How to Keep Children Busy During Long Trips

[Travel with us]

رحلة اسبانيا رحلة الى اسبانيا رحلة الي اسبانيا ميناء اسبانيا
You have a long car ride ahead of you for vacation, or a boring flight with unexhaustable children. What to do? Here are some tips to make that family vacation road trip a little more enjoyable--for everyone involved!
1.
A classic one is the license plate game (for car trips only, of course). Print a sheet with all fifty states before you leave, and grab some pens. Have your kids try to find all as many states as possible on passing cars. This game works best when traveling very long distances. It's also fun to make it a group effort, as well, involving the parents.

2.
Everyone bring a children's riddle or joke book. Take turns reading jokes from your book, and see who can actually guess the riddle answers! Kids love jokes, and as corny as some of them can be, they are highly entertaining, even for adults!

3.
Play road trip bingo! Follow the link below in the resource section and you can print out bingo cards. You can make your own as well, if you'd like. Print them up and have the kids try and get five in a row, just like regular bingo! It will keep them engaged during the entire trip, and they can work on it while doing other things in the car as well, so it will keep them busy for quite a while!

4.
Playing cards are more fun than you think! Bring some "Go Fish" theme cards or Old Maid, or pack a deck of Uno cards. You'd be surprised how fast the trip can go when you're playing classic card games.

5.
Purchase one of those inexpensive digital cameras for your kids, and during the trip (even outside the car!) have them take pictures to document their vacation. They'll have fun snapping pictures, and you'll feel better knowing you won't be paying an arm and a leg for film processing when you get back home!

6.
One of my personal favorites is Mad Libs. Pick up a few Mad Libs books (if you don't know what they are, you should not only feel ashamed, you should google it and educate yourself! LOL) before your trip and pack them with some pencils. You can also do things like Brain Quest cards if you're looking to send your kids back to school after the summer with a bigger brain!

7.
Many companies have come out with travel games that have magnetic pieces or are easier to play on the go. Pick up some of your favorite games, travel size, and bring on the fun!

8.
Listen to an audio book in the car, but make sure it's something the kids will enjoy. They can listen to the book while doing other things like coloring or looking for state license plates.

9.
A great book to entertain them is Where's Waldo? They'll be occupied for hours looking for the striped-shirted man hanging out at the carnival. Of course, don't let them play for too long or they might get queasy--depends on the kid.

Tips & Warnings
Have a little bag for each child with different toys, games, books, etcetra in it. That way, each kid has their OWN toys, but then they can trade and share later in the road trip and feel like they have something new.
<LI class=FLC itxtvisited="1">
Consider the age of your child when thinking up road trip games--road trip bingo might not entertain your teenager as much as it does your 6 year old. Keep this in mind when packing the car for the trip.
<LI class=FLC itxtvisited="1">
Make plenty of stops if you're driving in a car. Anyone knows that a few hours in a car with children will drive ANYONE to the looney bin!