Kids are constantly moving, learning, and improving. However, they lose interest quickly and can become bored within a matter of minutes (maybe seconds). Road trips, though exciting for those who love nature and sightseeing, can be very boring for young children.
Modern technology and devices, such as the Apple iPad and iPhone, have provided parents with many new ways of keeping their children entertained. But for parents who would prefer to offer their kids more traditional forms of entertainment, we have a few ideas on how to go about keeping your kids entertained during your next road trip.
Give these a try and let us know how they worked:
Karaoke
Karaoke is the age-old method for keeping children entertained during a road trip, allowing children to sing their favorite songs while the time passes by. Ask your kids what their favorite songs are before the trip, and print out the lyrics so that they can sing along to the song.
To make it a little more challenging, throw in some songs that they don’t know so well — that way they continue to stay alert.
Name the Song
Have your kids guess what song is playing in the car. The first person who can correctly guess the song gets a point. This game can be combined with other games so that your kids don’t get bored as each song plays.
License Plate Decipher
If you’ve ever heard police officers read out a license plate to a dispatcher, then you know the basics of this game. To play, read a license plate number and try to make an acronym or phrase out of it.
For example, POR618 could become “Possum Or Rat 618”. Not only is this game simple and free to play, you can also play it anywhere as long as there’s another vehicle around.
Punch Buggy
Punch buggy, also known as the Slug Bug Game, involves looking for a Volkswagen Beetle. The same model vehicle that was in Herbie is the star of this game. The goal of this game is to look for Volkswagen Beetles on the road.
The first person to call “Punch Buggy” gets the right to gently punch the other participants on the arm. This game can last the whole road trip, and any Volkswagen Beetle is fair game — whether old, new, or broken down on the side of the road.
Find Our Location
Turn your kids into a living GPS with this game. The goal of the game is to locate your current location on a map. To make the game more exciting, have your kids mark down one memorable thing about each major location that you pass through. Prior to your road trip, you’ll need to purchase a map for your kids.
Keeping your children entertained during a road trip doesn’t necessarily need to be difficult or cost a lot of money. With some creative thinking, you can create ideas that will allow your kids to stay satisfied for the entire trip.
Worst case scenario, you can always fall back to those electronic devices to allow your kids to watch movies and play games.