Family travel · printables
Screen-Free Travel Kit
Print a few pages, tuck crayons in a zip bag, and you have a quiet-time kit for planes, cars and waiting rooms. Free for personal use.
Coloring sheets
Download all 4 (PDF, letter size)
Fill-in-the-blank travel stories
For ages 3–6: you ask for a word (“an animal,” “a silly sound”), write it in, then read the story out loud. Download the stories (PDF)
The Very Wobbly Airplane
Today we got on a big airplane going to ________(a place). The pilot was a ________(an animal) wearing a ________(a color) hat.
When the plane took off, everybody said “________(a silly sound)!” Out the window I saw a cloud shaped like a ________(a food).
The snack cart had ________(a number) cookies and one ________(something squishy). I gave it to my ________(a family member).
When we landed, we all ________(an action, like hop) off the plane and shouted “Hooray!”
Our Road Trip to Nowhere-in-Particular
We packed the car with snacks, a pillow and a ________(an animal) named ________(a funny name).
On the highway we passed a ________(a color) truck full of ________(a plural thing, like socks).
Every time we saw a cow, we had to ________(an action) and say “________(a silly sound)!”
At the rest stop, we ate ________(a food) sandwiches. Best. Trip. Ever.
The Day at the Beach
At the beach the sand felt ________(a feeling word, like tickly) on my toes.
I built a sandcastle for a ________(an animal) king who loved to eat ________(a food).
A big wave went “________(a silly sound)!” and splashed my ________(a body part).
We found ________(a number) shells and one ________(a color) ________(a thing). We took it home to remember.
Packing the Magic Suitcase
Our suitcase was so big a ________(an animal) could sleep inside it.
First I packed my ________(a favorite toy), then ________(a number) pairs of ________(a color) socks.
Then my ________(a family member) packed a ________(something silly) “just in case.”
When we zipped it up it went “________(a silly sound)!” and we were ready to go.
What to say when… screens come up
Short, warm lines for common moments. No shaming, no lectures, just your family’s way.
A friend’s family does it differently
“Every family has its own rules, and that’s okay. In their house they do that. In our family, we don’t, and we can still love going there.”
“Everyone has one!”
“It really can feel like everyone does. You’re not wrong to want one. In our family, we’re waiting, and I’ll keep listening when you want to talk about it.”
At a restaurant
“Phones are taking a nap during dinner, mine too. Want to play I Spy or draw on the napkin while we wait?”
On a flight
“This is a long ride, and you’re doing great. Let’s open the surprise bag: one new thing each hour.”
Grandma hands over her phone
“Thank you, Mom, that’s so kind. We’re keeping screens for home right now. Would you read him a story instead? He’d love that.” (To your child:) “Grandma has the best stories.”
A sibling or cousin is on a tablet
“Your cousin is having tablet time, and you get to choose something else. Want to build with me, or help me make snack?”
At a friend’s house
(To the other parent, privately:) “We’re skipping screens for now, so if the kids want a show, could they play outside or with toys instead? Thanks so much.” (To your child:) “Different houses, different rules. Here, you can play.”
In the car
“The car is for looking and talking. Can you find something red? Your turn to pick the next song.”
In a waiting room
“Waiting is hard. Let’s count all the chairs, then you pick a book from the bag.”
“But why not?”
“Because right now our family is choosing play, books and people. It’s a grown-up decision, and it’s not because you did anything wrong.”
General ideas, not medical advice.