DIY Travel Busy Bag for Writing Practice

All of our bags are packed and we are ready to go! As an avid solo parent traveler (I fly at least 3 times per year on my own with 3 young children), I can honestly say I am becoming a master travel busy bag packer. With active kids, traveling prepared is a must.

Here is one activity that keeps my 2 youngest, ages 2 and 5, happy and busy for at least 15 minutes.

DIY Travel Busy Bag for Writing Practice

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Materials Needed:

• Multipurpose Paper
• Construction Paper
• Heavy Duty Quart Freezer Bags
• Stapler
• Permanent Marker
• Low-Odor Dry Erase Marker

How to Make the Writing Practice Travel Busy Bag

1. Cut your multipurpose paper to fit inside your plastic bag.

2. Write letters, words, patterns, or shapes on the paper.

3. Stuff the paper inside the bag. 

4. Assemble a set of filled bags together with the tops facing up. Include 1-3 bags with the tops facing
down. These bags will hold your marker and eraser. The kids also like to make their own tracing sheets, so they can slide theirs into the bags that can open.  Staple one time to hold. 

5. Place the set of bags inside 2 pieces of construction paper. Staple shut at the top.

6. Cut the cover to look like a bag if you want or leave it rectangular.

How to Use the Writing Practice Travel Busy Bag

1. Sit down with your child and talk to them about the letters and the words.
2. Encourage them to trace, making sure to start at the top and using downward strokes.
3. When they are done, have them erase with a damp sock or white board eraser.

*** all baggies will work, but the heavy duty freezer bags tend to hold up better to erasing.

My 5 year old traced the letters and said them.
My 2 year old was excited to trace the circles.

Here are a few tips for the secrets to surviving a long flights with kids.

Busy Bags for Little Travelers

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Engineering Kits: Kids’ Travel Sized Stacking Cups // Lemon Lime Adventures

This activity is great for helping kids to hone in on their problem solving and building skills. Keep this activity kit in the back of your car for on-the-go engineering.

Colouring Page Airplane Scavenger Hunt // Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Print this scavenger hunt out if you are headed on an airplane trip this summer with your littles. Play this activity to encourage your little traveler to use their observation skills and record what they see.

My Busy Book for Travel // Powerful Mothering

Are we there yet? My oldest child likes to write, so having a notebook filled with little activities is the perfect way to keep her entertained and learning!

Tic Tac Toe Busy Bag // The Pleasantest Thing

Games are the perfect way to pass the time while you are waiting for your airplane to arrive. Try this updated version of the classic tic-tac-toe.

Color Road Sign Match Up Activity // Mommy Needs a Coffee Break

This busy bag is the perfect combination of math and fine motor skills.  Make sure to talk about colors and shapes. Introduce the concepts of sides and vertices too! It is amazing what little kids can learn.

Printable Road Trip Games for Kids // Lalymom

Print this packet of games, hole punch, and throw them in a 3 ring binder for easy traveling. Don’t forget to include a page of stickers in too. Encourage your child to give themselves a sticker after they complete each activity.

Free Airport Scavenger Hunt // Playdough to Plato

We always talk about expectations for behavior while at the airport. Print this sheet out before your trip and use some of the pictures to guide your discussion. Then, while you are in the airport, color in the items that you see.

Little Red Riding Hood Finger Puppets // Easy Peasy and Fun

Finger puppets are one of my go-to travel activities. They lend well to open ended play and my kids will spend at least 30 minutes creating their own stories. Print and make this set of finger puppets for a classic story-telling busy bag. Include a notebook in this busy bag for older kids to write their own spin on the story.

DIY White Board Busy Bag for Kids // Sugar Aunts

Practice building and writing words with this cute travel size white board busy bag.

Magnetic Buttons Busy Bag // Teach Me Mommy

Don’t worry about loosing your buttons on the floor of the plane (Oh, I have lost so many things on airplane floors including plastic dinosaurs). These ones have magnets on them. A great travel activity to do while you are sitting next to your child. Make sure to store the magnets out of the reach of little ones.

Transportation Memory Game // Itsy Bitsy Fun

There are many ways to get from place to place. Play a game of travel memory to pass the time while traveling with a preschooler.

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