Are We There Yet? Bags (inexpensive kids’ travel activity bags)

Taking a trip by car or plane with the kids? Make the trip a breeze by making “Are We There Yet?” Bags for your trip — travel activity kits for kids!

Plan out your trip and make a kit for the kids to open every hour or so. You can fill several bags for under $10 with items from your local Dollar Tree, your kid’s toy box and existing craft supplies.

RELATED: 10 tips for flying with toddlers

First, you’ll need bags. I found a 10-pack of party supply bags at the Dollar Tree. You could also use plastic zip bags to make them pack well for plane travel.

Now, start packing! Feel free to adapt these activities to work for the ages of your kids. It’s not as much about what’s in the bag as the anticipation of getting the next bag!

I put together a travel Yahtzee game. I laminated some Yahtzee sheets (you should have seen the excitement from the kids when I busted that thing out) — add a dry erase pen and the sheets are reusable plus sturdy enough to use on laps! I used a small gift box and a set of dice, both from the Dollar Tree. The box is the perfect size to throw the dice in and to store them when finished!

I found this adorable canvas bag at the Dollar Tree. Not only will it keep a little girl occupied for awhile, but it can hold her travel kit items as well!

The Dollar Tree has a 3-pack of mini-composition books. Add stickers to the bag and the book can become a sticker book or add a pen for drawing. You could also give your kids specific things to record to force them to look outside the window.

You can pick up any number of activity books from the Dollar Tree — coloring books, word search, crossword, Sudoku, and more! You could put an entire book in a bag or tear out a few sheets for each child to make one book or fill multiple kids’ bags.

I chose a large print word find search book for my kids.

The Dollar Tree always has the best character figures in the toy department. Right now they have tons of super heroes. I picked up one and added a ring pop — my boys will be occupied for quite a while with this combo.

I love the toy aisle at the Dollar Tree (obviously, my kids do too!). Throw a toy or activity into a bag — the glow sticks would be perfect to bust out if you’re traveling in the dark and need just one more hour of fun before you arrive at your destination. The gel clings are a big hit on airplanes (make sure your kids are well past the “let’s see what this tastes like” phase). And the wood puzzle looks like it could occupy an older kid for quite awhile! Kids could time each other on how quickly they can solve it.

Speaking of candy, the Dollar Tree has tons! You could add a piece of gum with a couple of toys you already own for at least ten minutes of fun.

If you’re on a road trip, make sure you plan for some fun during your pit stops. It doesn’t have to be complicated — add a balloon to the ‘Rest Stop” bag and everyone can play hot potato! Gets people moving and doesn’t take up space in the car when you get back on the road.

The internet is filled with activity pages you can print off and travel activities for additional bags. Here are some of my favorites:

• Road Trip Bingo
• Make Your Own Crossword Puzzle
• Make Your Own Comic Book pages
• Printable Mini Books on tons of topics
• Dot-to-Dot printables
• Slug Bug, Alphabet Find, and I Spy printables
• DIY String Puzzle
• DIY Magnetic Tangram Travel Puzzle
• DIY Travel Tic-Tac-Toe
• Lacing & Beading activities

We’d love to hear from you! What is your favorite activity or idea for keeping your kids entertained on longer trips?

Looking for more tips for road trips?

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