Keeping children entertained during a road trip can be an interesting process. In order to keep them entertained, it is best that you have multiple entertainment ideas. This article aims to provide you with some fun ideas to keep those littles ones entertained while traveling.
Coloring Book Kits
There's nothing like the tried and true coloring book. Many children love to color with crayons and a coloring book, and you can let them do this while you’re traveling. Pack some coloring books and a few crayons, and your children will have something to keep them entertained awhile. If there is nowhere to set the coloring book, bring along a baking sheet that they can place on their lap to house the book and crayons.
Dollar-Store Toys
While planning your road trip, make sure you bring along a few dollar-store toys. Either wrap each toy in wrapping paper, or place each toy in a paper lunch bag for each child to open while traveling. Don’t let your children see the toys beforehand; let each toy be a surprise. Your children will have lots of fun awaiting the new toys they’ll be getting during the road trip.
Electronic Tablet
Many child-friendly electronic tablets are very affordable - like the Amazon Kid's Fire Tablet for only $99. Some tablets have applications that you can download to keep your children entertained while they are traveling. Don’t forget to bring along the charger for the tablet as well.
Vehicle DVD Player
A lot of children like to watch movies while traveling, so having a portable DVD player can be an excellent idea. If you don’t want to spend too much money for DVDs, you should look in store bins for them. A lot of stores will have bins of DVDs that they sell for five dollars or less each. If your road trip is going to be a short one, you may even look into the possibility of renting some DVDs. Make sure you allow for time to return the DVDs back to the rental store before you incur late fees.
Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic-tac-toe is a reliable way to keep your youngsters entertained. You can use several sheets of paper to draw tic-tac-toe boards on, and let your children play the game in the vehicle. Once again, having a baking sheet handy will give the children a place to play the game. The tic-tac-toe idea works best when you have at least two children who want to play. If you only have one child, providing you’re not the one driving, you can sit in the back and play the game with him or her.
Audio Books
Having a few audio books ready to go can be great for children who love to read or have people read to them. There are a large number of children’s audio books available, and your youngsters may only need portable CD players in order to listen to them.
Portable Bingo
A game of bingo can take a while to complete; therefore, bingo can be a perfect game for children to play while they’re traveling. Place some bingo chips or bingo markers in a resealable plastic bag, and find some bingo sheets that you can print. Once again, bringing along a baking sheet can give your children somewhere to place the bingo sheets and chips or markers while they’re playing.
Scavenger Hunt
Some places online offer free printable scavenger hunt papers. These papers allow children to check off things that they see during their car ride. For instance, if the scavenger hunt paper shows a stop sign, a blue car and an orange truck, they should try to find each of these things during their travel time. Make sure to print a sheet that has many things on it so that it keeps them entertained for a good while. Also, make sure to bring crayons or markers so that they can have fun checking each thing off their paper.
Alphabet Letters
Here is an example of yet another time when a baking sheet can come in handy during your road trip. Do you remember those magnetic letters made out of plastic? Those letters, when placed on a baking sheet, can really entertain youngsters. If your child is old enough to be learning how to spell words, you can even ask him or her to spell various things that he or she sees during the trip. For instance, when your child sees a green car, try to have him or her spell those two words.
Clay on a Tray
What child doesn’t love creating things with play dough? There are many recipes online that tell you how to create your own play dough, or you can purchase the name-brand dough. Place the play dough on a baking sheet while traveling, and hand the sheet to your child. This allows children the opportunity to bring out their creativity while on road trips.
