we are planning a spring trip with a long drive.. our first driving trip with kids. i am looking for games to play on the road to keep them occupied. what do you play in the car to keep your little ones happy.
The kids are 5 and 7 years old.
Bingo, I spy, alphabet game where you have to spot each letter of the alphabet in order. Magnadoodles are good and there are travel versions of lots of regular games.
Alphabet game, license plate game (license plates from different states), pediddle (one headline cars), punch buggy, my mom's personal favorite, the quiet game, and the landmark game. Google various landmarks you will see along the trip. The first kid to spot them gets a point, or you can make a bingo board with landmarks and the first kid to get bingo wins. Also, go on Pinterest and do a search. I recently found an activity guide of things to do on long trips. I haven't search through the guide yet, but I usually have good luck on Pinterest finding ideas for kids.
We play I Spy With My Little Eyes, the license plate game is a BIG one, punch buggy, the game where you say "I'm going on a picnic, and with me I brought an apple" and the next person says "I'm going on a picnic and with me I brought an apple and a banana" and so on.
Really though, my kids love to sing and dance, so we turn the radio up loud and have fun. They also bring books, coloring books, ipods, Kindle Fires, snacks, water bottles, etc....so I never have trouble with them.
I've traveled with my kids a lot since the youngest was 3, he is now 6. They do great on road trips. Good luck!
If you're driving you don't need to be playing games with the kids. You need to be watching the road and paying attention to what you're doing. Their lives depend on your total attention to be focused on the road.
So, do something else. If they're old enough let them watch movies and stuff so that you can pay attention to driving. If you're not driving just think about how distracting all the talking and stuff is going to be for the driver.
I don't like it when the kids play games and stuff, they start arguing about if that was the right sign or not, pretty soon they're bored and start fighting. It's not fun for me and I can't pay attention to what I need to pay attention to.
Some of the ideas you already got are great - they remind me of some of our road trips. Another thing I would suggest is having a few surprise things to pull out for diversion if the kids are bored or a game is not going over well or causing arguments. I would bring some activities to do together and some to do alone. I would also bring a few videos and a laptop or an i-pad to occupy the kids for part of the ride. Some books would be a good idea too! I would also pack some healthy snacks to bring out when you need to. Bring a little cooler in the car for pre-sliced apples, cheese sticks and other things. It is not always convenient to stop and sometimes road stops might not offer the best choices or things your kids like to eat. Also always bring wet wipes, paper towels and a roll of toilet paper. You never know when you have to make an emergency stop. Have a great trip.
You can play like find a color. Or each tell a story. Have a DVD player movies coloring toys they will sleep snack it will be fine. I like the land mark game.
We have a DVD player that we allow the kids to watch movies or TV shows.
My Son has a mobi go (hand held video game)
They are old enough to read. - Books
Kids music on CD's
Get an etch a sketch- no mess
Coloring with markers and special paper, the color only showes up on the paper.
Good Luck
