6 to ‘very wise’ – build that genius IQ!
10 Dinosaur Magneti’book , £21.95 £21.95
Fun 50 piece magnetic set
This colourful 50 piece kit contains 40 sturdy and colourful magnets to make up or mix and match. Simply pop each part onto the magnetic inner lid of the box to decorate the colourful background. Follow the 10 challenge cards to make different dinosaurs, including a T-Rex and the magnetic pieces are completely interchangeable, so you can come up with all sorts of crazy Dinos. From French company Janod, this lovely set is packaged in a sturdy book-shaped box. Perfect for little hands – roarsome fun!
Automobiles
Travelling by car is brilliant as it means you can bring everything you need on your travels with you. If you’re driving some distance, it’s worthwhile seeing where you might stop along the way. Destinations with green space or play equipment can make such a difference and give the drivers a rest. Games that involve looking out of the window or spotting what’s around them are a great way to ensure they don’t get queasy. Card games and fidget toys are great as they don’t need to look down and having alternatives for when you stop is always handy.
- IQ Love – 120 Logic Challenges
- Liar Liar – Who’s Telling Porkies
- Fifty Greatest Card Tricks – impressive card tricks
- Spinning Zzzopa Ball – spin on your fingertips
- Dynacube – the ultimate fidget toy
11 IQ Love – 120 Logic Challenges , £18.99 £18.99
Fit the pieces together to complete the heart
Test your skills of logic and deduction with this single player puzzle game. Simply place the ten bright pieces into the heart-shaped game board in different configurations, completing the puzzles from the guide. There are 120 challenges in five difficulty levels to enjoy. But look out – the puzzles get more complicated as you go! With only one solution to each mind boggling task and a handy travel case, this fun set is for real puzzle lovers!
12 Liar! Liar! – Pants on Fire! , £15.95 £15.95
Who’s telling porkies?
This fast-paced and easy to play game comes with 3 statements on each card – one lie and two truths. Roll the dice to select your fact and read it aloud, seeing if you can persuade your opponents that you’re being entirely truthful whilst keeping a straight face! Can you tell which is the lie from these three?…’Slugs have 5 noses’, ‘Donald Duck was once banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear trousers’ or ‘99% of people can’t lick their own elbow’…In this hilarious game of wit, can you guess who’s telling big fat porkies?
13 Fifty Greatest Card Tricks – Marvin’s Magic , £16.99 £16.99
Learn how to do impressive card tricks
Designed by Marvin Berglas, winner of the Magic Circle Maskelyne Award, this is a complete set of 50 seriously baffling card tricks. Use the hardback book of secret instructions and the special magic props to amaze your friends. Children love to do magic and are really going to enjoy mastering these genuinely clever card tricks. Perfect for children too clever by half.
14 Spinning Zzzopa Ball – Bounce it, Spin It, Fidget! , £9.99 £9.99
Bouncing ball you can spin between your fingertips
Each Zzzopa contains a high-quality bearing that sits on an axle within the centre of the 5cm ball. This means you can smoothly spin this fun Zzzopa ball with your fingertips at speed, a spherical fidget spinner that’s perfect for restless hands! The outer poly-active surface allows for incredible crisp bounces, combine with different spins to bamboozle your friends with crazy tricks, spinning jumps and ricochets. The ultimate ball game of spin, bounce and throw – the new fidgety craze!
15 Dynacube – The Ultimate Fidget Toy! , £10.99 £10.99
Create over 100 different shapes
The perfect fidget toy, very tactile and satisfying to play with, the Dynacube is a one-piece puzzle that you can just fiddle with for ages. Create over 100 different shapes as you work through the puzzle booklet to solve each challenge. The first shapes are easy to do, but how about the other 100? Pick it up and you’ll never want to put it down – fidget, fidget!
A few ideas for when you arrive…
- Booma Boomerang – returns every time!
- Waboba Wingman – flying silicone disc
- Jumbo Octopus Kite – 4 metres long
- Smart Ball – counts Keepy Uppy’s
- Rainbow Dancer Ribbon Wand
16 Sonic Booma Boomerang – Returns Every Time! , £14.99 £14.99
Awesome boomerang with a 20m flight range
With an impressive flight range of 15-20 meters, this cool boomerang mesmerizes passers-by as it whizzes through the air. The high-tech tri-blade design offers a stable and accurate return flight – every single time! It even has whistling wings so you can listen to it as it soars. Using the throwing instructions on the back of the pack to guide you, you’ll be a Booma master in no time! Endless fun, again and again!
17 Waboba Wingman – Flying Silicone Disc , £7.99 £7.99
Out of Stock
Flies straight over 40 metres
With its unique aerodynamic design, this brilliant 15cm disc flies straight and far, up to 40 metres and doesn’t veer off course. Made from a soft pliable material, you can catch it easily by squishing it in your hand. Easy to fold up, it automatically pops back into shape after being in your pocket, backpack or gym bag. Fun at the park, on the beach or in the garden, fold it up and take it anywhere!
18 Jumbo Octopus Kite – 4 Metres Long , £15.99 £15.99
Long & colourful tentacle streamers
This wonderful octopus kite is truly impressive and flies beautifully, its long rainbow tentacles fluttering across the sky. Easy to fly, measuring a colossal 4 meters from end to end, this great kite comes in its own handy storage bag and includes an extra-long line and sturdy handle. Excellent fun for amateurs and experts alike and perfect for windy beach days. Available in three bold colours – truly ink-redible!
19 Smart Ball – Counts Keepy Uppys for you! , £24.99 £24.99
With lights & sounds that counts aloud with your tricks
Keep the ball off the ground with your feet and knees whilst your smart ball counts your Keepy Uppy score up to 100. Lighting up with every touch, challenge your friends to a trick-off as the in-built speaker calls out your score! Take your skills to the pitch by simply removing the sensor and screwing the bung to the ball to turn it into a normal football. Be the trick champion on and off the pitch!
20 Rainbow Dancer Ribbon Wand – 3.5 Metres! , £5.99 £5.99
Colourful ribbon flutters & twirls as you dance or run!
A really lovely toy for active kids, this brilliant ribbon wand measures an impressive 3.5 metres long. As you hold on to the flexible handle and dance or run, the rainbow ribbon will flutter behind, creating a lovely stream of colour. Spin, twist and twirl for truly fabulous effects! Similar to those used in professional rhythm gymnastics and baton twirling, little dancers are sure to delight in creating their very own pretty rainbow – just like real magic!
For more brilliant travel toys and gift ideas for children, check out our website!
Where do sharks go on holiday? Finland!
