Kids Car Travel Games, Fun Road Trip Activities, Traveling With Kids, Travel Games, Boredom Buster Road Trip Ideas

Fun Things for Kids to do in the Car

"Are we there yet?" So went the anthem of many a 1960s family vacation. Today’s families don’t have to go through that ordeal. There are all kinds of activities and diversions to keep every member of the family happy when traveling. Consider some of the following:

Built-in Mother’s Helpers:

• In-car DVD players

Portable DVD players, once rather expensive, now are available under $150. Bring your favorite Disney movie or other family classic and keep your kids occupied for two hours at a time. Headphones are a good idea to avoid distracting the driver. (Do you really want to hear "Barney’s Great Adventure" anyway?)

Increasingly, automobile manufacturers are offering built-in DVD players as optional equipment on new vehicles, particularly SUVs and minivans. Consider this option if you travel a lot with kids. You don’t have to worry about batteries running low like you do with the portable players.

• Walk-man

Kids and their music are virtually inseparable. Indulge them on a long trip by packing the walk-man and headphones.

Games:

• Twenty Questions

It’s a classic; you played it with your parents. But, it still works. One person thinks of a famous person, place, or thing. The others ask 20 yes-or-no questions. Whoever guesses the subject first, gets to think up the next one.

• Geography

Start with a place name, such as "Texas." The next person has to think of a place that begins with the last letter, in this case "s." You can’t use the same place twice and it has to be a real place. This one has the benefit of teaching your kids new places.

• Counting Cows

Decide on a stopping point and then count the cows on your side of the road. Whoever gets the highest number when you reach your destination, wins. If you pass a cemetery, you have to start counting over. No cows on the trip? Try counting red cars or telephone booths. Better to leave the driver out of this one. 

Old Standbys

• Have a sing-a-long

If the thought of one more verse of "101 bottles of beer…" makes you suicidal, don’t despair. Sing-a-longs can be fun for everyone in the family with a little planning. Teach your kids the songs you learned at Sunday school or Girl Scout camp. Remember "rounds"? Teach your children to sing "Row, row, row your boat" in a round. Folk songs (Peter, Paul, and Mary), show tunes (something from "Camelot), and spirituals (Kum Ba Yah) also make enjoyable choices. It doesn’t matter how well you can sing, just that you enjoy yourselves.

• Scavenger Hunt

Keep kids occupied for hours looking for a list of items in the scenery and the road around them. Adjust the list to fit the surroundings. For a city drive, you might include a flashing red light, railroad track, a dog, and a license plate with the letter "Y" in it. For a rural drive, include a pond, a tractor, a deer, a gas station, and a horse. Include about a dozen items. Make the items more general for younger children, more specific for older ones. The first one to find all of the items wins.

• A Traveler’s Journal

Encouraging your child to keep a record of his trip is a great way for him to remember the trip and learn to enjoy writing as well as keeping him busy in the car on a long trip. A journal doesn’t need to be fancy or elaborate. It can include drawings as well as stories of places he’s visited and things he’s seen. Younger children can draw pictures of what they’ve seen and mom and dad can add captions later.

Time with your kids is too precious to spend bored and irritable. Use a little forethought and more sure that everyone has an enjoyable summer road trip. Happy trails!

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