Fun Activities for Long Car Rides with Children

Taking a vacation with the family can be lots of fun. But long car rides often bring on boredom in most kids. Here are some simple ideas to help your family cope with that next long car ride.

Prepare for the trip ahead of time with any toys, books, crafts, snacks or blankets the kids might need. Encourage them to make a checklist of items they'll need in the car and pack their own supplies. Double check it of course, but involve them in the effort.

Snacks for the car ride should be something that they can open and handle on their own. Juice boxes, water bottles and easy to open packages work well. Try to avoid food that will leave them with sticky hands or the possibility of stains. And don't forget to provide a trash receptacle in the car for any napkins or packaging that needs to be thrown away.

Crafts are a great way for kids to keep busy on a long car ride. Try to stick to items that won't make too much of a mess (we try to avoid paint and glue). If the kids like to use small items such as beads or legos, a lap tray or box will be especially helpful. Even a baking tray can help contain small items. Some craft items that work well in the car include play dough, bendable pipe cleaners, drawing pads and crayons, tissue paper and sewing cards (with yarn and plastic needles). If you don't mind the artwork, find paint or crayons that the kids can use to draw on the windows. Encourage them to make a very detailed mural for all the cars to see.

Small toys can keep kids busy in the car, but often tend to lose their appeal after a while. Consider buying new toys for the kids and only giving them to them after the ride has started. Put together a special gift bag with small toys such as dolls, puzzle games such as rubik's cube, matchbox cars or plastic figures. If you can handle the noise and distraction small instruments are often a hit, and a set of juggling balls and a "how to juggle" book have been known to keep kids busy for hours.

If your children are old enough to read and don't get car sick easily, books are always a great way to keep them occupied. Another alternative to books for all ages are audio books. The whole family can listen to the story or supply your kids with their own earphones.

When crafts, toys and books have all been used its time to break out the creative car games. Name that Tune is a fun game if your family likes to sing, or even hum. It's easy for all ages and abilities. Another fun car game is the Scavenger Hunt. You'll need to take some time to make a list of items to scavenge for, such as a farm, a flashing yellow light, a motorcycle, a cow, a school, etc. Once the list is made it will keep the kids busy looking out the windows so they can check off their list!

Older kids may enjoy playing a version of scrabble using letters collected from license plates and signs. Making words, or even trying to make sentences can keep their brains occupied.

The guessing game is another road trip favorite. In this game one person simply asks a question out loud and the others try to answer. The questions should be related to things you will see on the road. For example, how many seconds before the light turns green, will the red car in front of you go straight or take a turn, will the next car to pass you have any kids in it, etc.

Be creative and plan ahead the next time your family takes a road trip and your kids will be occupied and have fun even before the vacation starts.