How to Keep My Preschoolers Busy on a Long Road Trip

We use to drive at night and we would give the kids Benedryl so they would sleep. Also, it helps to get a good pillow that is made for cars. Now, they are much better in the car, and we use a dvd player, coloring books. They have "color wonder" book that have special markers that do not mark up anything but these special books. You can find them anywhere: craft stores, Target, etc. A cookie sheet works well for a flat surface so they can color. The library does not have a great selection for books on tape, but you may find 1 or 2. you can also download books on tape off of the internet. Try this website for good books, they can follow along with the book too: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/links/kids/Booklists/presch...
The library probably has some good cd's with nursery rhymes,that kids in their age group love to sing to: my kids also loved the Wiggles at that age. We also take a map of where we are going and highlight the road we are driving. Then I mark with stickers certain area that we may stop or every hour marks. So when the kids ask, "Are we there yet?", I will say....."look for the yellow happy face sticker, that is where we are!". Have fun!

2 moms found this helpful

My boys 5 and 3 love the Dr Suess books on cd...I got them at the library and then checked out all the books they had that went with the cd. We also, break up our long trips by taking a portable dvd player, books on tape, a silly song cd, as well as a quiet cd. When they get bored of one thing we switched to another one. We also would stretchout the stops by saying in two songs, or when the movie is over, etc.

1 mom found this helpful

My sister and I did a LONG drive to Montana one year...there were 5 children in the car with us! I have a DVD player, so that SAVED us sooo much! But, we did do something. We put together little treat/snack bags for each of the kids. They got to open a new one every 3 hours, and in each of them was a snack, a drink, and a little something else.... like markers and a little note book, little travel games, etc...They loved it! They looked forward to opening them, and gave them something to do!

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

The things that worked best for my "loves to travel" child and "does not like to travel" child were new things (toys age appropriate) that were kept in a bag out of sight until in the car and doled out as necessary. The portable DVD player is a big hit even now. Stops at a food playland. They sleep good on a full stomach after burning a few calories. Pack snacks that are treats they don't normally get at home. New sippy cups/snack cups. Rest area stops with exercise (like racing, jumping jacks, bikes if you are travelling with them). Some of the favorite toys were slinkys, glow sticks for night time, etch a sketch, color wonder, legos (each had their own lap tray), squishy balls, 3D viwer, etc. The trick was not to bring toys they often play with, but ones that were new. We also had tapes of kids sing-along music and stories. As teens they still pull out the tape for the woman who swallowed the fly. And mostly drive like the dickens when they are sleeping. Even if you have to drive all night and take turns.

1 mom found this helpful

When my siblings and I were little, my parents took a two week trip every summer. We traveled everywhere up and down the east coast! My grandmother made up lunch bags with little toys, small activity books, markers, some snacks, etc. and we got a new one every day. It was cool and something I will remember for a long time. Now when we travel with my son, we have the portable DVD player, he reads (he is older), or we listen and sing to music. Books on tape are a great option and the library has a good selection of these. Have a safe and great trip.

1 mom found this helpful

When our kids were young, we made annual summer trips in the car to see the grandparents as we could never afford to fly. Start now and put away some of their toys that you think would be good car toys. They will forget about them and they will be more fun if they haven't seen them in a while. Bring extra batteries! My daughter loved to draw, color, make maps (pretending she was hiding a treasure), design things, etc. They really loved books and tapes. We would sing along at the top of our lungs, sometimes. Driving at night helps as they will sleep more. We also got maps (didn't have mapquest then) and stopped at parks for lunch so they could climb and play while we ate. (Then they ate in the car while we were driving.) We always made it a reward for their good behavior. We had a van so the kids were always in separate seats. They get along much better that way! Then I would sit where I could hand them a toy (only one at a time) and would spread them out over the whole trip. They never knew what I would pull out of another corner or compartment of the car. We would also make up stories. You can prompt the 3 year-old with story lines. If you can't read, you can certainly remember stories or adapt a movie or TV show you have seen. Flashlights are fun for when it gets dark. Keep a variety of snacks that they don't always get. They don't usually eat well on the road, but they can nibble throughout the trip. We did cheese in a can so we could make funny faces or shapes on crackers. I can't stand the stuff but my kids loved it. Make every aspect an adventure. Stop at scenic lookouts, historical landmarks (even if it's just for a stretch) - don't be in a hurry to get there. It's too hard for them. Take them to the bathroom each time so that they don't ever get to a point that they learn to use that as an excuse to stop. And be sure to act like you are having fun so they see it as a fun adventure as well. Enjoy!

1 mom found this helpful