10 Ideas to Keep Kids Entertained on Car Trips

Photo by LelandsMommy

Back when you were younger and had car trips with friends, maybe you sang 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. That's not going to cut it with the kids. So how can you keep them occupied on a long (or even short) drive to your family vacation destination?

I've got some suggestions for moms with kids of all ages.

For the younger kids:

• Have a puppet show. Bring along some of their favorite hand-held stuffed animals (or puppets if they have them) and perform a puppet show to keep them entertained.

• Play classical music -- babies dig it and some experts say it makes infants smarter. Visit Driving Music for Kids for more ideas.

• Read an educational book -- you're keeping the baby occupied and you're teaching them at the same time.

• Bubbles! Babies and kids love them. So do I. Just be sure to keep them out of driver's view. 

For the older kids:

• Give each child and adult a blank notebook to use as a travel journal. Have everyone takes notes as you drive of interesting things along the way. Compare notes as you near destination. Continue throughout trip as well. Makes a great keepsake and if you leave one page blank as you write, you can glue in photos after as well.

• Play the License Plate game. Check out car in front of you and view the letters. Say they are "KIR." Have each person in car come up with a phrase using those letters. Keep It Real. Kids In Reverse. Knapsack Is Ready. Be creative!

• Tell jokes. Need help? Check out Knock Knock Who's There My First Book of Knock Knock Jokes by Tad Hills for the younger ones and Over the Top Clean Jokes for Kids by Bob Phillips for the older ones.

• Collect post cards along the way. Send some to friends or family or use the back to write details of trip, just like a journal. Compare or trade.

• Have a spelling bee! If you have more than one child, give each one a chance to spell a word. Allow them to get it right before moving on, giving them hints if you need to.

• Play the Who Am I? game. Pick a person you know your kids can identify. Say it's Miley Cyrus. Have the others start guessing by asking: Is it a girl? Is she a teenager? Is she a TV star? Does she sing? You can only say yes or no. Kids can guess once clues start to add up. 

Have you ever done any of these in-car activities? Have any other ideas to share? Please do!