You’ll need these road trip ideas to keep the kids occupied if you’re taking a trip across the country this summer! I have a lot of experience packing for lengthy car drives with kids because we go on road trips frequently.
I quickly discovered which car trip activities would keep toddlers occupied even when they were small. And as our youngest two are growing older and our eldest is almost a teenager, I’ve found a range of age-appropriate road trip kid activities.
Best car activities for kids
Road trip entertainment options have always been on my packing list. However, it is true because these activities actually change depending on whether you are traveling with young children, teenagers, or toddlers.
Mad Libs
My kids love this Mad Libs activity, and taking the family on a road trip means everyone can play along. Because it assists me in passing the time, this is one of our favorite things to do with kids on long car rides.
Filling in a handful of these ridiculous stories will make everyone laugh and enjoy themselves.
Audio Books
I have always believed that a long vehicle ride can be made more enjoyable by listening to audiobooks.
You may either give your kid headphones so they can listen to it on their device, or you can play it on the car audio and pay attention to it together.
Road Trip Games
Engage your kid in some of the road trip activities before pulling out the iPads.
- I Spy: In this easy game, everyone attempts to predict what a family member is spying on by saying, “I spy something that’s (insert color).” The next person to go is the first to guess properly.
- Category ABCs: Pick a category and give an example of something in that category that begins with the letter A. The person behind them must name an item in that group that begins with the letter B, & thereafter.
- Name the tune: Play or sing a short portion of your toddler’s favorite songs for them. Check to see when they can identify the song!
- License plate games: They’re good games for older kids. Search as many various states as you want for license plates. Can you locate all fifty? Decide on a joint aim.
Color Wonder Books
For a long car 🚗 trip, I would recommend you get some mess-free coloring books 📚. These make it simple and mess-free for your young artist to color with markers.
The surprise 😮 box
My kids eagerly look forward to opening their “surprise box” on every road trip. I basically used lunchboxes that I got at a garage sale as the boxes.
I load them with cheap toys and trinkets from yard sales, Dollar Tree, or stuff I discover on clearance after every lengthy trip.
Since my kids 🧒 have never seen the contents before, each object or activity is much more thrilling, which is why this is generally a hit. I also include some unique sweet delights and munchies.
Fine motor control games
I would suggest you use an empty can (e.g., oatmeal or whipped topping container) that has a cover. Make a few holes on the lid that are just big enough for children to insert pom poms through.
Magnetic toys
My youngsters love the challenge of using this entertaining kit to make hilarious expressions or utilizing a magnetic tangram kit to create diverse shapes.
Additionally, you may pick up a cheap cookie sheet from the dollar store and bring magnetic tiles or alphabet magnets that you most likely already have inside the house 🏠.
Water painting
Parents like you always love this because they are mess-free, and kids will enjoy how simple the painting is.
In the unlikely event that they leak or spill, very little water 💧 will be lost. For a faster drying time, hold them close to the car’s air vents.
Lego box
I would recommend you put a Lego baseplate in the bottom of a plastic box 📦 or tray from the dollar store using double-sided sticky tabs. Include a selection of Lego bricks to create a portable, creative, fun box.
Lego kits and base plates are available at Dollar Tree for a reasonable price if you are concerned about losing pieces of a set.
Etch-a-Sketch drawing
I always prefer to suggest this activity because most children love it, especially those who are preschool-age and older.
It’s difficult to twist those knobs to make a drawing, but kids enjoy seeing what they can come up with—even if the end product is frequently a staircase.
Map fun
My two children adore looking at maps. For some enjoyable pretend driving, including a toy automobile.
You can give your kids a copy of your travel itinerary or a state-printed map to follow along with you. To help children understand how far they still have to go, mark all your stops with a star.
Take pictures 📸
My kids are always delighted as they have the ability to capture pictures of the trip as well as the final location.
Also, since practically everyone has a cell phone these days, inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras are frequently available at local swap meets or garage sales.
These kid-sized cameras 📷 are a huge hit with my kids because they fit perfectly in their little hands. They frequently use a portion of the voyage to go through their previous camera images.
Storytime
I would suggest you invent family stories using your imagination! “Once upon a time…” is used by the first person to begin the story, and they provide a whole sentence.
The second person then continues the story using their sentence. Continue adding sentences in turn until the story comes to an end.
The alphabet game
I would suggest that you make sure that one of your kids takes the left side of the highway while the other stays on the right. Next, each search for alphabetic characters on side-view mirrors or license plates.
The goal of the vehicle game is to identify every letter in the alphabet, starting with A and ending with Z. The winner is the first person to identify every letter!
Scavenger hunt
You need to do some advance planning to perform 🎭 this activity. Make a list of things you might see on the way—a motorcycle, a cow, a blue billboard, etc.—before you go.
Your children can monitor what they see and be on the alert for these goods. They will receive a prize if they locate every item on your list.
Categories
You can select a broad type, such as dinner foods, cities, or movie titles. Next, each participant names an item in the selected category in the alphabetical sequence. If you were to list cities, you might list Detroit, Edinburgh, Boise, Charleston, Athens, and so on.
A player is eliminated if they are unable to accurately spell their response or state it in ten seconds. Whoever is left standing wins.
Portable DVD 📀 Player
I did go there, yes. Let’s face it, even if I also prefer to keep my kids away from screens. You need silence in the car sometimes.
Additionally, a good Disney film or Mickey Mouse Playground show on your personal DVD player might occasionally help during lengthy vehicle rides with young children.
Pro Tips:
Pack car sick bags, please. One of my best pieces of advice for road trips is to bring extra supplies in case of “unexpected” motion sickness. My son used to occasionally become sick from monitoring the DVD player.
Guessing games
If you are in need of a little inspiration, guess ten games are a great option for entertaining youngsters while driving. These games provide a small amount of assistance in formulating hypothesis concepts.
Twenty questions are also available, in which a single participant begins with a presumption and informs the others, for example, “I’m a famous woman” or “I’m thinking of a book.” Then, you each estimate what the other person is thinking of by asking a yes-or-no question.
When someone correctly guesses the object or when 20 questions are answered with no one guessing, the game is done.
Sketchbook and pencils
I always suggest mothers keep their children busy while driving 🚗. I know it’s not that easy, but I can tell you a trick 😉.
A sketchbook and crayons are among my favorite items to include in a kid’s carry-on luggage for both travel and flights.
My children frequently use it to sketch what they observe and encounter when traveling. They’re also a terrific option to bring to a restaurant for a screen-free supper.
Magnetic road trip games
I will be honest with you, and it’s my experience that kids become more irritated 😤 when their playthings fall on the ground.
To get rid of this situation 😕 you just need a magnetic toy set of games that will keep your little kid’s hand busy while you drive 🚗.
Conclusion
All the activities mentioned in this article are full of fun, and this will help your kids to be engaged during a long holiday trip.
This will help your kids to be creative in many fields, and this will also allow them to express their own ideas 💡 and self-expression. Apart from all of these, if you have anything to add, please mention it in our comment box. Thank you.
I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)