When I wrote about this two years ago, my hopes were grim. I thought for sure we’d never be able to do a long road trip with our crew – I’ve always dreamed of going down East as a family. But I have to say in the last little bit our children (aged four, six and eight) have gotten progressively better in the car. For all you mommas out there with little ones, there is hope.
Two years later, I have a few more ideas how to keep children busy in the car on long trips thanks to other parents out there sharing some great ideas.
Here are some ideas for kids ranging in ages from babies to school-aged children. Hopefully some will helpful to you on your next adventure.
Babies and toddlers
Ideally leaving after they’ve been fed and changed and are ready for sleep will give you a sleeping baby for a part of your long drive. Other ideas to keep baby entertained include hand toys. Take out toys that are new to them, toys that make noise (rattles, play phones, hand held musical instruments) and change it up often. In between toys you can give them something to chew on. Babies who have teeth and are teething can literally chew on a washed, peeled full carrot or a cucumber or any other large vegetable that they can hold and only break off tiny bits of. This of course needs to be monitored by an adult at all times in case they do get a large piece of vegetable, so best when travelling with two parents or with a grandparent. You can also make a simple I Spy Bottle for them. (To make one of these simply empty the contents of a plastic water bottle out, remove the label and fill the bottle three quarters of the way filled with sand or rice. Add small objects that they can spot. Examples include: pompoms, googly eyes, confetti, glitter, little poly pocket people etc.) The other thing to pack is a large supply of books. Touchy feely books, musical books, plastic books they can chew on and give them to your child one at a time. Lastly, all children need breaks out of the car. Stop frequently for exercise and snacks.
Preschool/school agers
One thing we do all the time that’s super easy is listen to books on CD. We have built our collection through the Scholastic Flyers. You may also be able to find some at yard sales or online. To keep them organized we keep the books in a magazine holder between car seats at the back and the CD’s stay in the front. We also have a collection of music kept in the car, books (eye spy books are awesome for car rides), an etch-a-sketch, and we’ve added pencils and notepads to our collection.
A handy thing to pack for a long trip is a small baking sheet, it’s both magnetic and can be used as a hard surface to colour/write on.
We packed letter magnets and Playdough with ours. The baking sheet was a perfect table for their Playdough. I’ve also seen people pack empty wipe containers filled with Lego pieces. If you glue down a Lego plate to the inner lid, they are able to actually construct while in the car. If your children are old enough, they could also play games like car Bingo. You can search many different types of car Bingo online. Add to this the license plate game, where everyone in the car has to try and spot different province/state license plates. The ABC game. This is our favourite car game, you have to point out each letter in order on signs and billboards. It keeps everyone happily looking out the window and occupied for a bit.
Of course, snacks are another great distraction that parents can pack for their kids. Pack their favourites and try to keep the list mess free. Choose crackers, trail mix, fruit, veggies and stay away from apple sauce and yogurt (don’t forget to bring along a small bag for the garbage.) A favourite idea I’ve read is to buy a few new small toys and wrap them up.
If you’re going on an extended trip you can give your children a new toy to unwrap and play with every couple of hours. This can certainly keep their interests piqued! I know not everyone can read in the car but recently we read through two novels on our car ride. Talk about happy kids, it kept all of us entertained actually.
Don’t forget to talk to your children throughout the trip. Point out new landmarks, little things that they may not notice on their own or favourite scenes you look for on your drive. All of this helps stimulate their interests and builds vocabulary at the same time.
When you’re out of things to say though the Internet is our friend. You can find many amazing ideas on how to keep your children occupied on long car rides. What I’ve provided you with is simply a small snapshot.
Whatever you decide to do with your children in the car, I hope you find a way to enjoy.
