Family Road Trip! 6 Activities for Drama-Free Driving.
Summer Road Trip Ideas. Image source: fairfoodfight.com
Road Trip! We’re all doing a road trip of some sort this summer! For some, it may be an hour upstate to visit grandparents, and for others, a trip across the country. For many parents, the thought of hours and hours in the car with pre-school kids creates anxiety. Are you envisioning whining, complaining and tantrums? Well, we have some good news! With a little planning ahead, these activities can make your family road trips pain-free, meltdown free, a tad bit educational and a whole lot of fun!
Drama-Free Driving: 6 Activities for Family Road Trips
License Plate Game – I admit, I STILL look at license plates when I’m on long car rides. The goal is to find plates from each of the 50 states. You can use a piece of paper to log each plate that you see, or even better, use your printer prior to your trip for this free printable license plate game, where the kids can simply cross off each plate they see.
I Spy – “I spy with my little eye, something blue.” This easy game is perfect for preschoolers, and can keep them entertained for unbelievably long periods of time. The directions are simple: one person spies something and recites the line, ending in a clue. Everyone else takes turns trying to guess the mystery item. Look for items inside and outside the car.
Sticker books, activity books, and stick-on plastic picture sets: A stack of these come in handy, and are particularly great for toddlers. Your child can express their creativity without using pens on the upholstery. This doesn’t need to be expensive, try your local Dollar store for a wide variety of themes.
A trip notebook: A great way to capture memories of your family’s road trip. Your child can draw and place stickers while on the road, and you can help by adding a few notes about the trip at the end of the day. Kids love to look back and read their summer road trip memories. Remember to pack along pencils and/or crayons but leave the markers at home. Car rides, markers and toddlers do not mix!
The Alphabet Game: This is a fun game for kids of all ages. The goal is to find objects along the way that correspond to the alphabet. Look for something with an “A”, or a sign that starts with a “B”, or maybe a plant that starts with a “P”. Think outside the car on things such as billboards, roadsigns, restaurants, etc. Work your way from A to Z!
Mad Libs! Remember coming up with crazy sentences such as “The stinky banana ate the green sink”? Mad Libs are not just for sleepover parties, they are an excellent summer road trip game, and good way to practice parts of speech! You can find a written notebooks at any Target or general store, or visit the Mad Libs website for printable worksheets to bring on the road. This game never fails to entertain the troops.
Need a few more ideas? Pinterest has a creative page dedicated to road trip travel! Check it out!
