Tips for Keeping Kids Entertained in the Car

We’re going on a pretty long road trip this Summer and so with that in mind I wanted to get organised ahead and start planning the in-car entertainment, so then nearer the time I can just focus on the packing and then having fun.  Having four children of various ages all in close proximity to each other for tormenting, hitting and generally annoying the heck out of each other makes for a long, pretty stressful car journey.  Also added into this our kids are notorious at being car sick, having explosive nappies and crying a lot in the car.  Why are we having a long road trip I hear myself now say after typing this up!  This year, us parents will be armed and ready.  So here are my top tips for the journey ahead.

1. Plan your stops ahead – Mumsnet have a good list of the top family friendly services that can keep you entertained and sane on a long or even short journey as some of their farm shop style shops are worth a visit alone!   Also worth doing is if you have any annual membership cards that are UK wide such as National Trust, utilise these and take a break and have a discover and play stop.  Another good one is to find a local kids farm park for a play. 
2. Treasure Box – We have the section lunch boxes, which are perfect for this! Fill the box up with some easy journey snacks and also It’s worth visiting a pound store/ dollar store and picking up some travel crayons, stickers, pads or small toys for them to discover.
3. Audiobooks – We are currently subscribed to Audible and we receive credits each month that we save and then download some audiobooks for the whole car or pitched specifically for each child.  Our children’s favourites at the moment include David Walliams books, The owl who was afraid of the dark, Alfie books by Shirley Hughes, Elmer, Topsy and Tim, How to train a dragon, Katie Morag, Harry Potter and much much more.
4. Headphones – Not everyone wants to listen to Harry Potter or a radio station, so bring headphones and each child gets to watch or listen to their own film / story /app separately.
5. Play games – Pinterest has some great travelling scavenger hunts, which you can find all on my board here.  Whether you have a car mad child or just want to spot out the window, giving them a printed sheet makes it more of a fun challenge.  Lego busy tins are another great idea for older ones.  Compiling a road trip activity book is really useful and include a map of the country, weather sheets and colouring in. Don’t forget how much fun kids have joke telling, so print out some new jokes to take turns in telling.
6. Kids Apps – We will be utilising child friendly and educational apps such as cbeebies and cbbc. They have songs, shows, quizzes and much more to keep them going.
7. Car Karaoke – How can you do this with little ones I hear you say?  Well if you don’t have older children who can sing a long to the charts then stick on something really fun like the Hey Duggee song compilation.  We have just as much fun as the children listening to these songs on YouTube through our car speakers. Also Disney sing -a-longs and nursery rhymes are all perfect for little ears. 
8. Movie theatre – Play a movie for all and cover them up in snuggly blankets with travel pillows and movie snacks.

I hope that this gives you a good start and reference point for planning your Summer road trips.  I would love to hear if you have any great ideas for keeping your little ones entertained.

\