Printable Kids Packing List With Pictures by Age

How to Use the Kids' Packing Checklist Maker

The form sits under the heading "Make Your Kids' Checklists". Each child gets one row. The "Child's first name" box is text, and a blank name makes the sheet titled "Kid 1", "Kid 2", and so on. The "Age" choice offers "3 to 5 (pictures)", "6 to 8", or "9 to 12". The × button removes a child, and the last child cannot be removed. "+ Add another kid" adds a row, up to 6 children.

The trip settings apply to every child on the form. "Nights away" takes a number from 1 to 30. "Weather" offers Warm, Mixed / cool, or Cold. The "Swimming on this trip" tick box adds the swim items when it is ticked. The checklist maker loads with one child aged 6 to 8, 5 nights, Warm weather, and swimming ticked, so a checklist appears as soon as the page opens.

Below the form, each child gets a sheet titled "<Name>'s Packing List". Two buttons handle output. "Print checklists" prints only the checklists, one child per page. "Copy as text" copies every child's list as plain text with [ ] boxes.

How the Checklist Decides What and How Many

The rules count days first. Days away equals nights plus one, so 5 nights means 6 days away. The clothing counts come from that number, using these rules:

• Underwear and socks: one per day, capped at 8.
• Tops: one per day, capped at 7. The label reads "T-shirts", or "Long-sleeve tops" when Weather is Cold.
• Bottoms: one per two days, rounded up, capped at 4. The label reads "Shorts" when Weather is Warm, or "Pants" when Weather is Mixed / cool or Cold.
• Mixed / cool adds a sweater or hoodie and a jacket.
• Cold adds a warm coat, a warm hat, and gloves or mittens.
• Everyone gets shoes you can walk in. Warm weather or swimming adds sandals. Warm weather adds a sun hat.

Worked Examples: Maya and Leo

The caps are Trecklist's own packing assumptions. The underwear and sock cap matches the one the Trecklist packing list generator uses, and it assumes you can wash clothes on a longer trip.

Maya is aged 6 to 8, on a 5-night Warm trip with swimming. Six days away gives 6 underwear, 6 socks, and 6 T-shirts. Bottoms come to 3 shorts, because 6 days divided by two is 3. Her shoes, sandals, and sun hat cover the warm-weather rules. Swimming adds 2 swimsuits, since the trip runs 4 nights or more, and swim goggles, since she is 6 or older.

Her wash and sleep list has 2 pajamas, because the trip runs 5 nights or more. It also has a toothbrush, a hairbrush or comb, and a bedtime buddy. Her fun and travel list has a backpack, 1 book, a small toy or game, and a water bottle.

Leo is aged 9 to 12, on a 10-night Cold trip with no swimming. Ten nights gives 11 days away. Underwear and socks each hit the cap of 8, and tops hit their cap of 7 long-sleeve tops. Eleven days divided by two, rounded up, is 6 bottoms, so the cap of 4 applies and he packs 4 pants. Cold adds a warm coat, a warm hat, and gloves or mittens, and he gets shoes. With no swimming, Leo gets no sandals, no sun hat, and no swimsuit. His list has 2 pajamas, a toothbrush, and a hairbrush or comb, with no bedtime buddy at his age. His fun and travel list adds headphones and a charger for his device to the backpack, book, toy or game, and water bottle.

What Changes in Each Age Band

The age choice changes the picture size, the bedtime buddy, the book count, and the water bottle. It also changes the device items for the oldest band. Every band gets the same pajamas, toothbrush, hairbrush or comb, and backpack. The age choice does not change the counts of underwear, socks, tops, or bottoms, because those follow the days away and the weather.

The three bands differ as follows:

• 3 to 5 (pictures): bigger pictures for children who cannot read yet, a bedtime buddy (a stuffed animal or blanket), and 2 picture books. No water bottle and no swim goggles.
• 6 to 8: a bedtime buddy, a water bottle, 1 book, and swim goggles when swimming is ticked.
• 9 to 12: a water bottle, headphones and a charger for their device, and swim goggles when swimming is ticked. No bedtime buddy.

Packing Day With the Printed Checklist

Each sheet lists its items in three groups: Clothes, Wash & sleep, and Fun & travel. Every item has a picture, a count where more than one is needed, the item name, and a tick box. A child ticks each box as the item goes into the bag.

Each sheet ends with "Packed by: ____" and "Checked by a grown-up: ____", so the adult who looks over the bag has a place to sign.

The kid lists leave out what a grown-up carries for the family: documents, money, medicine, sunscreen, and toothpaste. Those items go on the parents' list from the printable packing list generator. That generator builds one list for the whole family, with a separate list per person when there is more than one traveler. For toiletries that go in a carry-on, use the carry-on liquids checker.

When the List Needs Changing

The checklist maker does not know your child's clothing sizes or the forecast at your destination. You choose Warm, Mixed / cool or Cold for the trip. You pick the sizes yourself.

Children under 3 fall outside the three age bands. The toddler travel checklist covers that age.

To change a count, change the nights, the weather or the swimming setting, because the counts come from those three inputs. To add or remove a single item, use Copy as text, which gives the same lists as plain text with [ ] boxes. For a family trip with several travelers, the family trip packing list covers the whole group.

Frequently Asked Questions