Every parent needs a vacation, but how do you keep your kids entertained on those long car rides? A lot of fond memories come from family vacations, but not every kid loves a long car ride in order to get to their destination. They get bored, restless, and need entertainment. If you need an alternative to giving them an ipad to watch for ten plus hours then you’ve come to the right place. This was always a hot topic during my time teaching. I would help parents put together packets of activities so they could just reach into a bin or binder and grab an activity anytime the kids needed something to do. I wanted to share some of the popular activities so you too can have an enjoyable start and finish to your vacation.
1. Finger Puppets
All Ages
Finger puppets are great for entertaining kids of all ages. You can do so much with the characters and they easily fit inside a small bag so you can take them anywhere. Get creative with your stories and let your kids tell you stories. Make the puppets a part of the adventures you go on.
2. Read a Book
All Ages
Reading is the best way to get lost in thought for several hours, therefore it’s great for all ages. Bring along books for everyone to read peacefully to entertain themselves. Time seems to fly by when you read a good book. For anyone who can’t read you might consider an audiobook that they can follow along with. Reading books that are related to your adventures can also help kiddos prepare and understand what they’re about to encounter this is especially great for those that struggle with transitions or new environments. Take it a step further and ask thought provoking questions about their books, have them reiterate what they read to increase their knowledge and excitement.
3. I-Spy
Ages 6 months+
This game can be played in different ways depending on the age level. There’s the traditional I-Spy where you describe something and someone looks around guessing what it is. Another way to play is to fill a small bottle such as a juice bottle with rice and other small objects. As your little one shakes it they can find the objects hidden inside. You can also use glitter or other materials. Just make sure you glue the lid shut to avoid any spills. Littles one love the sounds this makes, it helps develop gross motor skills and cognitive skills as well.
4. Busy Board
Ages 1+
Those little hands are curious and their minds are always working so keeping little ones entertained in the car can be a challenge. A busy board will by name keep them busy for a while and it helps develop skills that they need. You will be able to pull this out multiple times and they won’t get tired of it.
5. Drawing
Ages 1+
Let’s not forget the most basic activity most every child loves, coloring. Simply packing crayons and paper can get you at least a few minutes of entertainment. They can draw what they see and make their own little keepsake pictures of their trip. You can use paper with crayons, or a magnetic drawing board. A dry erase board, or a magnetic drawing board is a great way to keep the car free of roaming crayons. Kids of all ages love making art so let their imaginations run wild. If they need inspiration give them prompts such as “what do you think we will see when we get there?” or “draw your favorite animal.” Get creative or start a little game of Pictionary.
6. Magnets
Ages 2+
The best part about magnets is they’re easy to keep together. You can use a set of toy magnets, or a magnetic board with fun pieces. Keep in mind magnets are not suitable for all ages and are very dangerous if swallowed, please check the appropriate age of using these products.
7. Talk About it
Ages 2+
Talk about the next location and what you’ll do there to get them excited about it. Talking about something, especially a topic of interest can make time fly by and before you know it you’ve arrived at your destination. I can’t tell you how many times my husband and I have talked for hours in the car without realizing how much time has passed. Talking about the next stop and what will happen there can also be great for kids with anxiety or those who have difficulty doing new things. If you prepare them for what’s coming the experience will be better for everyone.
8. Felt Board
Ages 2+
For the storyteller in all of us, a felt board can be a magical oasis that transports us to another place. This is a great activity for those imaginative kiddos that love telling stories. You can purchase a felt board with precut pieces or for the DIYer just make your own. Take a sturdy piece of cardboard (or any other suitable material), glue a sheet of felt to it. Make sure it is small enough for them to handle while in the car but large enough for multiple pieces/characters to fit on. Cut out and design some pieces that your child will enjoy using. For easy storage you can use a small cosmetics bag with a zipper.
9. This or That?
Ages 3+
This is a great conversation starter and a good way to learn more about each other’s preferences. You simply ask a would you rather question, for example “would you rather visit a beach or a forest?”, “travel by plane or train?” Take turns so your kids learn something about you as well.
