Road Trip Ideas For Kids + Free Printable Activity Pack
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Here are a few road trip ideas to help you prepare for your next family road trip, plus a pack of free printable road trip games that are a fun way to keep your kids entertained on any long trip!
How do you feel about road trips? I personally love them, but when you have kids, they can feel a little overwhelming. There is so much to prepare, so much to pack, and worry definitely creeps in about how you will keep the kids entertained (at least not bickering at each other) for long car trips.
We recently took a family vacation and drove from Missouri to Florida. It was our first “big” family vacation, and certainly the longest road trip we have taken! I was definitely a little nervous about how the kids would do in the car for that long, but it turns out – I was overthinking it and probably didn’t need to worry so much.
Top Road Trip Ideas
You don’t need to get too fancy or do anything extravagant to help your kids pass the time on a long road trip. And since it’s fresh on my mind, I thought I would share the three easy things I did for my kids, and hope it might help you prepare for your next family road trip.
Road Trip Tip #1: Special Treat Bags
It seems like my kids are always eating (I know all you homeschool moms feel me on the second breakfast thing – it’s not a myth!). So I knew that I would need special reinforcements prepared for the long road trip so I could easily manage complaints of “I’m hungry!” that I knew would come.
I stocked up on snacks that I typically don’t get (fruit snacks, character graham crackers, things like that), so the kids would think they were extra special. Then I packed a special ziplock bag for each of them and gave it to them once we were on the road. It was something small, but they loved the little treats!
Along the way, we made sure to give ourselves extra time, and also planned some stops along the way. Have change on hand for vending machines at rest stops – the kids thought those were really fun too since we don’t typically buy things from vending machines! (It’s the little things, right?)
Road Trip Tip #2: Special Screen Time
A while back, for a shorter trip, we had purchased mini DVD players for our kids that they could only use on road trips.
They have electronic devices available to them daily, but they get so darn excited about the opportunity to use these things! We took a trip to the library and loaded up with DVD’s that they could watch in the car (and I don’t feel bad about a little extra screen time for this special occasion!).
If you have the chance to grab something like this, it can come in really handy, and a great way to help your kids pass the time on a long car ride. Otherwise, consider bringing an iPad or Kindle or some kind of device you can download a few movies or shows onto to help the time fly for your kids.
Get even more creative with your screentime by utilizing an app like Epic! so your kids can read or listen to audiobooks on a long drive.
Road Trip Tip #3: Special Games
Finally, there are a few car games that I loved playing on road trips when I was a kid…they were the best part of road trips for me! I still love me a good license plate game these days.
I have a FREE printable pack that you can use to play with your whole family in the car. This 10-page printable pack is filled with fun games and activities that will keep your kids engaged on a long road trip.
The games include a free printable road trip scavenger hunt, along with:
- Road Trip Bingo
- I Spy Alphabet Game
- Road Trip United States License Plate Game
- Road Signs Scavenger Hunt
and more! There’s even a road trip checklist so your kids can make a list of things they need to bring.
You’ll find activities for kids of all ages. Older kids will love the license plates game, and younger kids will enjoy looking for road signs and other images they see as you drive. And everyone can play the Bingo game together!
Road Trip Scavenger Hunt Printable
I’d love for you to have a copy on hand for your next road trip. Get your own copy of the PDF file immediately as one of my subscriber exclusives! You’ll love playing these games with your kids and making some great memories.
So there you have it. We all survived about 16 hours in the car together (both ways), and my kids weren’t too bored out of their minds. Special movies, games, and treats that you don’t otherwise often have can certainly add to the excitement of it all for them!
I would love to hear: what have you found to be the perfect way to pass the time on a long road trip? What are your best strategies for keeping young children entertained? Share in the comments below!
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