10 Crucial Items To Entertain Kids On Your Holiday Road Trip: It’s that time of year again: over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house you go! It’s a time filled with joy, festivities, family, friends, and great food, but getting there can be somewhat less than joyous. After you pack your first aid kit and emergency supplies—in case your car breaks down—here are a few tips for keeping your kids entertained so that you don’t break down.
1. Keep their ears busy: Radio is good, but the songs replay every few hours, even on satellite radio. Have your children help create a CD or MP3 playlist specifically for that road trip full of their favorite songs. If your car doesn’t have a great sound system and you don’t have time or money to install a brand new amp kit, there are iPod or MP3 portable speakers that produce really good sound to keep the tunes rolling. Don’t forget your car charger though!
2. Audio books are also a great way to keep kids entertained, especially for those who get carsick while reading. There are many audio books available for all ages, and if your kids are older, you can pick out of the many family favorites like Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia.
3. Treats are a definite must: You do not have to pack entire meals, but snacks give little fingers and mouths something to do, and keeps tummies happy. Individual packages will keep the arguing to a minimum, because everyone will get the same amount of treats.
4. Travel games are always fun. Electronic games, puzzles like Rubik’s cubes or word searches, the license plate game, or card games can provide hours of entertainment.
5. Try inspiring their creativity with color books and dry erase boards. For the more creative, you can bring a pile of colorful pipe cleaners to make jewelry, swords, towers, and anything else their imagination sees.
6. Low-stick masking tape could be used to create boundaries for personal space, or become a giant spider’s web that can be taken down with one swipe by you for easy cleanup.
7. Kids love playing photographer, and their very own disposable camera document their view of the trip can give them plenty of entertainment. You may get a few pictures of the car floor, but the joy they’ll get out of it will be well worth it.
8. When older kids ask the age-old question, “Are we there yet?” hand them a map, and let them figure out where you are. Ask them to find how long it’ll take to get to your destination. It will help teach them how to read a map, learn directions, and give them knowledge that will help them later in life.
9. With smaller kids, stop every couple of hours at a rest stop and let them run around. Take chalk for a quick game of hopscotch, a Frisbee, or play a game of tag. It will help get their pent-up energy out and make for a happier car ride.
10. A small pillow and your child’s favorite blanket can be a big comfort while traveling, as well as making a more comfortable place for taking naps.
These tips, as well as plenty of trash bags, napkins, and wet wipes, will help you arrive at your holiday destination still full of holiday cheer!
Author Byline
Nina Hiatt researches and writes articles to help people find balance and beauty in their personal space. In her free time, Nina blogs about many of her interests, which include gardening, technology news, baking, and she has recently been writing for Execution Audio. Hope you love reading “10 Crucial Items To Entertain Kids On Your Holiday Road Trip”.
