How to Keep Your Kids Entertained in the Car

So, you’ve got a long car journey ahead of you and the last thing you want is the question, ‘are we there yet?’ every five minutes. A few hours trapped inside a car is testing for anyone, but when you’re travelling with young, inquisitive kids, you may end up wanting to pull your hair out. So, for the sake of parents everywhere, here are a few tips on how to keep your kids entertained.

Movies

One of the easiest ways to keep kids entertained for a prolonged time is movies. There aren’t many kids without their own tablets these days, so purchasing a movie of their choice for the road trip is a great investment. If they have their own earphones or headphones, you may be lucky enough to not hear them or the movie for up to two hours. Allowing each child to have an individual movie is the best way to avoid arguments, rather than making everyone share one screen.

Electronic Games

The age that children start playing with electronic games gets younger each year. Whether it’s a hand-held game that your child can spend hours playing on or a pocket pet that your child is responsible for keeping alive, it’s all entertainment. There are lots of electronic games to choose from when it comes to having fun on your travels. There are even educational games that will teach your child how to spell words, lessons in history, different languages and much more.

Travel Trays

Depending on your cars design, you may be able to install individual travel trays for your children. For example, a used Volvo 4×4 would have enough room for pull down trays for each passenger seat. Your child can use the tray for anything during your travels. From colouring in to eating snacks and reading books, these travel trays are versatile and give the space needed for activities. It also means that tablets and other devices are less likely to get dropped and damaged.

Car Games

Engaging your child’s imagination is the best way to entertain and tire out your child. Playing car games is fun for all the family and there are plenty of games to choose from. For example, I Spy or the licence plate game. How to play the licence plate game– let’s say you spot a car with GBG on it. Someone could say it means Great Big Giant. Your children will be using their imaginations and their vocabulary.

Map Reading

If you’re sick of answering the question, ‘are we almost there?’, why not get the kids to answer it themselves. Teaching your children how to read a map, whether a traditional paper map or a satnav, is a great future skill. Your children will be able to tell how far away you are from your destination and it may even help if they happen to get lost without you. You can print out a map from Google Maps in preparation for your trip.

The main thing is when driving is to stay safe to avoid any nasty accidents. It won’t always be fun trying to entertain your kids, but you’ll certainly build memories.

Claire x