Spring break is quickly approaching. Many people are opting to drive to their vacation destination instead of flying this year. Or, people are planning short road trips.

Our family has a twelve plus hour road trip looming ahead of us. It is the longest we’ve traveled by car together and this mama wants to be prepared. I began brainstorming ideas – some are our family favorites, some are new ideas.

In no particular order, below are 10 ideas to keep your kids entertained on a long car ride.

#1 – License Plate Game

This has become one of our favorite activities for a long car ride. We did it a couple of summers ago when we traveled to South Dakota. The game is simple: make a list of all fifty states and when you see a license plate of a state, cross it off. It keeps kids engaged and looking outside of the car. Who would have thought that having your kids look out a car window was such a cherished thing?

#2 – Car Bingo

This is similar to the license plate game in that kids are looking out the window and engaging. Instead of looking at license plates they are looking for items on their bingo card. For example, one bingo card might have a convertible, a stop sign, a church steeple, a dog, etc. If you are traveling mainly on interstate this gets complicated but it’s still fun. You can purchase a set of car bingo cards here.

#3 – Drawing/Writing

Drawing or writing is a good way to pass the time. There are millions of free coloring printables online if your child is into a character/cartoon/movie. Or, depending on the age of your child, they can write a short story. Bonus points if all of your kids participate in the story writing (one starts and after a certain amount of time passes the story to the next and a parent can read it out loud when the kids are done). I LOVE this clipboard with storage for road trips. It holds paper, writing utensils, even an IPad. You can buy it here.

#4 – I-Spy

Our kids are 10, 12, and 15 and we still play this game occasionally. Someone picks out an object in the car or outside of the car and tells the rest of the family what the color is. “I Spy with my little eye something yellow.” I’m not sure if that’s exactly what you say in the game but it’s what we say. And then the rest of the family guesses. Make sure to tell your kids to pick something that will be in view for a while (i.e. not a house that you will drive by and not be able to see).

#5 – DIY Dry Erase Boards

I doubt my kids invented this trick, but they showed me and I was impressed. They found a stack of my clear sheet protectors (used in binders), put a white piece of paper in it, and wrote on it with a dry erase marker. It erases just like a dry erase board. You can also put worksheets or coloring sheets in it. It takes up way less space than traveling with a dry erase board. You can buy the sheet protectors here.

#6 – Choose the Song Game

Okay, so this isn’t really a game, but you take turns so maybe it’s sort of a game? We love to take turns choosing songs to play on the radio. Everyone gets a turn and then we repeat until boredom sets in. The only rule is that you can’t refuse to play a song (no matter how lame the song is). It can be very entertaining to play a song you know will make your kids roll their eyes?. Who doesn’t love a good Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers duet? Answer: everyone in the car except me!

#7 – Read a Book Out Loud

I’ve never read a book out loud on a car trip personally, but know people who have. The key is finding a book that will hold everyone’s attention. If reading out loud isn’t your cup of tea, find an audiobook or podcast that everyone can listen to!

#8 – Snacks

Food makes everyone happy. I always have plenty of snacks on long road trips. My suggestion to you is when you give snacks have a rule that your kids have to put their screens down to eat. It’s a great motivation for them to give their eyes a rest, no kid can resist a snack!

#9 – The Alphabet Game

We tend to play the alphabet game around the campfire more than in the car, but we might have to on this road trip! The alphabet game is simple. Pick a category (i.e. animals), the first person says an animal that starts with the letter A (alligator), the second person says an animal that starts with the letter B (beaver), and play until someone can’t come up with an animal. If you want to make it REALLY hard, the first person names an A animal, the second person has to repeat the A animal and add their own B animal, the third has to say the A and B animals and add their own C until someone forgets an animal previously said or can’t come up with their own.

#10 – Electronics

Of course electronics. I saved this for last because I have a lot to say about it. Whether it’s an iPad, cell phone, gaming system, portable DVD player, etc., electronics are always a crowd-pleaser. However, I don’t want my kids staring at a screen the entire time.

Typically when we travel, won’t let the kids have screen time until later in the trip. They can choose to do anything else (read, draw, nap, anything above) before getting their screens. It’s fun to set a milestone: when we get to the interstate you can have your screen for X amount of time.

When we get close to our destination on a long road trip, we will make our kids pass their devices to us. There is something exciting about looking out the window and seeing new things. If given the choice, many kids will choose to keep their heads down. So…take away the choice!

I’m also married to a chiropractor and could go on and on about neck and eye strain from staring at a screen for too long.

If you plan to let your kids have any screen time, make sure to build in breaks. Lots of them.

I hope these ideas are helpful! Please comment below with any activities your family loves to do!

Happy and safe travels!

Until Next Time,

Neko