SCREEN-FREE FAMILY TRAVEL
Travel Kits for Kids: Screen-Free Activities for Flights, Road Trips & Waiting
Screen-free travel toys, reusable activities and practical support for long waits, first flights and busy travel days, designed for kids ages 3+.
Screen-free by design
Ages 3+
Quiet + reusable
Third-party safety tested
WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS
What makes a good travel activity for kids?
The best travel activities are easy to carry, quiet enough for shared spaces, simple to reset and interesting in short bursts. A mix of familiar play, something hands-on and something that makes what comes next feel more predictable gives you more flexibility than expecting one “magic” toy to carry the whole day.
USED IN REAL LIFE
Families use them where the waiting actually happens.
A kit that keeps their brains calm and their hands busy. Developed with early education in mind but practical for kid use! If you're traveling with kids this year, you NEED these!
This summer we started using the Mimu & Me Calm and Confident System and it's become one of our favorite travel hacks!
WHAT TO PACK
You do not need a carry-on full of toys.
A useful kids travel kit is less about quantity and more about having a few different kinds of support ready for different parts of the day. Think in categories instead of trying to predict the one activity your child will want six hours from now.
Something familiar
A favourite book, small toy or activity they already know can be reassuring when everything else is new.
Something hands-on
Open-ended building, connecting, sorting or puzzle play gives busy hands somewhere to go during waits.
Something that explains what comes next
For a first flight or unfamiliar trip, preparation can begin before you leave home.
A backup, not a mountain
Rotate a few options instead of putting everything in front of your child at once. Snacks, comfort items and a screen can still be part of your family’s plan too.
BY STAGE OF THE TRIP
Different parts of a travel day ask for different things.
Make the unfamiliar more familiar
Talk through the steps of the trip, practise with a visual routine and let your child try some of the activities before the day feels high-stakes.
Keep play contained and easy to reach
Gate waits, boarding, tray-table time and delays all benefit from compact choices you can pull out one at a time.
Reuse the same familiar play
Hotel downtime, restaurants, family visits and long waits still happen after the flight. Reusable activities can keep earning their place in your bag.
AIRPLANE TRAY TABLES
What actually works in a small airplane space?
The easiest airplane activities are the ones you can keep contained. Pull out one activity at a time, keep the rest zipped away, and favour pieces that invite play without needing a giant setup.
A simple tray-table rule
Contained beats complicated. The Calm & Confident Travel Bag is designed to turn the tray table into a portable play space, while smaller activities can be rotated in and out as attention shifts.
See the Travel BagPLAN FOR YOUR TRIP
What part of the trip are you planning for?
AIRPORT + PLANE
First flights, gates and long stretches in a seat
Preparation, a contained play surface and a few easy-to-rotate activities can all help the day feel more manageable.
RESTAURANTS + WAITS
When 20 minutes starts to feel very, very long
Hands-on travel toys and reusable activities give kids something concrete to build, connect and return to.
BIG FEELINGS + CHANGES
When the plan changes and everyone is tired
Calm Cards pair simple child-facing strategies with grown-up prompts for the moments when your own brain is tired too.
I WANT IT ALL READY
A broader mix for play, preparation and feelings
The Full Collection brings the six Calm & Confident products together for families who want different options ready across the whole day.
TRAVEL FAVOURITES
Screen-free travel toys and activities for different kinds of days
Some families need first-flight preparation. Some need quiet plane toys. Some need something for a restaurant wait. Choose the product that fits the job you actually need it to do.
FIRST FLIGHTS
Preparation can start before the airport.
My First Flight lets kids explore airport steps and flying through reusable water-reveal play and stickers. The goal is simple: help make a brand-new experience feel a little more familiar before you are standing in the security line.
Explore My First FlightLONG WAITS
Waiting needs something to do.
Restaurants, gates, appointments and hotel downtime all create the same basic problem: kids are being asked to wait in a world that is not especially designed for waiting. Open-ended, hands-on play gives them somewhere to put that energy.
Shop screen-free activitiesDIY OR CURATED?
Should you make your own travel busy bag?
Absolutely. A DIY bag can be the best choice if you enjoy sourcing individual activities, want the lowest possible starting cost or already know exactly what your child loves. A curated setup is mostly about saving decisions and choosing products designed to work together across more than one kind of travel moment.
