Travelling With Young Children: Open-Ended Play Ideas for Holidays

As parents, we have been lucky enough to enjoy all sorts of family holidays over the years. From Eurocamp adventures in Italy and caravan holidays at Haven and Butlin’s, to an all-inclusive escape to Turkey and lots of camping trips in the Lake District, we have always tried to make the most of the freedom that comes before school attendance and term-time restrictions.

But if you have ever travelled with young children, you will know that holidays do not always look like the brochure.

Sometimes they are full of adventures, sightseeing and making memories.

Sometimes they are full of snacks, negotiations, early mornings and wondering why you packed half the house.

And sometimes little ones get tired. Really tired.

The heat becomes too much. The rain appears out of nowhere. The excitement catches up with them. Suddenly they do not want another activity, another day out, or another carefully planned family moment.

Sometimes, holidays are simply about slowing down.

The Year We Packed The Kitchen Sink

When Elizabeth was six months old, before Ellor & Co even existed and during the holiday that would unexpectedly bring Harris into our lives, we packed absolutely everything.

And I really do mean everything.

Looking back, I am not entirely sure how we fitted our clothes in. In fact, I am fairly sure I packed more outfits for Elizabeth than I did for myself.

The funny thing is, Elizabeth hardly played with any of them.

Most of our holiday was spent making sure our determined little explorer did not pull the room apart while we desperately tried to baby-proof a hotel room for a baby attempting to crawl.

Like most first-time parents, we assumed more toys meant more entertainment.

Holidays Are Not About Constant Entertainment

As parents, we often feel pressure to keep children busy every second of the day, especially when we are away.

But children get tired on holiday too.

They have had a busy morning swimming. They have stayed up later than normal. They have spent the day exploring somewhere new.

Sometimes they do not need another activity.

They just need a slower morning, an early night, or an hour sitting on the grass making up their own games.

Looking back, it is not the expensive days out that stand out the most.

It is those slower, smaller, ordinary moments that seem to stay with us.

The best things we pack are not necessarily the biggest, loudest or most exciting toys. They are the things that can be used differently every single day, depending on where we are and what kind of mood the children are in.

That is why we always come back to simple, open-ended play.

It gives children something familiar, but it does not tell them exactly what to do with it.

The Toy That Travelled Across Europe

One of Elizabeth’s favourite holiday toys for years was her hair and beauty set.

She loved getting ready alongside me every morning.

But the funniest part was watching her “prepare” Dan for the day.

While we were in Italy, they would sit outside in the morning sunshine together and she would carefully give Daddy his daily makeover before breakfast.

At one point, she even gave him a full pretend shave.

I am not sure he looked any different afterwards, but she was very proud of her work.

Those little moments became part of our holiday routine and some of the memories we still laugh about now.

They have been on planes. In caravans. At campsites. In hotel rooms. By swimming pools.

And now that the children are older, they have become even more useful.

What started as simple stacking has grown into building houses, creating small worlds, making roads, building castles and inventing stories.

Add a few favourite characters and suddenly you have an activity that can keep children engaged without taking up half your suitcase.

The play changes as children grow, which means you are not constantly replacing toys every few months.

We have taken them to campsites where they have become tiny villages. We have taken them on caravanning holidays where they have transformed into castles and towers. More recently, they have been packed into tents where princesses and dinosaurs have all found a place in the worlds Elizabeth and Harris have created.

The beauty of open-ended play is that children bring their own ideas.

The toy stays the same, but the play is always different.

In Turkey, we discovered something completely unexpected.

When the cups sank to the bottom of the shallow pool, they stayed put.

This quickly turned into a game where Elizabeth would dive down and find different patterns on the top of each cup, while Harris sat happily scooping and pouring water beside her.

Sometimes The Best Play Is Not Planned

One thing we have learned from travelling with toddlers is that some of the best holiday activities are not planned at all.

As parents, we often put pressure on ourselves to create the perfect family holiday. We research the best days out, save for experiences and pack activities for every possible scenario.

But when I look back at our favourite memories, they are rarely the expensive attractions.

They are the moments watching the sunset outside a caravan.

Collecting sticks at a campsite.

Creating little worlds on a picnic blanket.

Playing shops with pebbles collected from the beach.

Children are naturally imaginative when they are given the time and space to be.

The right open-ended toys simply support that imagination when they need a little inspiration, whether that is during a long journey, a rainy afternoon in the tent, or a quiet hour before dinner.

We have found that when we pack less and slow down more, everyone enjoys the holiday a little bit more.

What We Pack Now

After years of family holidays, our packing philosophy has completely changed.

We pack fewer toys. We leave room for imagination. We choose items that can be used in multiple ways.

And most importantly, we remember that holidays are not about keeping children entertained every minute.

They are about spending time together.

Whether it is a quiet morning outside a caravan, a rainy afternoon in a tent, or an hour by the pool while everyone recharges, we have found that simple open-ended play travels better than anything else.

After five years of family holidays, we have learned that children do not need endless entertainment.

They need space to explore, time to imagine and opportunities to simply be children.

So these days, we pack a little lighter, worry a little less and leave more room for the moments that matter.

And if that includes watching your daughter give Daddy a full pretend shave in the Italian sunshine, even better.