Provide your children with a space to play or color. There are a number of lap desks that are suitable for or made specifically for use in the car. Some car table tops even strap to the back of the seat in front of your child and drop down, revealing a storage space with toys and crayons inside. If your children like to play with cars and other toys, consider getting tables or desks with a raised border around them so the toys don’t slide off and wind up lost under the seats.
Rent audio books from the library or purchase some before heading out on the road. Since reading in the car often causes carsickness, audio books are perfect for keeping your kids entertained with their favorite stories without risking the use of paper bags or emergency pull-overs. Amuse your children with audio books played over the car stereo to give yourself a break and engage them in literature.
Purchase or make a loop of string for playing cat’s cradle. Print out different shapes your children can make with it to guide them or let them play and figure out all the different things they can make by weaving the strings through different configurations. Cat’s cradle can be played alone or with another person, so it is perfect if you will be traveling with more than one child.
If you have younger children, coloring might keep them entertained for hours. Provide coloring books or print out coloring pages available online. Pack some blank sheets of paper, as well. Older children often come up with creative games when left to their own devices.
Print out a list of road signs that your children can mark off as they spot them on your trip. Print a list of the different state license plates for your children to cross off. You can award a prize for the winner at the end of each day or the end of the trip. For a different spin on these games, play them as Bingo and start a new game each time one child gets a row.
Print a map for each child with the route enlarged and encourage them to mark it as you pass each town. Instead of giving them a number of minutes or hours until you stop, you can answer “Are we there yet?” by telling them to check the map. This activity is educational since the children will learn to read a map and understand distance and the time it take to travel by road.
