A travel activity folder can be small: a few pictures, some paper and something to draw with. Choose ideas that fit the place where you expect to use them, such as a waiting room, a station or a seat beside an adult. You do not need a different toy for every part of the journey.
Make your own folder with homemade pictures or selected cards you already own. Choose a few ideas you would enjoy returning to during the journey.
Choose three things before leaving
- Pick two or three pictures with different subjects or actions.
- Add a few small pieces of paper for drawing, choosing or making up a story.
- Choose a simple way to hold the used pictures, such as a spare pocket or envelope.
- Look at the folder together so your child knows what is available.
You can offer one picture at a time once you arrive. Keeping some pictures in the folder leaves room to change activities later, without making the first choice a search through the whole collection.
Turn a picture into a tiny journey story
The On the Go set includes Bumbleboo with the label “Big bus breath”, Tracklebee with “Chugga breaths” and Hitchley with “Turn a new way”. Choose one as your starting picture and invent a destination together.
An adult might ask, “Where could our character be going?” Your child can draw the destination, choose between two suggestions or add a sound. On the next turn, decide what the character notices. Let your child’s idea take the story somewhere unexpected.
If talking would not suit the place, make the story with drawings. One person adds a road or doorway; the other adds somewhere to arrive. There is no need to explain every mark or make the drawing look like the card illustration.
Look and point at what is nearby
You can make a quiet noticing game without any product: take turns pointing to something round, something colourful or something you can see through a window. Choose a subject that fits your surroundings and let either person suggest the next one.
If you own the separate Breatho & Friends set, Spotto’s prompt is “Spot five things”, with “Name 5 things you see and 4 you can hear.” You can explore that picture together or offer a shorter turn with pointing. You do not need to complete a list while the journey is moving on.
Leave a clear way to finish
After a turn, offer another picture, a drawing or a break. A child who chose the folder at the station might prefer looking out of the window later. Put the pictures away when they are no longer wanted instead of trying to fill every spare minute.
On the Go contains 37 cards. Spotto belongs to the separate 53-card Breatho & Friends set; one purchase does not include both sets. Their packs include paper and digital formats with chosen-set app access. Explore the current card sets to choose the pictures you want. If you plan to use a device while travelling, open your chosen activity beforehand and check what is available on your own device and connection.