No matter whether you’re taking a cross-country camping trip in the summer or heading to visit family during winter break, traveling with kids can be a challenge. Long hours in the car can be hard for little ones with lots of energy. And no parent likes to hear yet another round of, “Are we there yet?”
That’s why we’ve put together our best lists of supplies and activities to keep your kids entertained while traveling in the car.
Activity Bag Ideas for Your Next Family Road Trip
Part of the reason that road trips can seem to drag on for kids is that there isn’t much to mark the passage of time. A great solution to this is to plan out a series of activity bags to give to your kids throughout the trip.
Grab a handful of sturdy totes or paper bags. Then fill each with supplies for a different activity.
As a bonus, throw in a few things they aren’t expecting. The surprises will keep them engaged even longer!
Here are some ideas:
- A coloring book or sketch pad and a pack of crayons
- Some age-appropriate mad libs books
- Crayola window markers
- Glow sticks that they can shape into creations (fun for when you’re driving at night)
- Modeling clay or silly putty
- Materials for lanyards or friendship bracelets (best for ages 6 and up)
- A new book to read
- Travel-size magnetic toys
- Wikki stix
You can space these bags out throughout the trip based on your own judgement of when kids are getting restless. Or, write a location on each of them. Tell your kids that they can get the next bag once you pass through a certain state or landmark.
These bags give kids something to look forward to and break up the monotony of the car ride. Plus, if you base them by location, it will help kids track the progress you’re making on the trip!
Car Trip Supplies For Kids
Activity bags are great for long travel. But no matter how far you’re going, it’s a good idea to have some general supplies on hand to keep kids occupied.
Car rides go more smoothly when your little ones aren’t constantly asking you to hand them snacks or toys. And it’s much more pleasant when they aren’t arguing over whose turn it is to play with a certain toy! To help them manage their own entertainment, consider storing toys and snacks in spots your kids can manage themselves.
A car seat back organizer can be great for this. These strap to the back of the seat in front of them and offer a variety of helpful pockets perfect. Use them to store snacks, drinks, activity books, and coloring supplies within reach for your kids. Another option is a car seat travel tray. These provide pockets and a portable desk surface for drawing, building duplos or playing card games. Or, just let kids put their things in their own backpacks and keep them close at hand.
Whatever you choose, kids will be able to move from activity to activity at their own pace.
Best Supplies to Have for a Family Road Trip
Water bottle or sippy cup
Cars can get hot during the day, so make sure your kids stay hydrated! Just don’t forget to plan a couple potty-breaks throughout the trip.
Healthy snacks
It’s hard to know when kids will get hungry, so be sure to keep snacks on hand! And don’t forget to bring along a trash bag for disposing of peels and wrappers. Consider foods that are easy to eat on the go, such as:
- Applesauce pouches
- Clementines
- Graham crackers
- Granola bars, fruit leathers
- Baby carrots
- Sugar snap peas
Art supplies
Kids have big imaginations, and drawing can keep them occupied for a long time. Crayons, colored paper, pencils, stickers, and patterned washi tape are all low-mess supplies that also won’t stain your kids’ clothes. Color Wonder or Water Wow books are a great mess-free option for small kids.
If your kids run out of ideas, suggest they draw pictures of family members or the things they see outside their window. Older siblings can play tic tac toe, hangman, or connect-a-dot with each other.
Activity books
Mad libs, word searches, crossword puzzles, coloring books, and word scrambles are all classic activities for passing time. You can often find these booklets at the dollar store or craft store. Or, you can print out some from our library of free downloads and put them on a clipboard.
Sticker activities
Stickers are great for the car because they’re unaffected by any jostling that might happen while you’re on the road. You can find activity books with reusable stickers, booklets with sticker puzzles, and window clings that kids can put on car windows. Just be careful not to roll down the window while they’re on!
Magnetic playsets
Just like stickers, these work great in a moving vehicle. These themed sets usually come in portable tins. There are tons of options for these online, from dress-up games to dinosaur play scenes.
Headphones
Picking some fun, kid-friendly podcasts to listen to with headphones can allow parents to enjoy much-needed quiet time! Or, you can pick a program that everyone in the family will enjoy. If you allow screens in the car, consider having a movie or two ready to go. And if kids will be watching/listening to the same program, invest in a headphone splitter to simplify your tech setup!
