HOW TO OCCUPY YOUR CHILDREN ON A LONG ROAD TRIP
When was the last time you took a long road trip with your children? Did you enjoy it? Did you eventually come to find that your children ran out of things to keep them busy?
It doesn’t matter if you’re taking a trip to Boston, the Grand Canyon, or somewhere in between, proper planning is a must — and that’s definitely the case if you’re going to be in the car with your children for a long period of time.
So, this leads to an important question: what’s the best way to occupy your children on a long road trip?
So, this leads to an important question: what’s the best way to occupy your children on a long road trip?
There’s no simple answer to this question, as it depends largely on their interests, the time you’re traveling, and your personal thoughts on the matter.
Fortunately, there’s no shortage of ideas to consider. As long as you keep an open mind, something is sure to come to light.
Here are five of the best ways to occupy your children on a long road trip:
Contents
MUSIC
This comes in many forms. For example, you can play the radio and let your children sing along. Yes, this has the potential to energize your children to the max, but at least they’re in a good mood.
Depending on your vehicle, you may be able to take this to the next level with live music. You read that right. Maybe you stop every now and again for a jam session on your acoustic electric guitar.
Not only is it fun, but it gives you the opportunity to stop, rest your mind and body, and stretch.
COLOURING
Depending on the age of your children, coloring is a great way to occupy them.
You can opt for traditional coloring, such as with crayons and coloring books, or you can download an app on their mobile devices that allow for this. Either way, they’ll enjoy the process and showing off their work.
Tip: if you’re going to let your children use markers in your car, be sure that they’re washable.
BOARD GAMES
If there’s enough space to do this safely, it’s definitely something to consider.
Maybe you have two children with a space between them in the back seat of your sedan. They could place a board game there and have hours of fun.
SNACKS
When nothing else is working, it’s time to turn to food. Pack plenty of treats for your children, as it’s one of the best ways to calm them down so you can get some peace and quiet.
The key here is to provide healthy snacks. If you neglect to do this — perhaps by giving them sugary treats instead — it could soon backfire.
GUESSING GAMES
What am I thinking about right now? What do you see in the car that’s the color red?
You know all the old-time guessing games. They may only occupy your children for a handful of minutes at a time, but it’s better than nothing at all.
Eye spy with my little eye, something starting with…….
PREPARE FOR THE FOLLOWING CHALLENGES
There’s no right or wrong way to occupy your children on a long road trip. As long as it’s effective and safe, it’s something you should consider.
Here are some of the many challenges you should prepare for in advance:
- Running out of ideas
- Running out of food and drinks
- Children who want to get out of the car regularly to move around
- Yelling and fighting (no matter how hard you try to protect against it)
You can’t prepare for every challenge, but you might as well try to do so. It’s much better than running into an issue you never considered possible.
No road trip is complete without at least one ‘are we nearly there yet’!
FINAL THOUGHTS
These are some of the better ways to occupy your children on a long road trip.
Some of these ideas may work for you, while others fall flat right out of the gate.
The next time you find yourself preparing for a road trip, consider if any of these ideas could work in your favor. And of course, ask your children for feedback. They may be able to point you toward something you never thought about in the past.
Do you have any tips and tricks of your own to share? Tell us about them in the comments below.
Safe travels
Sal, Craig and our 3 kids.
