Friday FIve: Road Trip Activities For Kids
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Happy Friday, y’all! A few weeks ago my lively crew visited St. Louis, MO for a fun weekend getaway, and we just (like, just a few days ago) got back from a mini-vacation to Cave City, KY (more to come on that soon). We have spent quite a bit of time in the car lately. Oh, and let’s not forget that we lived in Hawaii for 2 months, which required two 17 hour travel days…
Anyway, I thought it would be fitting to theme this week’s Friday Five around fun road trip activities for kids. Road trips can be a little overwhelming when kids are involved. Heck, they can be overwhelming even when kids aren’t involved.
A few basic road trip “traveling with kids” tips can really go a long way. For example, NEVER stop when the kids are sleeping, plan on having an adult sit in the back with the kids when they are toddlers, and throw that “we gotta make great time” mindset out the window. These are just a few things I’ve learned so far as a parent who insists on traveling with kiddos.
I’ve also gotten a little better at keeping my kids busy on long drives. Check out five road trip activities for kids that my kids love!
Road Trip Activities For Kids
1. Electronics
All the electronics. Utilize each and every single electronic that you have available to you. Tablets, iPads, phones, Nintendo Switch, DVD player, etc. Bring and use them all.
Normally, I aim for a screen time/non-screen time balance, however, when it comes to spending hours couped up in a car together…I vote for peace. Also, usually, when we are on a road trip it is to go somewhere fun to do something as a family, so naturally, we watch less tv/have less screen time than usual. It all balances out, right?
2. Puffy Sticker Books
I mentioned these puffy sticker books by Melissa & Doug before. These sticker books keep Reese busy for a long time. The stickers are reusable, so they last a long time (or at least the whole trip). I absolutely love them.
Not to mention, they are great for Easter Baskets and Stocking Stuffers.
3. Road Trip Games
What’s a road trip without road trip games? This past trip was the first time the kids were old enough to play/care about playing games in the car. Our favorites were “I’m going on a picnic…” and a game we call categories.
For “I’m going on a picnic…” the first person starts by saying “I’m going on a picnic and I am going to bring…” and says one thing he/she wants to bring on the picnic. The next person goes by saying “I’m going on a picnic and I am going to bring (whatever the first person said) and adds something new of his/her choice. It keeps going and going and the list keeps getting longer and longer until someone forgets. It’s a great way to kill time.
We also like to play categories at the dinner table. One person picks a category (i.e. favorite flower, favorite food, favorite candy, etc.) and everyone gets to name their favorite of whatever is in that category.
For more road trip game inspiration, check out this list of road trip games by Great Wolf Lodge. We will definitely be implementing a few of these on our next trip. Road trip games
4. Snacks
Bring snacks, buy snacks, just make sure you have plenty of snacks. I like to pack a few snacks that are slightly healthier than what we usually find at the gas station and a spill-proof cup of water, but I also like to let the kids pick out snacks when we make pit stops. They get excited about it and sometimes it can be used as a bargaining chip between stops.
“If you guys are quiet until we get to the next rest area, you can buy any snack you want!”
5. Activity Books
The kind of activity book you want will vary on the age of your child. My preschooler loves these dry erase books and hidden picture books. My kindergartener enjoys dot-to-dot and activity books with a wide range of activities in them.
