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When you are small, time seems to drag. Put a little body in a car seat for a road trip and the Earth might just stop turning… or it will just appear that way to the little set of eyes glaring at you from the backseat. Yes, traveling with kids is not easy.
Activities for Traveling with Kids
Fill a box with some sanity savers and make everyone just a tiny drop happier by keeping them busy.
On our recent road trip, I put together several activities and kept them in a box behind the passenger seat. Here is what I packed:
1. Fruit cereal rings and a string with a piece of tape wrapped around one end. Works for a snack and an activity… all in one.
2. Big, colored buttons and chenille stems in the matching colors. The buttons work for the tiniest fingers and even older children can enjoy pattern play or matching.
3. Play dough and small tools. This was actually the biggest hit of our trip.
4. Activity bags with a writing tablet, dry erase markers, pencils, crayons, a pencil sharpener, and printable bingo games.
5. Flannel boards with flannel story pieces. You might want to consider removing the smaller pieces since those tend to get lost under the seat.
6. An assortment of puppets. My apologies to the other drivers for any distraction we caused… but OH! It was fun.
7. Nintendo DS, Fisher Price iXL and mini camcorders. Lifesavers with batteries… that’s what these traveling companions are. Just take extra batteries or a car adapter (if applicable.)
8. Construction paper, Scotch tape, colored tape, scrapbooking scissors. This activity bag does create a mess but it also brings a little peace and quiet. You get to decide if the balance is in your favor or not.
9. Story lacing boards. So cute! You use the yarn pieces to sew a picture to the board.
10. Books, book, and more books. In my $1 backseat organizer, I tucked several books (with another set hidden in our suitcase for the return ride), a box of tissues, a travel pack of wet wipes, and markers.
11. Homeschool work. Each child had a folder with their homeschool work. One going and one coming home.
12. Coloring books. We seem to collect coloring books that are never used. I put these in thee box because I figured it the kids were REALLY bored, they might want one to doodle with.
We do not have lap desks for all of the children and the younger ones needed a tray for activities and meals on the go. So, I used a couple of cookie sheets. The only downer… they are noisy when the strike each other.
Other ideas for activities on the road ~
If you still need more inspiration, here are some more ideas that we used on another road trip:
- Beads and yarn
- Clothespins and cardboard
- LeapFrog TAG Reading System
- Playskool Mr. Potato Head
- Flash cards
- File folder games
- Magnifying glass
- Binoculars
- Travel journal
- MP3 player with headphones
- Snap-Lock Beads
- Rubik’s Cube
- Find-It Game (Make your own)
- 20Q handheld game
- Kindle Fire
(loaded with free apps and children’s books)
- Audio books
More Road Trip Help
- Traveling with Kids at Mealtime
- Alabama Road Trip Planner
- US Summer Travel Destinations for Families
- Tips for Camping with Special Needs Children
- How to Pack a Suitcase for Kids
- Free and Cheap Things to Do on the Alabama Gulf Coast
Great minds think alike. I recently did a blog post: 20 Activities To Do With Your Kids While Traveling. http://www.diverginglives.com/2012/05/20-activities-to-do-with-your-kids.html
I LOVE your puppet idea! My kids would totally love getting a reaction from other motorists.
Awesome, Nicole! I made sure to go and pin your post. 🙂
Thank you!
Glad I can help. 🙂