Tips for a Long Car Trip with Kids

Posted on May 22, 2014 | 0 comments

Tips to Survive Long Car Trips with Kids

Most people groan at the idea of kids in the car. But it can be quite fun! This is such an amazing world, we should all take every opportunity to check it out AND share it with our children. Whether you have to drive for 6 hours with two toddlers for that distant cousins wedding or you are just feeling adventurous with your elementary schoolers, follow even just some of my tips and you might just have a good time traveling with children!!

Tip 1: Snacks!!

If you have a no eating rule in your car – BREAK IT!! Concerned about spills? No worries, just line the bottom of your car with old paper bags, have a container of wipes in the front seat and a bottle of Perrier (my secret stain buster – seriously, it will get anything out) and just expect it to happen at some point. It will make it easier when it does happen and snacks will keep the kids happy and provide a few blissful moments of peace and quiet as you drive along with kids in the car. Depending on what they like to eat, put together an appropriate sized cooler bag filled with:

• Water
• Drinks (for you too!)
• Their snacks. Good ideas for the car:
• Carrots
• Sliced grapes
• Berries
• Their favorite kind of chip/cracker
• Cheese
• A whole apple or Banana
• Granola bars
• For younger children make sure to give squishy foods so no risk of choking. I love the fruit pouches and they come in so many different flavors, they are perfect for travel with babies/toddlers. I only buy them for travel so they are a bit of a treat as well.

Tip 2: Malibu Mama Loves Peace and Love Bags

As soon as everyone is buckled in, give each child a special bag with 25 (or more) pennies in it. Every time they fight or whine, charge them each a penny. Offer prizes. An idea – whoever has the least amount of pennies has to collect the trip garbage out of the car or some other age appropriate chore. Another note – if your kids don’t yet like money, try using stickers, magic marbles (only if old enough not to put in their mouth), non-toxic crayons, anything small that they like and will not want to have to give up, and if they are older – up the anti!!! Make sure you keep an empty bag next to you to collect your ‘payments’ and to refill their bags with this collection at the end of the trip. Keep them in the glove box for the next ride!

Tip 3: Fun Bags – Strap a bag to the back of each front seat.

Load in the following items for the kids:

• Coloring books
• Crayons
• Stickers
• Markers – if your kids are old enough to know NOT to draw on the seat!
• A Mini-Puzzle with a backboard
• A favorite Stuffed Animal
• An Etch-A-Sketch
• Dry Erase Board with Markers and Paper towels.

Tip 4:  Entertainment – Have Lots of It!

If this trip is longer than 3 hours and you have kids even half as active as mine, movies are not going to cut it. Find some great kids music cds and come up with some fun “on the road” games. Ideas Are:

• I Spy With My Little Eye – take turns making eachother look for things outside.
• Pediddle – find cars coming in the opposite direction with only one head light.
• Rhyming Words – have fun taking turns coming up with a word that rhymes with something you have spotted out the window or in the car.
• I’m so hungry I could eat a _______! Come up with a silly A word and start the round with I am so hungry I could eat an Alligator! Then the next person has to add on with a B – I am so hungry I could eat an Alligator and a Black Bear! And so on through the whole alphabet until you are eating xylophones, yarns and zebras!
• Car Buzz – this is a group effort to reach a predefined number together. Mine are younger so we go to 50 right now, but this can be done to any number and don’t be afraid to challenge yourselves and change it up! You take turns counting to 50 and when someone reaches a number divisible by 5, instead of saying the number, they say BUZZ. If the person forgets to say BUZZ, everyone has to begin from 1 again! It is pretty funny!
• Color Safari – an easily adaptable game where you choose a solid color (such as red, blue, green, yellow) and challenge the kids to come up with 50 things that are this color. If your kids are a bit older, you can set a time limit and challenge them to race against eachother or yourself.
• Imagine Them – a fun game. Pick different houses or cars you pass and make up a story about the person/people that live there or are driving in the car. Make it very detailed and be silly!
• Road Trip Bingo – give each player a flat surface (like a hardcover book, a clipboard, the top of a box, a cookie sheet) to put on their lap. Then give them each a bingo card and a Ziploc bag with 16 pennies (pennies are heavier and will work better in the car than the cardboard ‘chips’ that comes with the game – you can also have them use their PEACE AND LOVE BAG). When a player spies something on their board outside then they put a penny on that space. First person with a straight, covered line wins. If this is too slow, you can also call things out as in regular bingo.
• “Ask Google” – if you have access to a smartphone, find interesting signs, places, cars and google it! Also a fun way to record where you have been and you will learn some very interesting things! Plus the kids get a kick out of asking the phone a question!

Hopefully, in reading these tips on long car trips with kids, you now are looking forward to your car trip! Just expect the unexpected, accept that there will be some form of a spill and possibly a loud fight/tantrum BUT it is going to make for a great story someday!

What are your great tips?

Cheers and Safe Travels,
Malibu Mama Loves Xx

This is such an amazing world, we should all take every opportunity to check it out w our fam. #TravelTips http://t.co/2KIUOVaQA6

— Malibu Mama Loves (@MalibuMamaLoves) October 7, 2014

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