Inside: How to make decorated kids Road Trip Kits with Altoids tins (part of a shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser).
Road Trip Kits — Easy Altoids Tin Craft
Traveling as a family is always an adventure! If I’ve learned anything from previous experiences, it’s that there is no such thing as being too prepared! The more activities you have to keep the kids busy, the smoother things will be.
While planning for an upcoming road trip, I had an idea that I knew the kids would love and would not only allow us to do something special together as a family, but be practical as well. Altoid tins are the perfect size to store little treasures, and I thought that they would also be perfect to make individual “Road Trip Kits” for each member of the family.
I headed over to Randalls to grab the necessary supplies. Altoids are a checkout lane staple, and they happened to be on sale this week — score!
Once we were stocked up, we headed home and got to work on our Road Trip Kits. The whole family got involved: seven year old Lilu especially was excited to help out, and even my husband happily contributed some good ideas.
Here’s what you need to make this easy Altoids tin craft:
- Altoids tins
- Colorful Duct Tape
- Scissors
- Permanent Marker
The kits are actually super simple to make. First, empty the Altoid tins (obviously we bagged them up to enjoy later!) and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
We then used the colorful duct tape to spruce up the exterior. (The exception being my 15 month old daughter who will have an undecorated tin, as she would likely try to chew on the duct tape).
Tip: I cut slits at the corners so the tape would fold smoother.
After the tins were covered with the colorful tape, I wrote each person’s name in permanent marker.
Now that the kits were beautifully decorated, it was time to fill them with special items picked out for each individual traveler. Here’s what was inside our tins:
The First Aid Kit
- Adhesive Bandages
- Disinfecting Ointment
- Gauze
- Dental Floss
- Ibuprofen
- Alcohol Swabs
Mom’s Road Trip Kit
- Lip Gloss (my must-have!)
- Altoids (guaranteed to freshen your breath after eating anything — because who wants to brush their teeth in a gas station bathroom)
- Dairy supplement (I’m lactose intolerant but food options can be limited while traveling)
- Wet Wipes (always a good idea to have on hand with kids)
Daddy’s Road Trip Kit
- Salt, pepper, and soy sauce packets (My husband is the chef of the family and can jazz up even a restaurant meal with just a few basic ingredients.)
- Mini hot sauce bottles
- Extra USB cable (just in case a phone charger gets lost or forgotten)
Lilu’s Road Trip Kit
Lilu’s Road Trip Kit- Mini notebook and crayons (Lilu loves to write stories and draw)
- Two little dolls that are conveniently flat and fit perfectly in the tin (Lilu has quite the imagination and can play for hours with her dolls)
- Stickers
Baby’s Road Trip Kit
Not much! We didn’t want to make anything with small pieces that could be dangerous when she is out of reach in the backseat. However, our littlest family member does not want to be left out of anything we are doing, so I simply put some of her favorite plastic rings inside. I figured she would like the noise it makes as well as opening and closing the tin — which our future engineer is guaranteed to do within minutes.
I absolutely LOVE how these turned out! The girls couldn’t even wait for the trip to play with their kits, so I’d say they definitely are a hit!
More Road Trip Fun for Families:
Velcro Road Trip Bingo (free printables!)
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Sara says
I really want one of these for my purse! Great ideas too.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Thanks mom – I can definitely make you one too 🙂
Kelly Denton (@EclecticMommy) says
Love the idea of packing a tin full of first aid supplies; it’s the perfect size! #client
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Thanks! Altoids tins really are so useful!
George SSF says
Your blog is so adorable… Thanks for sharing