10. Memory Match
Ages 3+
These travel size memory match games are great for keeping kids engaged and using those brains. They can also learn new words depending on their age. These interchangeable cards can be used over and over again for hours of fun.
11. Etch-A-Sketch
Ages 3+
Etch-A-Sketch is a classic toy that provides lots of fun. It is another creative outlet for kiddos to explore and use problem solving skills. I was never great at drawing with these but I always had fun trying.
12. Counting Game
Ages 3+
This is rather simple, you choose an object that you might see several of and start counting them. You may choose stop signs. buses, or blue trucks. This game can go on and on. If you have multiple children have them each keep track of a different object.
13. Collaborative Story
Ages 3+
This is a great way to get everyone involved and get those creative minds working. One person starts telling a story and stops then the next person continues the story. You can set a limit to how long one person can go so everyone gets an equal turn. I love seeing where the story goes and how each person chooses to contribute. Keep it simple for little ones and get really complex for older kids. Here’s a prompt to get you started: “One time a family went on a road trip and along the way they saw…”
14. 20 Questions
Ages 3+
This game can take up a lot of time depending on the age group. One person simply chooses a person, place or thing without telling anyone else. The other players try to guess what that secret thing is by asking a series of questions (20 is the limit). If they don’t guess it after they have asked their 20 questions then that person with the secret reveals it and goes again until someone else guesses correctly. For little ones you can choose something simple that they know and give them a category so they can focus such as animals, or foods.
15. What did we learn?
Ages 3+
The inner teacher in me comes out heavy on this one because there should always be an aspect of learning when exploring new places. This is just simply talking to your kids about the experience they just had. Ask them questions about what they learned and you may be surprised by their answers. Some examples of thought provoking questions are: What surprised you the most about that? How did that experience make you feel? What did you not like about doing that? Avoid questions that only require simple yes or no answers.
16. Bingo
Ages 4+
Make a bingo card of things you might see along the way and this will keep the kids busy for an extended period of time looking out the window for their next item. Make it a friendly competition to see who gets four in a row first or who can find everything on their card first. You can also purchase a pack of premade bingo cards that have various themes.
17. Dots and Boxes
Ages 5+
This is a simple game that kids can enjoy. With a bit of strategy this game could take some time. There are different ways to play and some have varying rules so check out youtube to find other ways to play. The way my brother and I would play is by drawing the dots ourselves. It’s a simple grid of dots in columns and rows. You take turns connecting the dots with lines until you make a box which is the goal, to make as many boxes as possible. If you are the person to make the last line to complete a box you initial that box. Continue until the board is complete and tally up the number of boxes you initialed, the one with the most boxes wins! This game is great because you just need paper and pencil. You can buy a pack already made of the Dots and Boxes Game as well.
18. Going on a Picnic
Ages 5+
This challenging memory game can get competitive and lots of fun! Everyone can join in on this challenge. You start by saying “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…” name an item, the next person has to start by saying what you said and adding another item, everyone takes turns adding items to the list and remembering all the others until someone forgets an item. You can also say “I’m going to the zoo..” or any other place, this would be lots of fun to make it about your own trip. Where are you going and what are you taking?
19. Building Sticks
Ages 5+
All you need are some craft sticks, Velcro dots and a hot glue gun to make a great on the go set of “blocks.” Hot glue the Velcro dots on the ends of craft sticks (you can change it up for more diversity putting the dots anywhere you’d like) and wallah you have a set of blocks. These are great for the car since they stick together, there’s no worry of them falling apart and you don’t need very many to be able to create multiple structures or figures. This is great for creative kids who might get bored and need something to keep their hands and minds busy. Make shapes or letters for an added bonus of learning.
20. Mazes
Ages 5+
If your child is a problem solver and needs brain engaging activities, then mazes are a must. Depending on their skill level you may want to get multiple difficulty levels in one book.
