When we are traveling we like to use our devices to keep the kids busy during long drives or flights. We have Kindle Fires but most of these apps are available across different devices. I’m excited to have my daughter guest post with me to share with you our family favorite apps to play when travelling.
Family Favorite Apps when Traveling
Minecraft
Minecraft is a game where you create your own world by using building blocks. This game is more suited for children 6 and up although my 4 year old loves it. There are two modes creative and survival. Creative is the most kid friendly. You have all the block options and it has everything you need to create your world.
At first I was hesitant about this game but I have found that it is incredible what the kids have built. My daughter has built an entire town including a pet shop and spa. My son has built a library and it is really cool to see their creativity. A word of warning is that there are lots of YouTube videos about Minecraft that are inappropriate for kids and you have to keep an eye out. My kids like to watch videos to learn how to build different things but proceed with caution.
Also there is a game called Roblox that is similar but allows people to talk to each other. This does not happen on Minecraft unless you are other peoples servers. My kids can play together because they share a server but do not interact with other people. When we are traveling and the kids don’t have Wi-Fi they can still set up their worlds but they can’t play together.
Cost:$
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Piano Tiles 2
Piano Tiles 2 is a music game where you follow along with the notes(as tiles) and have to press them in the correct order to play the song. There are many different song choices and you earn points to move on to the next level. This game is good for all ages but can be challenging for younger kids who may get frustrated. My daughter loves playing Dance of the Sugar Fairy from The Nutcracker.
Cost: Free
Pettson’s Inventions Deluxe
This is one of my favorite apps. You complete a series of puzzles to help Pettson’s Inventions work. Each level has different characters and challenges. You can also play in a duel mode. You and a friend can play on one device, and see who can solve the puzzles fastest. This game is great for kids and adults. There are also different versions of this game including Pettson’s Inventions and Pettson’s Inventions 2 & 3.
Cost: $
Disney Crossy Road/Crossy Road
In Disney Crossy Road you can earn many different Disney characters to use. The object of the game is to see how far you can get your character across the streets filled with obstacles. Each time you try to beat your last score. You score is based on how many steps you take. Crossy Road is the same game but just a different theme. The kids really like this game. Once you have earned a lot of prizes they gift you a new prize or character every 6 hours. My daughter has over 30 characters. (You will not earn free prizes when away from Wi-Fi but you can still play the game.)
Cost: Free
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Geography Drive USA
We just discovered this game and it is perfect for us. We love traveling and learning all about the USA. It can be personalized with a car and your child’s name. Then you “drive” across the country and answer questions about geography of the USA. This game is for kids 6 and up. You start at a state and you have to answer at least 1 question out of 3 to earn your state pass.
Cost: $
Traveling with a device has helped and I love finding quality family friendly apps. What apps do you like when you travel? Share them in the comments. Do you have a road trip coming up? Check out my Essentials for a Family Road Trip
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These look like such fun apps! We also have Fire tablets, but since ours are younger we try to skew toward educational apps like Dr. Seuss, Daniel Tiger and the PBS Kids offerings 🙂
Thank you for reading! Yes we love PBS offerings too-especially when my kids were younger.
My teen daughter went through a long phase of playing minecraft. I never could get the appeal of it, the graphics are not even good! But she just couldn’t get enough of it!
I didn’t really get it either but they build some cool stuff!
Thank you so much for sharing! We keep talking about taking a road trip so this will def help us be more prepared!
Those all look like fun! I’ll have to pin for when my son is older!
Thanks for reading!
This is a great list!! I haven’t heard of most of these but they all look fun. The piano one is one I’m going to download and let my son try.
It is really challenging! My daughter is better then me!
Great ideas! I am always looking for things to make travel easier. I will save this for our next trip.
I have never played any of these games before. They seem like awesome games to get kids busy during trips.
We always need a few new apps when we travel. My daughter doesn’t get a ton of screen time but I like to have “something new” when we travel so she doesn’t get bored when sitting in the hotel. Thanks for these.
Oh, Minecraft is a family favorite! I have to check out these other ones though! Especially crossy roads and the piano one.
These are great! I love the USA game. My kids are too old for these, but hopefully I’ll have grandkids someday!
Geography Drive USA sounds really cool! I really appreciate digital learning games for kids.
These sound so fun! My daughter loves to play her piano app on the IPad, so we will have to check that out!
Great pics! That Geography Drive USA looks interesting! Cool! Happy travels! 🙂
Anything app related always seems to make life a little more easier. Great article.
These are super awesome! Also, can I just say I feel so old that the only one I knew of was Minecraft? And I’ve never even played it, so it doesn’t even raise my level of coolness having known what that one was…haha
I definitely need to check out the inventions app for my oldest! He would love that. When we’re travelling, he loves to play escape the room apps, where you basically hunt for hidden clues and solve puzzles to ‘escape’ a locked room. Geared towards adults, but everything we’ve played so far has been very kid-friendly, aside from some puzzles being extra tricky for him.
My son is three so we don’t have too many apps right now. We’re starting to travel more often which he then wants something to play with. I’m sure over the next few years we will get there lol.
I LOVE crossy road…I hadn’t thought to let my kids play it yet (6 &4), haha! Love the idea of Geography Drive too, what a neat way to play, learn and travel. Thanks for sharing – it’s always so good to get another parent’s suggestions. 🙂
Love this we need some new apps we still have all the baby ones. Also my kids have older iPads thinking about going for a kindle fire when the iPads die