Long, monotonous car rides where you have to sit in one place for multiple hours (or days, for that matter) without any real sort of engaging activity is no one’s idea of a good time. News flash, though, your kids are probably even more bored than you are. Their young little minds require constant stimulation (as you probably already know), so they’re bound to lose their patience long before you do. And surely enough, it’s already bad that you have to sit there, stare at an empty road and desperately try to stay awake even without your kids complaining.
We’ve all been there and we understand that it’s frustrating, but it isn’t all your kids’ fault. Since they have a lot more energy than adults, children get bored a lot more easily than you do so you’re going to have to provide them with some form of entertainment, if you want to prevent or prolong that inevitable tantrum. We’ve heard some great advice about what you can do in a situation like this, so we’ve decided to give you some useful tips for keeping your kids occupied and happy during long, boring car rides.
1. Let Them Draw
Kids are creative, they’re imaginative and most of them love to draw. If you provide them with simple paper and some crayons, that’s bound to keep them occupied for at least some time. If they’re not in the mood to draw, you can always teach them Tic Tac Toe or Hangman, which also require nothing but a piece of paper and a pen and we guarantee they’ll love it.
2. Sing Along
If your kids enjoy listening to music at home, be sure to burn a few CDs of their favorite tunes which you can play in a car and collectively sing along to them. This will surely lift their spirits temporarily, and it can be fun for you, too. Just take note that kids can often be pretty loud when they sing (as if you didn’t already know).
3. Take Frequent Stops
Taking breaks to stretch your and your kids’ legs, get some fresh air and maybe get your kids something to eat is a lifesaver on trips like this. Be sure to stop every three to four hours at least and let them run around for a bit. Especially if they’ve had any sugary snacks lately, they’re going to have a lot of energy, and the more they expend it the higher the chance they’ll be ripe for a nap in the next few hours, which is always great.
4. The Animal Spotting Game
If you’re cruising through a rural area, suggest to your kids that they try to look for animals near the road. The one the spots the most animals until the end of the trip wins the game. It’ll engage their minds and give them something to do, not to mention that it’s very educational.
5. The Quiet Game
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Save this one for those last thirty minutes of the trip when you’ve just about had enough of the potential complaints and the act of driving itself. The goal of the game is obviously to stay quiet for as long as possible, and the one who keeps their lips shut the longest wins. This can surprisingly work pretty well especially with competitive kids, so give it a shot.
6. Tin Foil
Tin foil is a great and easy-to-use material for quick, simple sculptures, and it will entice your creative child for hours on end. Teach them how to make a boat, a hat, or just let them experiment on their own. It’s a cheap and clean alternative to clay or other messy materials and it’s really fun.
7. Netflix
When all else fails, technology will succeed (hopefully). Find something that they’d like to watch on Netflix and play it to them, and more often than not you’ll find that they’ll simmer down pretty quickly. However, since Netflix isn’t available in some regions of the world, make sure that you have Express VPN installed so that you can access it anywhere you go.
8. Bubble Wands
There isn’t a kid in the world that doesn’t enjoy blowing bubbles. Make sure that you buy some bubble wands before your trip and let your kids go at it, as long as they blow them out the window, of course. You don’t want to get the backseat all soapy and wet.
9. Twenty Questions
This age-old car game is a sure fire way to keep your kids busy and work their ability of deduction at the same time. There’s a reason that this one has been around since the 19th century, and it still a car game favorite today.
10. Get Plenty Of Sleep Beforehand
This one’s not necessarily just for your kids. Make sure that you all get a lot of rest before your trip, and it’ll be easier on both you and them. There’s nothing worse than when kids are cranky due to exhaustion, and it’s even worse when you’re exhausted as well. So get a good night’s sleep before the trip – you’ll thank yourself later.
Though Adam really loves his job of web developer, he’s also quite passionate about his writing, which is always gladly accepted at wefollowtech.com. As every Texan, he loves spending time outside playing sports with his friends. He may have graduated from college a couple of years ago, but he’s already working on his dream job and couldn’t be happier about it, as well as his new life in Dallas.
ESPECIALLY lots of sleep!
you share many great ideas all of which sound like ones that will work well to keep kids occupied
Some great tips that could come so much handy for many like me with couple of naughty kids at home. Taking frequent stops have helped me a lot and other than that I have always put them in to spotting animals to have some nice photos captured by them!