Tips for Keeping Kids Busy on the Road

What parent doesn’t dream of having their children enjoy the ride to their family vacation spot as much as they do the destination?  After all happy kids equal happy parents.  And if you are trying to maintain your sanity on a long car ride you know that being prepared is a critical component to achieving your goal. 

These boredom busters will go a long way to keep your summer road trip on the right track:

GEOGRAPHY BEE
There are different versions of this game, but this one best suits a road trip.  Have one member of the family think of a place (city, state, country, etc.).  Then, have the next person think of another destination that starts with the last letter of the previous place. Remember that you can’t use the same place twice or make up fictional destinations.

For example:

Mom starts with: Iowa

Dad: Alabama

Son: Arkansas

Daughter: South Carolina

I SPY
What family hasn’t taken part in this travel classic?  Car rides and I Spy go together like peanut butter and jelly… which is something that my brown eyes spied in the cooler on the back seat.  For those who have never played this family favorite it is very simple.  One person spies an object and the rest of the family has to guess what it is.  And remember that you can tailor the game to fit your family.  For example, you might limit what you spy to the interior of the car or you can include things that you have already passed. 

BAKING SHEET BINGO
Pack a baking sheet in your vehicle and you will quickly see how versatile it can be on a long car trip.  The baking sheet is multi-faceted. It can be used as a playing surface for Legos, cars, or dolls.  It also doubles as a table for drawing and spreading out snacks. If you have young children the baking sheet can be used for magnetic letters, numbers and shapes while older children can use it to play travel bingo.  Prepare equal size grids for several colors of cars or other objects that you typically see on a road trip and have your kids X out a square each time they spot one.  The first one who completes his or her bingo sheet wins.  Remember to make a different bingo grid for each member of your family so you can compete against each other.

See Also:

Tips for Chasing Away the “Are We There Yet” Blues