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Traveling by car with children can be fun. Of course, it can also be boring for kids… which can in turn be frustrating or even dangerous for parents who are trying to focus on the road.
We just recently returned from a 6-hour (each way) road trip with four adults and two children. Here are 10 ideas which have worked to help keep my children occupied and my husband and I sane (and safe while driving!):
#1 – Wikki Stix! These things are the best $5 I’ve ever spent on a car trip. Similar to pipe cleaners in the awesomeness of range of motion and creativity – they are even more awesomely lacking in the one thing that makes pipe cleaners less-than-perfect: the sharp pointy eye-poking metal end pieces! Kids can make sculptures, wrap things up, and just play freely. They seem to be pretty much endlessly reusable as well. Creative play, no trash, no clean up… what could be better? Nothing, I tell you. Nothing.
#2 – Paper & a Pen. Quizzes, mazes, games, writing, drawing, folding, ripping… not sure much can beat the old paper & a pen for variety. But how to use them while confined to the carseat? Daddy came up with a great idea! Buy 2 clip boards, clip a note pad to each, then apply Velcro to the top of a pen (and secure with a zip-tie), and the other side of the Velcro to the top of the clip board and… voila! Instant flat drawing space, easy to pass around the car, & no lost pen. If you have younger kids (mine are 3 & just about 6), you can do the same with a crayon or washable marker.
#3 – Silly Bandz. Okay, okay. I even wrote a post about these. But really, on a car trip, they can be the best. Not only are they lightweight, and conveniently small, they can be wrapped efficiently and decoratively around things other than wrists – thing like: trucks, shoes, and dinosaurs. Busy hands are happy hands, I say!
#4 – Books. (Books, and more books!) Books with flaps, with stickers, with activities. I Spy books are fantastic, come in differing levels, and even my 3 year old can do them without assistance. The old standby Where’s Waldo is always popular. There are maze books, math books, word game books (like word find or fill in the missing letter or rearrange the letters to form words), dot-to-dot books, and of course good old coloring books! And, for the independent reader, a few brand-new stories or books makes a fun treat.
#5 – Trucks & Cars. Especially ones that move – wheels that turn, doors that open, dump trucks that dump, cement trucks that spin. The only ones I don’t recommend are those that make noise. ß Please, read that again, and let it sink in. Keeps the kids busy, yes… but the sanity of parents corrodes away just a bit with each press of the ambulance’s siren button, trust me.
#6 – CD with cool music. This one is fun for kids AND parents. Make a mix in iTunes that includes upbeat kids favorites intermixed with parents’ favorites and burn onto a blank CD and… everyone’s happy! My suggestions for the adults: They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, Owl City, REM, B-52s, The Beatles…. All these bands have some upbeat tunes with cross-generationally-appropriate lyrics (yes, I made that phrase up. It’s mine.). You can also put together a CD of quieter tunes when nap time (or rest time) is needed, and you’re still on the road. Honestly, nothing I’ve found changes the mood of the occupants in the car faster than music!
#7 – Flash Cards. And I don’t mean (necessarily) multiplication tables. You can find all sorts of interesting collections of “flash cards” which are appealing to varying ages of kids – from the standard letters and numbers to presidents, animals, colors, and geographical locations (I’ve found some super-inexpensive and uber-cool ones at the unnamed big box store that begins with a W). Sometimes just flipping through pictures, or sorting, or trading, (or…learning?!) is just what the kiddos need.
#8 – Snacks. The best road trip snacks are non-messy, and nutrient dense – in other words: don’t get your food at the rest stop vending machine! For travel, we like carrot sticks, apple wedges, bananas & clementines (they both come in their own packages!). Also good are gummy bears (Annie’s makes an all-natural fruit-juice based variety), bunny grahams, goldfish, dried cranberries (and mango and cherries), nuts, and string cheese! Bring a little cooler along for the perishables, and you’re set!
#9 – Travel Games. Sometimes things that are meant for travel are the best attention-keepers. On our last trip, we tried out a few travel games: Number Slider Puzzle, Magnetic Tangoes, and Textured Tangle.
The tangrams puzzle was hands-down my (and kids) favorite of the three, but I'm spacial-visual like that. The slider puzzle wins points for being retro & multi-generational.
#10 – Technology. When we’re on a LONG car trip, our no-TV policy goes out the window. We are fortunate to have a van with a built-in DVD, so we bring along some educational videos for when everything above has been exhausted. We’ve also been known to pass the iPhone back when all else fails. Who can resist a game of pac-man or some photo-taking along the way?
Okay, so what have I missed? Please share your favorite toys or games to bring along on a car ride!