5 Easy Ways to Survive Long Car Trips with Young Children

My 2 young children and I recently made made 3 cross country trips over 10 states and nearly 8,000 miles! Read on if you would like to know how I survived all those days in the car (these were solo trips mind you and I was the only adult)!

Contrary to popular belief, children don't need nonstop entertainment on car trips. Why plug them in to a DVD player or video games when there is so much to see and experience?

Here are 5 easy ways to help keep your kids occupied and happy during long car trips!

Maps

Of course you are going to have maps when you travel. Younger children really will keep entertained if you let them have their own special atlas. You could stop and get postcards to go along with each state you pass through as well if you are so inclined. My children loved looking at the map and where we were going. This really helped them understand how far we would be traveling each day and when we would stop. It also is a learning resource as even the youngest of children will pick up on state and city names! Just be sure to bring one along for each child! This is great for those old outdated atlas's!

Audio Books and Leap Frog

We listened to The Magic Tree House books on audio tape and those really occupied many hours. They also have the Leap Frog TAG system which is this cool reader pen that will read books to your child. This is very useful and entertaining! Just be sure to bring extra batteries!
Making up Simple Games

Stop Often

Stopping often goes without saying. Kids need to run around and get energy out! We like stopping at random spots for a meal and a walk. Drinking a lot of water on your trip will keep you hydrated and force you to stop to use the restroom. This is my trick for traveling with children as it is easy to do!

Healthy Snacks

This one should be a no brainer but it's so easy to get caught up in the fast food trap while traveling. I found packing a cooler with snacks helped immensely and planning ahead was priceless. Some good suggestions for healthy snacks are fruit, veggies, hummus, yogurt, granola, pretzels, cheese cubes and don't forget the sparkling water! Leave the sugary corn syrup laden snacks home so that your kids won't get a sugar high then crash. (Which is not so fun while traveling!)

Travel Games

Be sure to plan ahead and bring along several age appropriate games for the little ones. Small I Spy bags, cards, and just some random made up car games are all things you can play with young children while driving that will help out on a whim. My children had great fun counting bridges.

All in all traveling with children doesn't have to be a nightmare. With a little planning your trip can be full of fun memory making moments!