21. Road Trip Memory Book
Ages 5+
Kids may not be able to remember all of the wonderful places they have been once they get older so what better way to capture each of these priceless experiences than to make a memory book. Have them fill out a page for each location so they can look back and reminisce about all the things they did.
22. Tic Tac Toe
Ages 5+
Another simple yet effective game in keeping the kids or adults busy. You can get a set that even comes in handy tic tac toe and checkers travel sizes or just simple paper and pencils will do.
23. Word Search
Ages 6+
This is pretty self explanatory, you can get a whole book of word searches from the dollar store. If you want to go the extra mile you can make a word search that has words related to the place(s) you will be visiting. This is a great activity for new vocabulary words. There are several word search books that have themes such as this word search book about the United States.
24. ABC Game
Ages 6+
Put those minds to work with this simple game. Pick a category such as animals, food, or movies and starting with the letter A everyone takes turns using the next letter of the alphabet to name something from that category until someone can’t name something. For example, if the category was fruit, the first person might say “apple” the next might say “blueberry,” this gets everyone involved and requires them to put on their thinking caps. See how long you can go with this exciting game!
25. Name that Tune
Ages 8+
This is a game the whole family can enjoy. You can use whatever comes on the radio or make a playlist (highly recommend a playlist for younger participants), depending on the ages of your players you can stop the song and have them sing the next line, name the song, or name the artist. This game is great because it can be played with different skill levels and gets everyone involved.
26. Road Trip Assistant
Ages 8+
That’s right paper maps are still being used and are a marvelous tool to teach with. Show your child how to read a map, a valuable skill that is dissipating. Have them follow along the route and help give directions, this makes them feel like they’re important. You never know they may end up finding some neat places. Talk about a way to help create those core memories, and of course learn a skill they can use the rest of their lives.
27. Mad Libs
Ages 8+
These are loads of fun and always good for a laugh. You can get a book of mad libs from the dollar store, amazon, or go that extra mile and make up one yourself to go along with the trip.
28. License Plate Game
Ages 8+
Print out a map or list of the states and when they see a license plate from that state they get to check it off or color it in. The one with the most states at the end of the trip wins!
29. Road Trip Trivia
Ages 8+
Teacher alert! Being a former teacher I love when there’s an opportunity for a little education. Learning about the places you visit gives you a higher appreciation for that place when you’re there so what better way than to do a little trivia game. This works best for older kiddos (ages 8 and up) because they should know some basic information about history from school. You can do trivia before and after you visit a location to see what they remember and repetition is better for retention. You can make it game show style with white boards or use sticky notes. This game can last the entire trip to see who scores the highest at the end.
30. Lunch Box Learning
Ages 4+
Put those old metal lunch boxes to use by turning them into a learning activity. Everyone has the alphabet refrigerator magnets so throws those in the lunch box and make a few sight word cards for your child to copy. You can save space by using craft sticks, just write the words on the stick and everything goes in the box. By the time you get back home your child may know how to spell a whole dictionaries worth of words.
Organizing Toys in the Car
With all these activities you will need something to keep things organized so grab a travel tray. There are multiple versions of these. I like this one in particular because it gives the kids their own little entertainment center where they can store all their activities. They can independently access whatever they want to do and you don’t have to worry about handing them things or loosing crayons all over the car. This particular tray is more suitable for kids in a booster or older. For little ones still in a carseat you may want to put their items in a seat back organizer. You can even use a hanging toiletry bag. Get one for each child so they each have their own set of activities.
End of the Road
I hope you were able to find some activities that will make your next car ride amazing! Store your items in a bin that’s easily accessible to have fun for hours. These fun activities are not only for car rides but any type of travel. You might want to do these while camping, waiting at a restaurant, or when you’re bored at home. There’s no limit to how to keep your kids entertained. Let me know if you found any of these ideas helpful or if you have a fun activity you’d like to share on social media. If you need inspiration for a road trip to test these activities out on then explore my East Texas Road Trip post.
