Last Updated on May 8, 2024 by The Smetz Files
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In this post I highlight three things that make travel with kids easier-ish! 🙂
We spend a lot of time in the car. Some of this is by choice. Some is by necessity. And some is just by convenience.
Since our kids were babies they have been great car travelers. We’ve made many long distance trips from our home in North Carolina to Connecticut and Pennsylvania to visit family. We’ve made the trip south to Florida (huge Disney fans!). From central NC, those are 8 to 12 hour drives depending on the location. Insert stressed mom look here!
Finally, we make the just over three hour drive to the beach more frequently. Now that our kids are in elementary school, they can read so that’s a great way to pass the time.
Many times we drive at night, so reading isn’t always an option for them. Here are three options that help us survive car trips with two kiddos in tow regardless of the distance:
Snacks
This may seem like a ‘duh’ for most moms, and trust me, the few times I forgot to keep the snack bag accessible, I instantly regretted it and we found a safe spot to stop and retrieve it…PRONTO!
Just yesterday I loaded up the kids to drive home from the beach. We were leaving after dinner, so having the snack bag handy wasn’t high on my priority list. Truthfully, I didn’t even think about it.
About an hour into the drive I heard S in the backseat rummaging through a bag…she had put the snack bag between their seats. I love this stage of independence and responsibility! Car friendly snacks are a must when we’re on the go!
I recycled these desk storage containers from teaching days as snack holders. These came in handy when chubby little hands needed a place to hold their snacks and minimize spillage!
Trivia
When our kids were preschoolers, we loved the Brain Quest cards that gave early learners friendly questions to build their thinking and it helped keep our kiddos occupied on long car trips. They make decks for older kids too (I used them when I taught elementary school for fun brain breaks).
G is a walking anthology of sports history, so he has collected a few sports trivia books; he’ll quiz us on historical sports facts to pass the time. I’m always impressed with the nuggets of information they know and topics they can speak knowledgeably about.
Check out two of our favorite options for kids’ trivia!
Art
Since she was two years old, S has carried a notebook to doodle, make lists, and write. More recently she enjoys watching YouTube tutorials on how to draw. She loves to bring a lap desk in the car with a bag of sketch pads, colored pencils, and markers to draw and color to pass the time. I love that she keeps materials with her, so she’s ready when inspiration strikes.
Below are a few options that have kept our budding artist at work while we travel.
UPDATED
If you have a budding engineer these magna tiles are easy to construct with in the car to keep your young builder entertained.
Books are always a great idea for the car. Check out this list I curated for young readers!
As they get older they keep themselves occupied more so, but I always like to have a few ideas ready to go to stave off the insufferable whining, ‘how much longer?’ just in case!
So, safe travels to you and your kiddos!
What’s your go-to plan to keep kiddos entertained on car trips?
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