Road trips can be a blast, but it could be another story if you’re traveling with the kids. We’ve learned that preparing for the drive is just as important as planning what to do when you get to your destination. That umpteen-hour drive to and from Disney World can have you cursing Cinderella before you even make it to the panhandle.
I mean, while we know we can’t expect joy-filled giggles or total peace and quiet the entire drive, I do have some great ideas to make the drive more enjoyable and to help keep the kids from declaring total mutiny in the backseat. If you’ve got a road trip planned, you’ll definitely want to keep reading for sanity-saving things to do on a long car ride with kids.
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Kids’ Activities and Games for a Long Car Ride
Whether your long car ride is 2 hours or 20 hours, you’ll want to be prepared. Depending upon your kid’s age, stage, and ability to entertain themselves, you might need just a few fun ideas or an entire arsenal of activities that will help beat boredom without an overload of screen time. Be sure and add some of these items to your road trip packing list!
LCD Writing Tablet
I love these LCD writing tablets! Kids can write, draw, and erase all day. The battery lasts about 12 months of use and is replaceable when it goes out, so you don’t have to worry about keeping it charged. Just toss it in a diaper bag or backpack and you have an instant creative outlet for the car ride.
Reusable Sticker Books
For little ones on a long car ride, I love these reusable sticker books! They’re safe for the car because the stickers easily peel off a car window or seat back. Whoever created these deserves a medal, says every parent who has scraped old stickers from their door panels after a long car trip.
Sticker Activity Books
There are lots of options for sticker/activity books, but I especially love these beautifully illustrated travel-themed ones for older kids. This 50 States sticker book is fun and is a great geography lesson, especially if you’ll be crossing several state lines during your road trip. This National Park book is also a great idea if you’ll be road-tripping to any of these incredible parks.
Travel Activity Desk
If your kid prefers drawing on paper, then a travel activity desk is awesome. Find one that has pockets for all of their supplies and easily zips open and closed, so you’re not hunting for markers and loose crayons the entire road trip.
Magnetic Puzzles and Games
There are all kinds of magnetic puzzles and games available, from tangrams to chess. I love that the pieces stay attached, so there’s less chance of losing them. My kids love Minecraft, so I’m excited to pull out this puzzle for our next road trip!
Magnetic Drawing Board
The magnetic drawing board is similar to a writing tablet, but in this case, the stylus moves tiny magnetic beads to the surface of the board. When you want to “erase” it, simply push the beads back down. This is a great sensory, mess-free activity for kids for long car rides.
Play Travel “I Spy”
No road trip is complete without road trip games. Here’s a game you can play the old-school way or get a pack of travel cards to play this game with your family as a way to pass the time. It’s a great way to get the kids engaged in the world outside the car and sharpens their observation skills.
Lacing Toys
My girls loved these lacing toys when they were little. They felt like they were learning to sew, while at the same time strengthening their fine motor skills. They’re great for car rides since there are no small pieces, plus they’re easily packable for your road trip.
Busy Boards
A busy board is an engaging, sensory experience for your toddlers or preschoolers. Your little kids will be able to practice skills, such as zipping or buckling. They’ll love the textures and colors and learn basic skills that every school-age kid needs to know. These busy boards make it a fun way to pass the time on a road trip, as well as learn life skills in the car.
Play the Alphabet Game
Similar to “I Spy,” the alphabet game gets your kiddos looking for letters of the alphabet on road signs, billboards, and license plates on your long car ride. It’s a great way to get them reading without realizing they’re doing it on the long car ride. I love these free printable alphabet games from Military One Source.
Pack Legos
You’re probably laughing right now, but seriously… This idea from MammaPapaBubba is genius. You can create your own travel Lego kit that will let your kiddos build in the car for hours without dropping dozens of tiny Legos in the bottomless pit of your back seat.