Books
Hours of uninterrupted free time is a perfect opportunity to get some reading done. Chapter books are great, but so are seek and find books like “Where’s Waldo” or picture books (like these by local Charlottesville authors).
If reading makes your little ones carsick, another fun option is to listen to audiobooks during your drive. These can be played over the car speakers, or they can listen individually to ones you’ve downloaded on a phone or tablet ahead of time. Or, a parent who isn’t driving can read aloud a book for the whole family.
Pillow and blanket
Car rides can be tiring, and sometimes a nap is the way to go. Bring a small pillow that doesn’t take up too much space, like a travel pillow or a pillow pet, and a favorite blanket.
Favorite Car Games for Family Road Trips
Don’t want to spend extra money to keep your kids entertained? There are plenty of fun, free games you can play in the car.
- 20 Questions: Take turns picking an object as everyone else in the car tries to guess what it is. The classic version picks from “animal, vegetable, or mineral,” but you can adapt these categories to appeal more to kids.
- DJ: Download music beforehand or hook up Spotify and let them take turns picking songs. You can even make a road trip playlist to remember the trip!
- Sing-alongs: Teach kids some classic camp songs. Some examples are “99 Bottles of Milk On the Wall,” “My Highland Goat,” “Down By the Bay” and “Fried Mam.” These don’t need musical accompaniment and are quick to pick up. The only downside is your kids might not want to stop singing!
- ABC Picnic: To start, the first person says, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing (a food that starts with the letter A).” Each person repeats the previous foods, then adds something with the next letter of the alphabet. This game goes on until the last person says a food that starts with Z and has to repeat all 25 previous foods.
- I Spy: Pick an object in the car or one outside your window and see how fast your kids can guess it!
- Haikus: Haikus are short three-line poems where the first line is five syllables, the second is seven and the third is five again. Challenge your kids to count the syllables and come up with their own poems.
- Alphabet: Try to be the first one to spot all the letters of the alphabet in order on the road signs and billboards that you pass. This is a great way to encourage reading and letter recognition in your kids.
Pro Tip: Many of these games an activities will also work for air travel! The only real difference is that you won’t be able to bring physical items with you.
How to Get Kids Involved in Planning a Family Trip
Of course, you can pick game that distracts your kids from the trip. But why not get them involved? Here are some fun activities to keep your kids focused on the road.
Plan the route together
Before the trip starts, print out a paper map and show your little ones where you’ll be traveling. Point out some interesting natural features like rivers you’ll cross over or mountains you’ll pass.
If you’re planning to sight-see along the way, point out where those stops will be, or choose some together. Your kids can take the map with them in the car to check your progress as you go.
Track license plates
Challenge your kids to find a license plate from every state! Find printouts online where your kids can cross states off on their own throughout the trip.
Teach them about road signs
Even if your kids aren’t old enough to drive, they can start learning about the road! To get them involved in the trip, tell them the name of your next turn or exit and ask them to look for it on a sign. Or teach them about the different colors of the road signs and what they mean.
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- Red = stop or prohibited
- Orange = construction or detour
- Yellow = warning
- Green = guides or directions
- Blue = motorist services (like rest stops or gas stations)
- Brown = public recreation or historical markers
- White = regulatory signs
Challenge them to collect the whole rainbow of road signs during your trip. Even if they don’t find them all, looking at road signs is a great way to find fun stops you may have missed otherwise.
Car Clean-Up Supplies
Despite your best efforts, car rides with kids will inevitably get messy. Be sure to bring along:
- Tissues
- Wet wipes
- A garbage bag
- Travel-sized hand sanitizer
- Towels in case of spills
If you have infants or toddlers, make sure your diaper bag is accessible and doesn’t get trapped under your other luggage. For younger children, consider keeping a change of clothes ready just in case someone has an accident.
Looking for what’s next for your Cville kids? CharlottesvilleFamily has you covered with birthday party planning guides, private school insights, and after-school sports and classes. Plus, find local events on our calendar, which is updated weekly.
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