Make your next trip a super enjoyable one with these road trip activities for kids.
Taking a road trip with the kids can be both exciting and challenging. To make the journey more enjoyable for both you and your kids, it’s important to have a variety of activities planned to keep them engaged.
When it comes to traveling with kids in a car, they need some form of entertainment because they can get bored very easily. With proper planning, and all of the essentials in place, keeping everyone entertained can make your next journey a lot smoother.
I’ve compiled a list of 35 road trip activities that are sure to keep your children entertained, so that you don’t have to constantly hear “are we there yet?”
Road Trip Activities For Kids
- Coloring Activities
One of the easiest ways to keep your kiddos entertained is to supply them with coloring books and other coloring activities.
Choose age-appropriate options, supply them with plenty of crayons and coloring pencils, and allow their creativity to flow.
- I Spy
Get everyone involved in a fun game of I Spy, where you can try to guess what your children have spotted while passing through different areas on the road trip.
- Tic-Tac-Toe
Who doesn’t enjoy a good game of Tic-Tac-Toe? Let the kids play together in the backseat to see who will win the most times!
- Crossword Puzzles
Purchase age appropriate crossword puzzle books, or print copies of crossword puzzles to take along on your road trip.
Puzzles help test your child’s knowledge while keeping them occupied and entertained for a while.
- Doodle Board
Purchase fun doodle boards for the kids and let them go to town. These boards are entertaining and less messy.
- Travel Journals
Give each of your kid’s a notebook to use as a travel journal during your road trip. Or you can purchase a printable travel journal for them.
They can record their favorite moments from your trip. Whether it was a new restaurant you tried, or a roadside attraction. It will become a treasure keepsake for them.
- Sticker Art
Provide kids with blank sheets of paper and a bunch of different stickers. Let them get creative while making sticker art.
- Make Beaded Bracelets
When you have older children between the ages of eight and ten in the car, making beaded bracelets is a lot of fun. Be sure to supply the beads and string so that they can create their jewelry.
- Phone/Tablet Apps
If you don’t mind the electronics, you can let the kids play on the phone or tablet. There are lots of age-appropriate and educational games available to keep children occupied.
- Twenty Questions
Play a good ol’ game of twenty questions! Compile a list of questions in advance of your trip so that you have them handy.
- Checkers
Pull out a game of checkers to play with the children. If you have the space for it, you can have a lot of fun with it.
- Card Games
Pack an assortment of card games for your trip. Kids can play Speed, Go Fish, and more. Card games will also come in handy as a form of entertainment for the whole family while you’re on vacation.
- Drawing
Supply the kids with a stack of blank sheets of paper and coloring utensils. You’ll be amazed at what types of masterpieces they create.
- Listen to an Audio Book
Play an engaging audiobook in the car for your children. If you’re lucky, after a while they might even fall asleep to it!
- Simon Says
You can’t go wrong with an old-fashioned game of Simon Says. It will have everyone in the car laughing!
- Magnetic Face Book
Supply your younger kids with a magnetic face book. The book is magnetic and allows children to create different faces using colorful, fun magnets.
- Grocery Store Game
This is a game the whole family can get in on. Choose a player to go first. They will give clues to an item you can purchase at the grocery store – such as “I am thinking of something that’s baked in the oven.”
Everyone else in the car takes turns guessing what it might be, until the grocery item is revealed.
- Sensory Board
Make or buy sensory boards for each child. These boards are perfect for younger children and can improve their fine motor skills.
- Triple Threat
This is another game that the adults can get in on. An adult must choose three nouns, such as “tiger,” “car” and “zoo.”
The kids must create a story that includes all three of the nouns. This game does not have a winner, as the goal is to have the kids use their imaginations to come up with a fun story.
- Color by Number
Make coloring more of a challenge with color by number books. These books will help your children follow rules while creating colorful masterpieces.
- Sing Along Challenge
If your family loves to sing, this game will be right up your alley. One person starts to sing a verse from a popular song. Other family members should pay close attention to the last word that was sung.
The next person to sing a verse must make sure it begins with the same word. Let the fun continue until someone gets stuck.
- Read Books
Let each child pick out their favorite book to take take with them during your trip. Have them choose a book that they haven’t read as well.
Having kids read is a great option when you want to have some quiet time in the car.
- Magnetic Letter Board
The magnetic letter board encourages children to spell words and sentences.
It’s a great activity for younger children who are still learning how to spell various words.
- Play School
Have your kids pretend to be in school on a field trip. Allow the kids to take turns being the teacher while playing school.
It’s a really fun game that young kids will enjoy because they get to be in control for a short time.
- Busy Bags
Make busy bags for the kids to play with that include different items such as buttons, pom poms, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, and other simple items.
They can allow their creativity to run wild and keep themselves entertained for some time.
- Sing-Along Songs
Put on some sing-along songs and have the time of your life with the kids. Sing with the songs for lots of laughs and good times.
- Movies
Pack the portable DVD player to play a movie that the children can enjoy when they’re on the road.
- Hand Games
Show your children how to play different hand games like you did when you were a child.
- Dolls and Action Figures
Pull out the dolls and action figures for your road trip. Kids can pretend play and act out different scenarios while playing with the figurines.
- License Plate Search Game
Enjoy the license plate game. Ask your kid if they can find a license plate with a specific state on it! The game keeps them looking until they find it. Try finding a license plate from all 50 states!
- Travel Bingo
Play a few games of travel Bingo in the car. You can even print Bingo cards from your computer so that you don’t even have to buy them at the store.
- Hangman
Who can go wrong with a good game of hangman? You can use a dry-erase board to play hangman in the car with the kids.
- Rhyming Game
Have some fun with the rhyming game. An adult chooses a one-syllable word and everyone else takes a turn saying a word that rhymes with it. For example, an adult says “mat” and the next player says “hat”, then the third player may say “sat.”
A word cannot be repeated, and if a player cannot think of a word within five seconds, they are out. The person who wins a round chooses the next word.
For older kids, this game can be played using words with multiple syllables.
- Connect Four
Bring the game of Connect Four for the ride. It’s a fun game that requires quick thinking!
- Gel Pen Doodling
Don’t forget about gel pens! Kids can’t seem to resist those sparkly pens. Give them a notebook or paper and let them have at it. They can write letters to friends (or each other), or doodle until their little hearts are content.
Here are some additional tips to make road trips with your kiddos even smoother:
- Plan your route ahead of time and schedule rest stops every few hours. This will give you and your kids a chance to stretch your legs and provide them the opportunity to burn off some energy.
- Bring plenty of snacks and drinks. Hungry and thirsty kids can quickly become grumpy, so having a stash of healthy snacks and drinks on hand can help prevent meltdowns.
- In addition to games and activities, consider investing in a portable DVD player or tablet with pre-downloaded movies and shows. This can provide hours of entertainment for kids during those long stretches of driving.
- Involve your kids in the planning process by letting them help choose destinations and activities along the way. This can help build excitement and make them feel more invested in the trip.
If you incorporate a fewof these road trip activities, your family’s next vacay is sure to be a success!
Also, remember to relax and have fun! Road trips are all about making memories with your loved ones, so take the time to enjoy the sights and sounds along the way.
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