Play a License Plate Game
Here’s one of my favorite road trip games. I used to play the license plate game as a kid. Of course, we did it the old-school way with paper and pencil, but you can find some really neat games to bring along in the car, like this Melissa and Doug version or these License Plate Travel Bingo cards.
Surprise Bags
Packing some DIY blind bags with some figurines your kids would love is so much fun. They’ll be thrilled about the surprise as they pull out unexpected fun things. On our trip to Disney, I ordered a big pack of little Disney toys on eBay for WAY cheaper than I would have paid at the park. And because it was a surprise to my kids, they were over the moon excited.
Road Trip Bingo
There are tons of free, printable Bingo games your kids can play on your long car ride, like these from the Travel Channel or these for your Bluey fans.
Pro tip: Put them in page protectors in a binder, so you can continue to add to your travel Bingo collection over the years.
Game on a Nintendo Switch
If you don’t have one of these super popular handheld gaming devices, it might be worth investing in one or borrowing one if you’ll be in the car for hours. While we typically try to avoid excessive amounts of screen time, desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to help the kids stay entertained. (The Switch is also available in a Lite version at a lower price point. )
Activities for Everyone for a Long Car Ride
The opportunity to spend hours together on a long car ride can be a great time to bond, plan, and enjoy some road trip entertainment. Here are some great ideas for family activities that little kids, teens, and adults can either enjoy together or separately when we need a break from each other.
Save the Trip Planning For the Car
If you have a flexible week ahead of you at your destination, take the time to plan on your car ride instead of nailing it all down before. Let the kids weigh in on meals, activities, etc. It will fill the time and let the kids have more buy-in on your road trip. This is especially important if you have older kids/teens who might be more reluctant about a family trip.
Listen to a Podcast
It seems there are endless podcast choices available. Depending upon the age and interests of your family, choose one to listen to together, or download podcasts on individual devices for some quiet listening time. There are even podcasts made for children as young as two years old, so there’s definitely something for everyone.
Listen To Your Own Music
If you have a music subscription, download music to your child’s tablet or phone ahead of time when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. We have a Spotify family account, and each of us can create our own library of music. Having control over music on the drive gives everyone a little sanity and control over their environment when everyone is in need of some personal space and time.
Learn a New Language
An extended amount of time in the car is a great time to work on your second language skills. You could choose a podcast to listen to or practice on a free language learning app, such as Duolingo. There are lots of options for practicing the language of your choice.
Listen to an Audiobook
I love that I can download audiobooks on the Libby app from my public library. Listening to a novel is one of the other best ways to pass the hours on long car rides. It’s free and there are tons of choices. You can also sign up for an Audible membership if your public library doesn’t offer this service.
Tip: if your local library doesn’t offer this or has many audiobooks available, check with a bigger city in your state. Some of them will allow residents of the state to create an account for free. If you’re in TX, you can get an online card from the Houston Public Library and get FREE access to tons of books and audiobooks!
Find an Interesting Gas Station
The south has its Bucees and the Northeast has its Wawa. If you’re into gas stations that seem to offer it all, you’ll find it at one of these locations.
There are also some incredibly unique gas stations across the US that are worth a stop and might even be worth going out of your way to visit.
Make Foodie Stops
If speed is your thing, then you might want to skip right over this. But if you love to try local food, then plan your drive around it. Some of our favorite stops have been at local spots that we’ve found on our drive. It’s much better than wolfing down some greasy fries while you’re driving, IMO.
Play “While You Were Sleeping”
This might be one of my favorites. ???? When someone in the car falls asleep, everyone else QUIETLY creates a story about what happened while the sleeping passenger was snoozing. The goal is to make them believe you, so depending upon the gullibility of your crew, you can go as big as you want with your story.
Forbidden Words
This is a hilarious game to get everyone involved in. At the beginning of the trip, you set some words that are forbidden from being spoken, like “bathroom” or “hungry.” If someone in the car says one of these words, they are either out of the game or you could have them complete a task like eating some BeanBoozled jelly beans. The rules are really up to you!
