Road Trip Activities For Kids
Taking kids on a long road trip isn’t for the faint of heart. You will want to be sure to pack yourself an arsenal full of road trip activities for your kids.
The tips listed below could be tailored for almost any age and have been incredibly helpful for us as we travel down the East Coast in our Snowbird Adventures!
Kids can get super antsy when they are locked into the car seat for hours at a time. You will want to break up the monotony with new and exciting activities that they can that will get their minds off of the uncomfortable car ride.
Whether you are driving 2 hours or 24 hours, these road trip activities will help everyone hold on to their sanity and maybe even enjoy the ride.
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1. Manipulatives
Rotating road trip activities for your kids will keep them engaged and happily entertained. If you purchase a tray for your child to have across their lap (like this one) they can play with playdoh or kinetic sand. This can provide an hour of imaginary play if you couple the manipulative with their favorite things! For example, kinetic sand + construction vehicles or playdoh + dinosaurs.
Another favorite that can keep kid’s entertained for a solid hour are sticker books!
There are tons of options on Amazon with every theme imaginable! Be sure your child is at the age where they can do this without any assistance from you. These are sure to be enjoyable road trip activities for your kids.
2. Writing/Drawing/Coloring
I found, at least for my children, that this category doesn’t quite hold their attention as long, but they are great road trip activities to sprinkle into the rotation.
Water Wow books are perfect for road trip painting (and available in lots of themes).
All you need to do is add a small amount of water to the brush and they can paint the entire book.
They are also re-useable, but you have to wait for it to dry.
Another favorite of ours is activity books, especially mazes!
Bring a box of crayons and coloring books or pencils and journals for older kids. Be sure to capture their interest in whatever book you choose for them.
My son would never sit and color any book until I landed upon a Super Car Coloring Book. Now that he will sit and color!
3. Snacks
Every time we stop at a gas station or a rest area we try to make it special by getting snacks that the kids would not normally have. We call them “road trip snacks”.
This is super exciting for them and breaks up the day really well. I have a distinct memory of when I would go on long road trips as a kid and we also bought Yoohoo at the gas station.
I never drank it when we weren’t on a road trip and I honestly haven’t had it since! But it is a found memory for sure!
4. Technology
Saved this for last just in case you are like me and like to use tech sparingly. In addition to just popping on a movie, we love to have our kids listen to podcasts (like Story Pirates or Bedtime Stories with Mr. Jim), music, or audiobooks! Our library offers audiobook titles on the Hoopla app that we can download for free.
Check out your local library to see if they offer something similar! Having something the kids can only listen to will engage their imaginations and they can get lost in the story.
Having your kids deep into their imaginations is a perfect activity for a road trip because time will seem to go by much faster for them. We also like to throw in the occasional video game, maybe with a game boy (or faux one like this) that excites them for a short period of time as well.
5. Stop and Move
Just thinking about sitting for hours and hours at a time is making my legs hurt. Be sure to stop at rest stops, parks, fast food parking lots or gas stations to get out of the car and move. Kids need to move their bodies even more than we do! Do quick activities together like races, Simon Says, or any other games.
Make the stop special by making a quick trip to a playground. Be sure to get their legs moving and their heart racing so that they can have the potential to enjoy the next leg of the trip!
Road trips are a great way to spend time with family and friends. Make sure you relax and enjoy the ride. Be sure to take lots of great photos capturing these sweet memories with your kids while they are young!
In summary, be sure to alternate activities to keep kiddos engaged and happy. Remember at the end of the day their bodies will need to wiggle and move. As a 30 something year old I get super restless too. Be sure to get the wiggles out every now and again.
These road trip activities for kids are bound to make your next road trip much more successful! Gather all of the necessary items to use as tools as you drive down the road. Happy travels!
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