Entertaining Kids on a Road Trip!

Updated 09/2023

Continuing my series on road trips with kids, this post will give you fool-proof ideas for keeping your backseat passengers busy! Entertaining kids on a road trip is not hard, but it does require thinking ahead. Read along for my tried and tested entertainment ideas.

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Last week I shared some of my Road Trip Preparation ideas with you. Today I am going to let you in on how we keep three kids entertained on 20 hour car rides! Most of these will again require planning ahead but it is so worth it.

Travel Games on Amazon

Must-Haves

For any road trip of 4 hours or more I highly suggest you buy some sort of lap desk for your kids. It makes eating and activities so much easier. We have tried several different types over the years and these are our current favorites:

I also always make sure to pack favorite loveys, stuffed animals or blankets to be near the kids’ seats. Nap time is a very important part of a road trip!

Electronic Devices

I’m just going to go ahead and get this one out of the way. While at home we limit our kids to screen time on weekends only. In the car all bets are off.

My oldest now has a Nintendo Switch, but my middle, E, still uses her Amazon Fire Tablet. It has an indestructible case and you can easily set time limits and choose if your child is reading books on the device or able to play games.

Another option is to buy a kid-proof case for your tablet. Some options just protect the device and some don’t even allow the child to change the application that is playing!

If video games still aren’t your style, may I at least suggest movies? Our mini-van (we are so cool…) has a built in DVD player, but before that we used a portable one and hooked it up through our car audio.

Just think- one movie can get you through 2 hours of your drive! You can even pack “movie snacks” for the occasion to make it special. The best part of this is you can get brand new movies and shows for your kids- for free!

Use your Library!

Free movies? Yes! You can check out movies and TV shows on DVD at your library! My kids are partial to Bill Nye the Science Guy and old episodes of The Muppet Show on road trips, and our local library has no limit on how many you can check out. Make sure the due date is far enough out to get them returned after your trip, or make a note to renew them online while you are gone. Don’t waste precious packing space on all of the DVD cases- instead transfer them all to a travel CD case.

Our library also offers CDs and toddler activity kits to borrow too. See if your library participates in any museum or activity share programs. Mine offers free or greatly discounted entry fees to museums and attractions all around the state.

Kids DVDs on Amazon

Pinterest

Pinterest is a treasure trove of travel ideas- including entertaining your kids on road trips. Check out my travel board here. Here are some of my favorite ideas:

• Travel Bingo- See below for my FREE travel bingo board for younger & older kids!
• Coloring pages- search for coloring pages that are themed on where you are traveling
• Cookie sheet magnet boards- Attach magnets to puzzles, flash cards or just use magnetic letters and they will stick to a cookie sheet!
• Busy Bags

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Dollar Store Finds

When it comes to road trip entertainment the idea is the more the merrier-if you don’t use it save it for the next trip Even if it is a cheap toy you would never normally buy, it could be the item your kid loves the most this trip. Some things I have found in the dollar store-

• New coloring and activity books
• Dry erase boards/markers (use with caution, see below)
• Photo albums & flashcards- put the flashcards into the photo album so the cards don’t wind up all over your car
• Party favors
• Fun sized snacks and treats
• Foam craft kits
• Stickers
• Magnifying glass
• Magic tricks
• Reusable window stickers

Other Entertainment Options

Here are some more ideas I’ve gathered over the years!

• Road Trip binders- Use Sheet protectors and fill a 3-ring binder with printable activities or brochures from your destination.
• Free maps- if you are a member at AAA you can get free Trip-Tiks and maps, my kids love to follow along and see how far we’ve gotten on our route.
• Pipe cleaners- I actually keep these in the car all of the time. They keep the kids occupied forever! They can make jewelry, braid them, sort them, make their names and more.
• Color Wonder Markers & paper- I love using these in the car. I know there will be no messes from dropped markers and no melted crayons stuck to my cup holders. They are the best!
• NEW- I’ve since discovered these Water Wow pads. The only caveat is that you need to be sure to fill the pen with water ahead of time (kind of tricky in the car).

• Legos- Click here to read all about traveling with Lego! I’ve got step by step instructions on how to make a Lego table for the car.

Above all else-keep it fun!

After so many hours it won’t matter how prepared you are, everyone is going to be done being in the car. Here are some ways I try to keep things interesting on the trip:

Gifts

All of those dollar store finds? Wrap them up! Did you buy a new book or movie for the trip? Wrap it! A snack that the kids never get except on special occasions? Wrap it! I keep a box of gifts for the ride there and have another box saved for the trip back. Update: This was super fun when my kids were 4-8ish years old. It can also create more STUFF in the car by way of the wrapping paper. It can be just as fun to have a big bag of new to them items (store items in the travel bin (see below) so that they stay new and exciting just for vacation). Label the outside of the package with each child’s initials so you know who it should go to. Hand out a new gift every hour, at every pit stop or just when you need a Hail Mary to get through the next five minutes.

These new items will also serve as entertainment in hotel rooms and during the course of your vacation. Be sure each child has a small backpack to keep new treasures in (as well as extra clothes!) I also supply small plastic containers (shoe box sized) for each child to keep near them and fill with their toys and snacks.

Plan good breaks

If you’re going to stop for food or overnight make sure you are stopping somewhere the kids can run off some steam. I use the app Mommy Nearest to search for parks nearby. We have gone on nature hikes, explored downtown areas and museums or just found a hotel with a pool. If you’re going to have the kids cooped up you have to be sure to give them equal opportunity to run off all the saved up energy!

Itinerary

I type up an itinerary for all of our trips. It tells the kids where each of our stops will be and what our rough plan is for each day. You can also use sticky notes or a paper chain to write down cities you will pass along the way. Pull them down as you drive through. This should cut down on how many times you hear, “are we there yet??”

After the Trip

You’ve survived a road trip and arrived back home with all of this stuff….now what?

Put it in a travel bin of course! I have a large tote in our storage room that is only for vacation items. I keep travel games, our road trip binders, rain ponchos and other items we only need for vacations in this bin. This way every time we go somewhere the items are like new again to the kids!

What have I missed? Do you have any favorite road trip tips and tricks? What else would you like to learn? Comment on this post!

Travel Bingo Bundle for kids