Play Decades
This is another favorite game of ours, and I don’t know if it has a real name, but that’s what we call it.
Someone in the car calls out a decade. Then everyone takes turns picking out a song from that decade. It’s sure to get some laughs and likely some groans. Spotify playlists make this an easy game to play.
Watch a Movie
One of my favorite features of Netflix is that I can download hours of movies onto my kids’ tablet or phone. This is great for airplane rides and really long car rides, especially if you don’t have cellular service or have limited data.
Take a Photo-Op
Break up the drive by finding some Insta-Worthy photo ops along the way. It’s a great way to document your trip while you stretch your legs.
Find a Park
Chances are, there are some fun parks or playgrounds along your travel route. If you’re traveling during the day, plan to stop and let the kids run off some steam. If they play hard enough, you might get some quiet nap time afterward.
Things to Do to Make it a Relaxing Long Car Ride
Sometimes after a few hours on a long car ride, you can start to feel trapped or overwhelmed, especially if you or your kids are highly sensitive or have special needs. This is a struggle for our family, so I have to be proactive at trying to create a calm environment in the car. To help prevent meltdowns and overwhelm, these items help to encourage rest and calm on our road trips.
Pack Snacks!
If we had to stop every time someone said, “I’m hungry,” we’d waste HOURS. But we’ll also do almost anything to avoid having “hangry” passengers.
Before your trip, it’s a great idea to go snack shopping. Let the kids pick out their faves, but make sure you also pack some healthy snacks. We love to bring a small cooler to toss in some string cheese, apple slices, and grapes.
Headphones or Earplugs
Having a pair of headphones or earplugs for every person is going to make your road trip so much easier when everyone is wanting to listen to their own music, show, etc. I love having wireless headphones, but it’s helpful to have a wired pair on hand in case you aren’t able to charge a set.
Sometimes, you don’t want to listen to anything but need some quiet. My daughter has misophonia and is very easily over-stimulated by sounds. On a road trip, she either uses her noise-canceling Airpod Pros with or without any music playing or will wear these Loop earplugs to help muffle sounds.
Invest in Travel Pillows
This is an essential part of your road trip. Finding a travel pillow that works to support your head and neck will make a huge difference on your road trip and help guarantee that you’ll get some good rest.
If you’re like me and have a hard time getting enough neck support, then you might love this unique neck pillow. I was skeptical at first, but it was a game changer on a 9-hour overnight flight.
Darken the Windows
If you’re traveling during the day, adding some removable window shades will help block out some of the sunlight and help your passengers get some rest during the drive, and cut down on glare.
Eye Masks
These silk, adjustable eye masks should be part of your road trip essentials. If you or your crew have trouble sleeping during the day, these lightweight eye masks provide a black-out environment to help you rest on the road.
Aromatherapy
Traveling in a car together can result in some interesting…aromas. To help keep it fresh, you might enjoy one of these travel diffusers. It sits in your cup holder and plugs into a USB outlet. Bring along your favorite essential oil blends and create a relaxing environment.
Fidget with a Fidget
From toddlers to adults, a fidget can be a sanity saver on a long drive for your anxious or antsy travelers. For me, having something to do with my hands helps me stay off my phone. If you have older kids and teens, they’ll likely enjoy these Shape-Shifting Cubes. Younger kids will love these variety packs. You can pull a new one out every hour to change it up.
Wrapping Up
Family road trips, while exhausting, can be a lot of fun! If you plan well for your road trip ahead of time, you can actually make some really fun memories during the drive, as well as help keeps everyone entertained and well-rested.
If everyone is sick of each other and angry before you arrive, it can affect the rest of your trip and keep you from fully enjoying the fun things you planned the rest of the time. So next time you are planning to hit the open road, refer back to our list to get ideas for your road trip.
Let us know your best tips for surviving and enjoying long car rides with your family!
