Yes! You Can Craft with Kids while Traveling
The Great Family Holiday Travel Survival Guide (Featuring Crafts That Actually Fit in Your Suitcase)
Ah, family holiday travel. That magical time when you pack your hopes, dreams, and approximately 47 snacks into a suitcase, only to discover that Grandma's house doesn't have Wi-Fi and your kids have already asked "Are we there yet?" before you've even backed out of the driveway.
Whether you're road-tripping across state lines or white-knuckling it through a flight with a toddler who decided that bouncing repeatedly on your bladder during takeoff is the only fun thing available in this flying tin can, one truth remains universal: kids need something to do that doesn't involve "just one more episode" or “one more level.”
Enter the hero of our story: travel-friendly crafts. Not the kind that require a U-Haul of supplies or leave glitter embedded in your rental car upholstery for eternity. We're talking simple, packable, sanity-saving projects that turn "I'm bored" into "Look what I made!" and might even get Grandma and Grandpa involved.
Why Crafting on Vacation Is Actually Genius
Before we dive into specific projects, let's talk about why bringing crafts on vacation isn't just acceptable—it's brilliant parenting strategy.
Creative activities keep kids engaged during those inevitable downtime moments: waiting for dinner at the restaurant, the afternoon lull at Grandma's house, or that awkward period when it’s too cold and dark to play outside but the kids are still too wired to go to bed.
Vacation crafts become keepsakes. Unlike the overpriced souvenir that breaks before you get home, a craft made during the trip captures actual memories. A popsicle stick puzzle decorated with drawings of your adventures? That's way better than another plastic fidget.
They're conversation starters with relatives. Nothing breaks the ice with Great Aunt Mildred quite like a turkey puppet show performed by your 6-year-old.
The Art of Packing Craft Supplies (Without Becoming a Pack Mule)
Here's the secret: you don't need to pack everything. Strategic scavenging is your friend.
What to Pack in Your Craft Kit:
Popsicle sticks (they're flat, they're versatile, they're perfect)
Small roll of tape
Scissors (check TSA rules if flying, but rounded tip safety scissors with blades under three inches are usually ok!)
A few sheets of construction paper or cardstock
Glue stick
Small ball of string or yarn. ~10-15 yards max
Travel-sized mini stapler
Small pack of markers, crayons, or colored pencils
We prefer markers, assuming your kids are responsible enough to consistently close the caps. Crayons melt in hot cars and colored pencils require sharpening, which can be a challenge on airplanes. Go with whatever your kids won’t throw across the hotel lobby.
The entire kit can fit in a gallon-sized bag or small pencil pouch. You're welcome.
What to "Borrow" Along the Way:
Paper plates from hotel breakfast buffets
Straws from fast food stops
Napkins, magazines or newspapers, and hotel notepads
Nature treasures (seashells, leaves, acorns)
Toilet paper tubes from your in-laws’ bathroom.
7 Travel-Friendly Crafts That Won't Make You Regret Your Life Choices
Perfect for: Holiday dinner at the in-laws while the adults are glued to the game or still doing dishes
Age Range: 3+. Kids never outgrow snacks.
Supplies needed: Remember those paper plates you snagged from the buffet table? They're about to become MVP status. Kids can transform them into football-shaped pouches to hold snacks, small toys, or their growing collection of travel "treasures" (read: rocks and random coins recovered from under Grandma’s couch).
The original tutorial calls for paint, but this project works just as well with markers instead. You’ll also need scissors, stapler, and string. You can skip the string if needed, and tape might work in a pinch.
Not into football? Last we checked, basketballs, baseballs, and soccer balls were all more paper-plate shaped than footballs.
Why it works: Minimal supplies, minimal help needed from adults. Plus, it keeps their goldfish crackers contained instead of ground into the carpet.
Project Author: In the Bag Crafts
Perfect for: Multi-generational gatherings with cousins
This simple puppet requires just paper, markers, scissors, and a glue stick or tape—all things that pack small and light. You can use the supplied printable templates, or have the kids draw it up themselves. Once made, kids can put on elaborate puppet shows for relatives near and far, giving you approximately 20 minutes of uninterrupted adult conversation before they demand you join in to play the part of grumpy uncle turkey.
Age Range: 5-8 year olds will be the most likely to do this independently, but encourage them to help littler cousins get involved.
Why it works: Endless creative play that travels well. Plus, Grandpa will absolutely lose his mind over the puppet show, and that's worth its weight in gold.