DecisionDIY busy bagMimu & Me
Upfront cost
Can be lower when you source inexpensive pieces yourself.
Higher than a basic DIY bag, with reusable products designed for repeated use.
Time to source
You research, choose and assemble each piece.
You choose from a ready-made collection with a clear job for each product.
Customization
Highest. You can build it completely around your child.
Choose individual products or combine several depending on what your family needs.
Organization
Depends on the pouch, bag or system you create.
The Travel Bag is designed to keep play, routines and familiar pieces together on the go.
Parent guidance
You create your own plan for feelings, transitions and first experiences.
Selected products include visual routines or grown-up prompts alongside the child-facing experience.
Reuse
Depends entirely on the items you choose.
Designed to move beyond one flight into restaurants, waits, road trips and everyday play.
BEFORE · DURING · AFTER
The value is bigger than the flight itself.
Practise + prepare
Introduce unfamiliar steps, try the activities and build familiarity before you are relying on them in a busy airport.
Play + rotate
Use one thing at a time, rotate as attention shifts and reach for familiar strategies when waiting or changes feel hard.
Reuse + return
Bring the same products to restaurants, appointments, road trips, hotel downtime and ordinary days at home.
WHY THIS GUIDE EXISTS
Built by a former teacher who also spent years planning family travel
I’m Brittany, a mom of two, former teacher and travel advisor. I built Mimu & Me around the moments I kept seeing in classrooms, families and our own trips: waiting, unfamiliar places, busy hands, big feelings and the very real need for something useful to do.
The Calm & Confident Collection is informed by years of working with children, real family use and pediatric OT input. The goal is practical support that still leaves plenty of room for play.
TRAVEL KITS FOR KIDS FAQ
Questions families ask before they pack
What ages are Mimu & Me travel toys and activities best for?
Most Calm & Confident products are recommended for ages 3+. Calm Cards are designed for ages 3–7, while the Calm & Confident Travel Bag is designed for ages 3–8. Please check each product page for its specific age guidance and supervision notes.
What should I pack for a flight with a three- to seven-year-old?
A useful starting framework is something familiar, something hands-on, something that helps your child understand what is coming next, plus snacks, comfort items and personal essentials. A screen can be part of the plan too. The goal is having a few different options for different moments rather than expecting one activity to carry the whole flight.
What are good quiet airplane activities for kids?
Look for activities that can stay contained on a tray table or lap, do not require batteries or sound, and can be used in short bursts. Reusable water-reveal books, connecting toys, compact building activities and small puzzles can all fit that job depending on your child.
How many travel activities should I pack?
There is no one number that works for every child or trip. Think in categories instead: one familiar option, one or two hands-on choices, something for preparation or transitions, and a backup. Rotation usually matters more than sheer quantity.
Are Mimu & Me travel activities screen-free?
Yes. The Calm & Confident Collection is built around hands-on play, visual supports, reusable activities and practical strategies without requiring a screen.
Which Mimu & Me product should I start with?
Choose based on the job you need done. Calm Cards support big feelings and transitions. My First Flight helps prepare for a first flight. Calm Links, Calm Connectors and the Puzzle are hands-on play choices. The Travel Bag keeps travel play and routines organized on the go. The Full Collection gives you the broadest mix.
Are these only for flights?
No. Families can use them at restaurants, appointments, family visits, on road trips, in hotels, at home and during everyday waiting too.
Can I make my own travel activity kit instead?
Absolutely. A DIY bag can be a great choice if you enjoy researching, sourcing and rotating activities or want the lowest possible starting cost. Mimu & Me is designed for families who would rather start with reusable products created for several different kinds of real-life moments.
Should I introduce travel activities before the trip?
It can help to let your child see and use at least some of the activities before the high-stakes moment. Familiarity can make it easier to reach for the same play or strategy later, especially during waiting, transitions or a first flight.
Are these therapy products, and can they prevent meltdowns?
No. Mimu & Me products are play and support products, not therapy or medical treatment, and no product can guarantee a meltdown-free trip. The goal is to give families familiar options for play, preparation, communication and big feelings when travel does not go exactly to plan.
READY TO PACK?
Pack for the day you’re actually going to have
Choose a few reusable favourites for the moments you know are coming, or build a broader collection for play, preparation, waiting and big feelings along the way.