Keeping Kids Occupied on Road Trips

If you’ve ever been confined to a car during a long road trip, you’re no stranger to the fact the hours can stretch out in front of you like the road you’re on.

When you’re traveling with kids, the car can really start to seem like a prison. If your family has multiple children, the backseat can sound like a zoo if the ride goes on for too long. Luckily, there are lots of ways to keep the kids entertained during a long car ride.

If your kids are old enough to own their own electronic devices, like the Nintendo 3DS, Switch or tablets, chances are these will keep the kids occupied throughout the bulk of the trip. The 3DS and tablets are great to keep kids occupied individually. If the kids have a Nintendo Switch, make sure they bring it and they can play games together.

If your kids are not into games, load up the tablet with downloadable movies and kid-friendly television shows from Netflix. If your kids are not big on movies and games and the ride takes place during the day, books could be the way to keep them occupied for the duration.

Take a family trip to a local bookstore before the journey and have each child pick out a book. This will give the family some quality time together before being crammed into a car for a long trip.

In addition to novels and less-difficult non-fiction books, think about picking up a few image search books. The I Spy books are pretty cheap if purchased used and let kids have a lot of fun together. These books are perfect for kids too young to read especially well, but also work well for older elementary school children.

Depending on the length of the road trip, these might not be enough to keep the kids entertained throughout the entire ride. If all else fails, break out the tried-and-true repertoire of road trip games. Playing I Spy on the road, calling out different landmarks and playing word association games are great ways to pass the time until you get where you’re going.