ENTERTAINING KIDS

Let’s be real with it. This is the hardest, most feared, and least exciting part of an adventure. Shoot, maybe this is why you don’t go many places. You’re scared of the drive.

It doesn’t have to be that way. There are a lot of fun activities that can keep them and you entertained at the same time.

If you have babies and are scared to go on long drives, the absolute BEST thing to do is start them now. Get them used to sleeping in their car seat. Get yourself comfortable with climbing over the seat and sitting next to them and signing them nursery rhymes.

We have listed and linked all the ideas we have come up with that have worked for us in the past.  Each item is clickable and you can read more about how we used it.

TIPS FOR EXTENDING TIME:

• KEEP NORMAL DRIVING ROUTINES:  My routine is that I never let them do anything for the first hour.  That includes ipad, movies, coloring, snacks, nothing.  I make them look out the window.  That’s like a normal drive to Grandmaws, so they can’t run through all the fun stuff and snacks at the very beginning.  
• SET TIME GOALS. I say things like “If you can wait until 1pm I’ll give you a special toy, craft, snack, etc.”
• SPECIAL CRAFT BOXES: I have listed a couple of these below. I do not purchase these until we are doing a 2 day- 18+ hour trip.  These are saved for REALLY special occasions and I only bring these out the 2nd day when its getting hard on them.  
• DRIVE AT NIGHT: This is something we have done for years.  Our routine is that we leave after work around 5 or 6pm and drive until 12 or 1am.  This way the kids fall asleep around 8pm and that gives us 5 hours of free time they don’t even know about.  I realize this isn’t for everyone, but this has helped us travel far easier.
  • This is only for the USA.  We do not drive at night in any other country for safety reasons.

OUR FAVORITE ITEMS FOR LONG CAR RIDS:

Actually, the number 1 item is the iPad. If you don’t like screen time, then I would be a little leignet on car travel days. Once you get to your destination then put them away until you leave, but this is a great time to loose the screen time for a few days while traveling. However, before we had ipads we still traveled 18+ hours with crafts and entertaining them, so these crafts below are what got us through those times.

• FUN SNACK IDEAS:
  • SNACK FISHING GAME: Get a stick or top of a fishing pole and tie a piece of yarn to the end with a clip at the end. Have the kids toss it to the front seat and see what they catch. 1 piece at a time! This makes snack time fun and last long!
  • Candy Trail Mix Necklace: When you’re planning your snacks for the adventure, plan items that have holes (pretzels, gummy rings, froot loops, cheerios, dried apples, fruits, etc.) Give them some twine or plastic lace and they can start stringing whatever they love. This is great for when you’re going somewhere with a hike!

Entertaining kids on long car rides can get hard at times. Sometimes there is nothing you can do except pull over and let them run. Let them run at a park, let them run down a dirt road off an exit, just let them run. If none of these ideas work then take 15 – 30 minutes out of the car and it will make everyones day so much better.