Contents
- How can I entertain my kids while driving?
- What can teens do on a long car ride?
- What should kids do on a road trip when bored?
- What activities can you do in a car?
- How do you pass time in a car?
Everyone looks forward to going on holiday, don’t they? But the thought of a long car ride with kids is likely to bring you out in a cold sweat. 😰 Your eldest is constantly hungry, your middle child is focused on telling you how bored he is every five minutes and your little one is on the verge of a tantrum. And that’s without adding a spot of sibling rivalry in a confined space, a difficult teenager who now regards family holidays as torture and a partner who insists they know more than google maps! Then there’s the traffic. An unseasonal blazing hot day in a metal box is bound to tip you over the edge! Could it get any worse? Yes, it can. Someone needs the toilet! But it doesn’t need to be that way! If you’re armed with a handful of games to play in the car, it’s surprising how the other problems become much less irritating. Dare we say it, you might even relax and enjoy the trip!
How can I entertain my kids while driving?
How to keep the children entertained in a car is hard, especially if you are a single parent and need to keep your eyes on the road. But with our brilliant ideas, you should be better equipped for those long journeys. Read on for some great ideas.
What can teens do on a long car ride?
Teens are not that easy to entertain at the best of times. We’ve marked the road trip activities that may be best suited to older kids with an asterisk (*) in the table below.
What should kids do on a road trip when bored?
If kids are bored at home, there are a variety of things to do: play outside, play online, and play with friends. But if you’re on the road, you need a lot of games to play in the car to keep them entertained. As you read the next section, why not jot down ✎ what might work with your kids?
What activities can you do in a car?
Here are our top 25 recommended, tried and tested road trip activities, in no particular order:
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1 |
How to keep children entertained in the car in one word: Dobble. Amazingly 86% of the more than 45,000 people who reviewed this on Amazon gave it 5 stars! ⭐ Kids will have the advantage because it’s a simple card game based on speed, observation and reflexes! |
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2 |
Sticker books |
There are some fantastic sticker books out there. And the reusable ones are a game changer! No more trying to peel them off the window with hot, soapy water! |
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3 |
Listening to a story |
Toddlers love being read to, but if the thought of doing this on the move makes you queasy, here are some of the best children’s audiobooks to listen to in the car. |
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4 |
*The Alphabet Game |
Someone starts the game by finding something inside or outside of the car that begins with A, the next person has to find something that begins with B and so on. |
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5 |
Many of your favourite family board games are available in the magnetic form! 🎲 |
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6 |
Scavenger Hunt |
There are many scavenger hunts online that you can print out which are related to long journeys. All they have to do is tick the box when they see the object. Should keep them entertained for ages! Hopefully! |
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Listening to a child playlist |
We realise there are some kids’ songs that will inevitably make the journey worse for you so here are some playlists that you might actually enjoy as well! You can also look here for music little children will like. You can’t sing along and moan at the same time! |
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*Tell jokes |
As silly and simple as this sounds, it works! A joke book could be your best purchase for a long car journey. |
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9 |
Imagine the drawing without the mess. And, it isn’t a screen! One of the best road trip activities for any age. |
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10 |
*The Pub Game |
No, it isn’t a drinking game! 🍺 This is one of those road trip games which works on A roads. Choose a category: royalty, colours, parts of the body, animals etc. Whenever you go past a pub, the person whose category appears in the pub’s name gets a point. For example, if the pub is called the Red Lion, both the colour category person and the animal category person get a point. |
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11 |
*Listen to a podcast |
Here are some of the best kids’ podcasts ranked by Time Out. Should keep them quiet for a bit! |
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12 |
Noughts and crosses |
Don’t knock it! Often simple ideas are the best. And these 21st-century kids may never have played it. It could turn out to be one of their favourite games to play in the car! |
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*Window art |
It feels wrong to draw on the car windows 🚗 but is bound to be a hit for your kids because of this. Drawing with colourful pens isn’t just games to play in the car but also on bathroom tiles and windows around the house too. And don’t worry, these crayons wipe off easily. |
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*20 Questions |
Pick a person, place or object and off you go. Remember, you can only answer yes or no. This is good for all ages. |
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15 |
I Went Shopping |
The memory game where you say, ‘I went shopping and I bought…’ Each person adds one item and repeats what went before. Be prepared to be rubbish at this game. We can safely say that a child brain has a big advantage over an adult one! |
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16 |
Yellow Car, I Win |
One of those painfully simple road trip games that keeps children entertained for hours! The first person to see a yellow car says, ‘Yellow car, I win.’ Everyone keeps a tally each time they see one. It really is that simple! |
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17 |
*Read a book |
If your kids have the stomach to read in the car, here are some great reads for teens and some others for younger kids. 📗 |
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18 |
I Spy |
A classic, especially for small children. It will also help them with phonetics. For example, explaining that ‘Something beginning with F can’t be a phone!’ |
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19 |
*Would You Rather…? |
This is one of those road trip games that can leave you with a ridiculous decision to make. It can also reveal your most imaginative offspring! Would you rather have forks for hands or knives for feet? |
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20 |
If you have a child who is creative and likes silly stories, this is the book for you. A fill-in-the-blanks story book for age 8 upwards |
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21 |
No, we haven’t gone back in time. In an age of immediate gratification and constant stimulation, some kids find this activity absorbing and relaxing. Give it a go! |
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22 |
*Download a film |
This isn’t a cheat. It happens on long-haul flights so why not on long-haul car journeys? Choosing which film that they’ll all agree on could prove problematic though! 😖 |
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23 |
Let’s face it, after three hours of forced family fun, they may just want a bit of me-time, and you can do worse than minecraft! |
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24 |
*Ted Talks |
If you do decide you’ve exhausted all the non-tech options, how about something fun and educational? Your children might enjoy these Ted Talks by children. |
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25 |
*TikTok |
Stay with us here. Take a look at these educational TikTok accounts. If you’re confident you can monitor what they’re watching, they could learn a lot! |
How do you pass time in a car?
We’re sure you have some tried and tested methods that work for your family unit but if you want to add something new, try the games above. It’s always good to add something new to the mix.
At the end of the day, whatever happens, you’ll get to your destination and all will be well. With these road trip activities for your kids, we are sure you and your family will experience a fun-filled ride! 😉