Project Author: In the Bag Crafts
Popsicle Stick Puzzle
Perfect for: Creating vacation keepsakes
This is the craft that keeps on giving. Everything fits in a pencil pouch: popsicle sticks, markers, tape, and a rubber band. Kids draw a picture across the sticks (maybe that sunset at the beach or the weird statue you saw downtown), then scramble them up to create a custom puzzle.
Age Range: This is an awesome easy craft to adapt to all ages
Why it works: It's a craft AND a toy. They make it, play with it, and then it becomes a tangible memory of the trip. Don’t have room in the suitcase to take it home? Grandma won’t complain about keeping this one.
Author Credit: Taylor Boley
Perfect for: Road trip boredom busters that get the wiggles out
Age Range: 5 and up. Littles might struggle to get it to move, but everyone else will LOVE these. We promise.
Got a piece of paper, scissors, and a straw from your lunch stop? Congratulations, you have everything you need for this adorable inchworm. It's so simple, so portable, and so effective at getting some wiggles out before the backseat "She's touching me!" wars begin again.
Why it works: Zero planning required. You can literally make this with supplies you acquire during the trip, and it’s SO fun.
Seriously, we giggled like mad when we made them on our last camping trip. You’ll love these.
Paper Plate Acorn Craft
Perfect for: Fall family visits
Another paper plate hero! This time, it's becoming an acorn. Don't worry about packing paints—adapt it to crayons or markers instead. Snag the plate from the hotel breakfast bar or Grandma’s snackable spread and you're in business.
Age Range: Preschool/Early Elementary, with help
Why it works: Seasonal, simple, and requires almost nothing from your suitcase. Plus, it's cute enough that Grandma will definitely hang it on her fridge.
Straw Flute
Perfect for: Entertaining kids while getting back at your brother for buying your kids that noisy toy last Christmas
Grab straws at lunch, raid your in-law's junk drawer for tape and scissors, and let the kids make musical instruments. Will they be loud? Probably. Will you regret this decision? Possibly. Will it keep them entertained all afternoon? Absolutely.
Age Range: Elementary school and up
Why it works: It's science, it's music, it's chaos. The trifecta of kid entertainment.
Seashell Ocean Scene Collage
Perfect for: Beach vacations
Age Range: Toddler/Preschoolers will love collecting shells, but might need help turning them into art. Older kids will be able to do this independently.
If your holiday plans include beach time, this craft transforms all those shells your kids insist on collecting into actual art. All you need is paper, glue, and some colored pencils or paint pens to turn shells into fish, turtles, and underwater scenes.
Why it works: It gives purpose to the 47 shells currently filling their pockets. Plus, it's a beautiful keepsake that doesn't involve keeping actual sand in your house forever.
Pro Tips for Vacation Crafting Success
Embrace adaptation. Don't have paint? Use markers. No construction paper? Hotel stationery works. The best travel crafts are flexible.
Claim crafty territory at your destination. Claim a corner of the dining table or a spot on the floor. Having a designated area means supplies don't manage to migrate throughout the entire house.
Use crafts strategically. Save them for those critical moments when everyone’s sanity hangs in the balance: before dinner when everyone's hangry, during the post-lunch energy crash, or when the adults need to have an actual conversation.
Embrace the chaos. Vacation crafts don't need to be Pinterest-perfect. In fact, they shouldn't be. If your kid wants to make their turkey puppet purple with seventeen eyes and name it "Bartholomew the Destroyer," that's called "creative expression," and they’re absolutely nailing it. The weirder, the better. Grandma will love it. Probably. Or hopefully, at least be polite enough to save her judgments for after you leave.
Document everything. Take photos of kids making their crafts—the tongue-out concentration face, the marker on their nose, the proud moment they hold up their creation. These candid shots will become more treasured than those staged family photos where everyone's forced to smile and someone's definitely crying. Plus, you'll need evidence later if they claim they were "so bored" the entire trip.
The Bottom Line
Family vacations are beautiful, chaotic, exhausting, and (hopefully) wonderful. They're also significantly better when you have a few tricks up your sleeve for keeping little hands busy and creative minds engaged.
The best part? These simple crafts don't require you to be a Pinterest parent or pack an entire craft store in your luggage. Just a few basic supplies, a willingness to scavenge along the way, and the understanding that the memories made—both from the trip and the crafts—are what really matter.
So grab those paper plates from the breakfast buffet, pocket those extra straws, and embrace the creative chaos. Your future self (and your kids) will thank you.
Ready to discover more travel-friendly craft ideas? Download the GlueStick app for hundreds of projects perfect for home, vacation, and everywhere in between. Our creative copilot will guide your kids from setup to cleanup at home or wherever the creative bug bites.
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