10 Toys for a PCS Move | Harrington Harmonies

10 Toys to Bring on a PCS Move

I have moved 15 times in 17 years. We spent eight years of our life overseas and we have traveled more than what is probably average. So, we’ve learned to be mobile and travel light. Two things I always have my children bring along: a change of clothes and all the toys they need to keep them busy for the whole trip.
10 Toys for a PCS Move | Harrington Harmonies

Now imagine moving to Okinawa, Japan. This was our first move. The entire trip was well over 24 hrs. straight. We lived in lodging for several weeks and often that’s how it is for military going overseas. We are often without a home for a month or two during a move. Sometimes it’s that way even moving from state to state for varying reasons.  The toys my child decides to bring will be his main toys for weeks not just the travel time. So I decided to share with you today my son’s toy list for moving time!

10 Toys to bring on a PCS move:

1. Lego mini figures.

This is really important for a 10 y/o boy. We can’t bring all the block pieces. That would be a disaster.  But the mini figures are the fun part anyway …right? He has a mini figure box and gets to choose which ones he brings. He can fill it with as many as it holds.

Lego figures are a must for any PCS | Harrington Harmonies
This box is great for his Lego mini figures.

2. The Kindle Fire

We are phasing out the DS altogether and have found that the kindle offers an unlimited number of resources without taking up additional space. Plus, it’s so much more affordable than other tablets. In addition you can get tons of books and games for free. So it’s well worth the money! I recently bought Oz: The Complete Collection (All 14 Oz Books, with Illustrated Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Exclusive Bonus Features)
for $.99! That’s all fourteen original books plus extra features for just $.99.  And you find deals like that all the time. And I like it because I have control of balancing fun games with educational games and books and still have fun games there also for keeping busy.

3. A plain little notebook and something to scribble with.

Simple and easy. My child still likes to doodle. Not much of a color-er or artist like my big kids were, but he likes to have a place to write his thoughts and ideas.

4. A little tinker tool box.

Just a little box with small screwdrivers and little things to tinker with. This kid likes to take stuff apart and put it back together. So I let him do just that with small broken toys or whatever is available. Sometimes I buy junk at thrift stores and let him work with it. So bringing tools is a must!

5. Small puzzles or a tangram.


Another good thing to bring along is some kind of game that it will take him a while to solve. It is perfect for keeping his mind engaged when he can’t be moving his muscles. At least he can move his brain muscle. It has to be difficult enough to take him a while to solve. I have found that he’ll keep working on it long after solved to keep it memorized.

6. Travel chess.

My child loves chess and has played it since he was 6 years old. He learned it by playing against the computer. Chess is always a good game to bring along.

7. Playing or trading cards.

Cards games are great also. They don’t require space and can be played anywhere! We recently go poker chips which he loves playing with. Not that promote gambling in any way, it’s just for fun.

8. Origami.

This is one we never brought before. But it will be in our next travel bag. All you have to bring are small papers and instructions. My son likes it too! We use the book Fun with Easy Origami: 32 Projects and 24 Sheets of Origami Paper.
You can read my full Review on it HERE.

9. Hotwheels or matchbox cars.

He is out growing these to a degree and doesn’t play with them as much anymore. So I doubt they will go in our bag in the future. However, a sandwich sized ziplock full always made a perfect addition to the back pack in the past so I had to include them in my list.

10. Baseball gloves and ball.

Well it takes more space to bring these but it’s worth it. Having something for physical movement to pull out like a game of catch is a must. You just can’t expect 10 y/o boys to be sitting all the time!

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