We love to go on vacation! As a mom of eight children, with one currently in the age range of 3 to 5, I know there are times that we are waiting for other family members in the hotel room and we need to make it fun to help the time pass by quickly! Here are some indoor games for kids ages 3 to 5 that are small enough to pack for vacation use.

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When we stay at a place with a waterpark, my toddler needs a nap while Dad takes the big kids on the waterslides.  That leaves me with some quality time with my little kid in the hotel room or rented timeshare we found on eBay.  I bring these games for each of my children when they are ages 3 to 5 because they love them so much! I love that they don't take up much room in the activity bag!

Note: Links are included for your convenience. These items were available for sale when I researched for this article.  They may be sold in limited quantities and I cannot guarantee their availability on the date that you read this.  If you are interested in an item, either click the name of the product that is underlined or click the image to go to the website that sells it.

Horse Bingo (ages 3+)

This game has pictures of horses instead of numbers. I have four kids that love horses so we have to bring it.  It takes up most of the bottom of my activities bag at 11 inches by 9 inches, but it is very thin at about 1 1/2 inches high.  Bingo is a very nice time-passer that even the older kids will play when we are waiting for pizza to be delivered!

Hi-Ho Cherry-O (ages 3+)

I have seen these in larger boxes, so be sure to get the small 10 inch by 8 inch size. There are little plastic cherries that need to get picked off the tree and put into the bucket.  There is a spinner and sometimes the spinner lands on “spilled bucket” and the cherries go back on the tree.  It teaches counting.

Original Memory Game (ages 3 to 6)

This is a game that my little can play alone while I am nursing my toddler to sleep for a nap.  The child just picks two cards, see if they match, if they do, they go in that child's “keep” pile and if they don't, they go back where the card was found. It measures 10 inches by 8 inches.

Fisher-Price Games (ages 3+)

These are older games and may be hard to find but are so worth it.

MasterPieces Tractor Town – Kids Dominoes, Assorted (ages 3+)

This is a well loved game.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Card Game (ages 3+)

I should really get a new one of these, it has been used so many times, my box is starting to fall apart and the cards have creases.  I see they also sell it in a tin nowadays too. Well, my oldest child is 22, so I guess it's an oldie, but a goodie!  It is like a jumbo pack of cards at about 6 inches by 4 inches.  My 4 and 8 year olds make munching noises as the caterpillar “eats” the food shown on their cards on the days that the storybook and game says they are eaten by the caterpillar.  We have a small board book that I pack along as they like to look at the book as we play this game too.

Imperial Old Maid Card Game (ages 4+)

All the cards get dealt to all the players and somebody has the forbidden Old Maid card!  Players draw from each other's cards not knowing if they will get her.  Matches are made. Eventually, only one player is left holding a card, the Old Maid!  That person is the loser.  This is a nice game to play if you have a child that gets jealous of the winner because there will be more than one winner if at least three play. I know the package says ages 4 and up, but if you are playing this with your three year old, you can help and they will enjoy it very much. 6″x4″.

Imperial Go Fish Card Game (ages 4+)

This game has pictures of fish that get matched up and when someone runs out of cards, the matches are counted and the one with the most matches wins. This one also says 4 and up, but your three year old can play with your help. 6″x4″.

A Few Extra Things I Pack In The Activities Bag

Some of these items are used by my littles, but just in case you have some older kids, here are some other items to consider:

Uno Card Game (ages 7+)

I do include my 4 year old in this game and he does fine with help and reminders of what card he is looking for.

Standard Decks of Cards, Card Game Instructions Book, Paper and Pens (ages 3+)

We bring along enough decks of cards for everyone in the family.  There are so many games that can be played with cards, either alone or with other players.  I can't always remember all the rules so I like to bring the rule book, which also gives us ideas for other games to play too.  With some games a score needs to be kept, so we bring along paper and pens as well.

Coloring Books or Activity / Puzzle Books

My activities bag always has coloring books for the kids and Logic Puzzles for me.  Sometimes I do catch a few minutes to do a puzzle.  You might too!

Crayons or Colored Pencils and a sharpener

That's about it.  Enjoy your vacation!

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