Learning Games and Activities to Keep Kids Entertained While Traveling

If you’re preparing to take your family on a road trip, as you’re packing, you’re probably thinking about the kinds of clothes everyone needs to take, if you have enough food so that you won’t have to make a lot of fast food stops and if you have your GPS system in tow so that you can take the shortest route possible. But if you have children who are traveling along with you, there is one another thing that you should have as well: plenty of games and activities to keep them occupied while on the ride.

If you’d like a few ideas on the kinds of kid-friendly entertainment that you should put in the car, we have a list of options that will keep them happy so that you can spend less time keeping them occupied and more time focused on the road.

Write (or draw) on the windows. Typically, you would probably discourage your kids from making this move, but if you have a child who is a natural artist, encourage them to look at of the window and draw something that they like. Yet instead of it being on a piece of paper, have them put it on the back windows instead. If you’re worried about how you’re going to clean it all up later, don’t. Crayola actually makes a brand of washable window markers.

License plate game. Many of us played “I Spy” while growing up. You know, “I spy” a tree or “I spy” a yellow car. Well, one way to make this more of an educational experience is to turn it into a license plate game. There’s a website where you can print off a list of all of the license plates in America. Give one to each of your kids and then hand them a pen to cross through all of the different ones that they see along the way. (UltimateRoadTripGames.com)

The spelling game. Something that younger children enjoy doing is spelling things. Well, did you know that if you have some magnetic letters that they will stick very easily to a baking sheet? So, while your child is sitting in the back, give them a set of words and ask them to spell them out. If they get them all right, you can even offer a prize at the end.

Educational videos. Children always enjoy watching videos, so rather than simply packing up a ton of movies, pack a few films along with a few educational videos. Baby Einstein is one that is a popular favorite for toddlers and websites such as Neok12.com and WatchKnowLearn.org have free videos for older kids.

20 Questions. One of the greatest things about going on a road trip is it gives you an opportunity to spend some quality time with you family. As everyone is listening to the radio or eating a snack, play a game of “20 Questions”. Ask them 20 things about themselves and encourage them to do the same thing to you. You might be amazed at what you discover and how much closer it brings everyone—just as you’re arriving to your final destination.