18 Things To Actually Keep Kids Entertained On Planes

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Easy-to-pack fidget toys and drawing pads will be your new best friends.

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A pack of Wikki Stix so your budding artist can use this time wisely to let their imagination go. These are easy to clean up and can be bent, twisted, rolled, and more during your whole flight.

A tangram puzzle book that uses a magnetic surface to keep its pieces on the workspace. Your kid can use the diagrams to make fun shapes, animals, and scenes. Or let their creativity run wild!

A drawing tablet that erases with just the press of a button — easy enough that even our 18-month-old has it figured out! This modern-day sketchpad allows your child's imagination to run wild for hours on a plane. Or maybe all your little one will want is for you to draw a tree over and over and over again... just us?

Promising review: "I purchased this for an airplane trip with my toddler. He enjoyed buckling all of the various straps. He also learned how to do a zipper with this product. It kept him busy on the plane ride, and now I use it for long car rides, too. Its size is perfect to throw in the diaper bag for a quick distraction toy when we are on the go." —Samantha

Get it from Amazon for $26.93+ (available in five colors/styles).

Promising review: "The only thing about this Kindle that seemed different than my own was the nice, rubber cover that not only keeps it safer in little hands, but also it is less likely the toddler will push the side buttons. This works great with the child headphones and downloaded shows for air travel. My little grandson was only 15-months-old and was kept quiet and happy with both for a long time on the airplane and waiting to board. The trip would have been a lot more difficult without them!" —go2garrett

Get it from Amazon for $49.99 (available in three colors).

Promising review: "We have one for each kid, ages 2–6. They all love it! It keeps my 24-month-old occupied in the car and on airplane trips. It’s super lightweight and easy to use. I also love that the button battery is secured with a screw for safety.

We do tend to lose the stylus holder as it comes off easily, but it’s not a big deal. If you have any issues, customer service was excellent. Highly recommend!" —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in two sizes and four colors).

Promising review: "Love these toy leashes. Helps me to keep track of my 6-month old sons toys when he throws them off of his chairs or car seat. They came in handy on the airplane when we didn't want him to launch his toys on the ground (dirty), so we attached his rattles and other toys so they wouldn't fall." —JRD

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $4.99+ (available in 11 colors).

Promising review: "We love water wow pads. They are must have in our travel kit. Great for restaurants, car, airport, airplane, anywhere you want to keep your toddler busy without worrying about coloring where they shouldn’t." —E Russell

Get it from Amazon for $5.97+ (available in seven styles).

Promising review: "The mat is a bit smaller than I anticipated, but I actually prefer it that way! It’s the perfect size for going out to dinner or an airplane tray. It cleans up easily and comes with a travel bag to roll it up and carry it in. My toddler is very strong and has not been able to detach any toys yet!" —Chris Ruby

Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in seven colors and various kit sizes).

Promising review: "My 2-year-old really enjoys playing with this. It was a great toy to bring on an airplane as the parts didn't fall down as easily as e.g. Legos. It seems that my toddler is the most fascinated with the simplest toys: she will put this together and take it apart for 20 minutes straight, she loves the fact that everything is magnetic. I love that this toy is all wood (apart from the magnets inside) and challenges my daughter's imagination. I am sure this will stay with us for many years and out-live most of her other toys. It is a safe toy that I would recommend buying. However, I wish it was a bit more affordable." —A. Mitobe

Get it from Amazon for $27.60+ (available in seven colors).

Promising review: "I bought this for my son for a trip on an airplane. He sat in my lap so I needed something small. This kept him occupied for HOURS, he loved it. Came exactly as it looks, and the quality was very good. He'll play with this for years!" —Martin Todd Groom

Get it from Amazon for $9.99.

Promising review: "This toy will keep young children fairly entertained for a while. They can create nice patterns using this. It is built very well. Durable, colorful, and easily packed for trips by car or for use while on an airplane ride." —Marie Morris

Get it from Amazon for $12.73 (available in three colors).

Promising review: "My one year old LOVES these. They are strong enough that he cannot chew through them, although we do monitor him the whole time he's playing with it. These were great for an airplane flight. I made a special toy bag of compact and entertaining toys that are quiet, and this was just what I needed." —Sarah Morrison

Get it from Amazon for $9.49+ (available in six styles).

Promising review: "These spinners were great for a recent trip my family took. Both of my sons loved them. We used them on the airplane, in the hotel room and even the bath tub to keep them entertained. They are super lightweight and took up very little space in my backpack." —Patricia Catlett

Get it from Amazon for $7.99.

Promising review: "These are a great travel toy! My 5 yo loved them and used them an entire airplane ride. The tube works as a reusable carrying case. They’re not messy and you can make endless stuff. I do wish it had even more packed inside, so guess I’ll have to buy another tube." —Kendra Bryan

Get it from Amazon for $5.25.

Promising review: "I bought this for a couple of flights with my 2-year-old and it was a huge hit. The stickers are plastic and reusable, and even stick on car and airplane windows (they're like vinyl clings so no residue). It was fun to play with the vehicles in the book and we also played a matching game, putting the sticker on its picture. Perfect for screen free travel!" —Veronica

Get it from Amazon for $5.36+ (available in 14 styles).

Promising review: "I love this pack of 10 play doh containers. They are small enough to travel with and since I have 10, I can just throw them out as we go. We purchased these for entertainment on an airplane and it worked really well for us." —K. H.

Get a 10-pack from Amazon for $7.99.

Promising review: "Purchased this for a long flight and was not expecting much. This was a pleasant surprise! It was a hit with all my kids, the 3 year olds would create their own pictures while the 8, 10 and 11 year olds worked through the puzzles. It comes with two sets of shapes and I was worried about losing them so I ended up putting them in a Ziplock bag and laying them flat on the last page. If you don't take the time to organize them the book won't close correctly. I would say it is very well made. Considering it got almost constant use for 3 weeks with kids who are not always the most gentle, we only have a couple pages that show wear. I expected to have to purchase a new one for our next trip but I can just put it away for now and use it again! I bought quite a few items to use and this was by far the best of the bunch!" —CNH

Get it from Amazon for $12.99.

Promising review: "My daughter LOVES these puppets and they were a perfect toy to keep on the airplane. She was playing with each one, saying what it was, the sounds the animal makes, and putting them all into/out of a little storage bag I brought. SUPER helpful distraction!" —Amy M.

Get a pack of 10 animals from Amazon for $7.99.

Promising review: "Decided to up our travel game by pairing these with his tablet for a recent airplane trip. They stayed on his head the entire time and did not have to keep adjusting like we had to do with his other headphones. They do not slip when he tilts his head forward or when he falls asleep. Great purchase!" —Apathetic Sloth

Get it from Amazon for $22.99 (available in 15 colors).

Promising review: "Okay… my children haven’t played it as a memory game but it kept them occupied on the airplane. Between opening the flaps, identifying each picture, and changing the cards they were occupied and happy! This was an awesome toy they can “grow into” and I won’t be afraid of losing the pieces along the way!" —Laur-tastic

Get it from Amazon for $11.49.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.