How do you keep kids busy in the car on road trips?
@hillbillyheart (190)
United States
December 20, 2006 1:33pm CST
It can be such a task to travel with kids in tow. What are some of the tips and tricks you have for keeping kids busy while they are in the car? We like to play games with road signs. The road sign game can be very simple and easy to play. You go from A to Z using the first letter in names and words on billboards and road signs. The rules are simple: no abbreviations or acronyms are allowed and the first person to call it gets that letter. Whoever reaches Z first is the winner. It usually makes it easier if you stipulate that X and Z can be found anywhere in the word. Otherwise, your game can go on forever and ever. The license plate game is played similar to this. Any digit in the plate’s number can be used. You have to go from A to Z and the first person to reach Z wins the game. Kids enjoy both of these games, because even though they may not feel as smart and Mom and Dad sometimes, they catch many of the letters that their parents miss. Parents have to keep their eyes on the road while driving so some of the signs pass them by before the letters are spotted. What are some of your favorite games to play in the car?
4 responses
@bigedshult1 (1613)
• United States
23 Dec 06
count how meny one head light drivdr there you can find at night and there id the dvd player that help a lot
@tentwo67 (3382)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I used to play those alphabet games on the road as a kid. They're fun to do.
We didn't get any of this specifically for the road, but my son's gameboy and leappad both keep him pretty busy in his carseat (well, booster seat, really. He's 4 and a half). We had to get headphones for the gameboy, though. It is very annoying to listen to when he's playing in the backseat and you're trying to drive!
He will also keep himself occupied with a book.
We've been travelling with him since he was an infant and so he's grown up to be a great little traveller. We even drove from Alabama to Las Vegas last year for Thanksgiving (2005) and though many people said that we were nuts to go cross country with a then 3 year old, he was great.
Depending on how old your kids are, I personally like to keep myself busy on a road trip while my husband is driving with a handheld sudoku game. They make handheld versions of dozens of games so that might be something to look into. The big books of crosswords and other puzzles are good for the road too.
@snowflake5 (1579)
• United States
20 Dec 06
If you have a PSP, they can take turns to play games or listen to music in the back seat while you drive.
@luko4me (131)
• United States
21 Dec 06
We also do the alphabet word game where each person has to say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. My daughter is 5 and this has been a good learning game for her.
We also play a game where you have to make as many rhymes as you can for a word.
