I don’t have children yet, but I know that traveling with kids can be a challenge. Whether it’s a long road trip or a short drive to the grocery store, kids can put up a fight when it comes to getting in their car seat, waiting at red lights, background music they don’t like…the list goes on and on!
But you know, I sympathize with these kids. We all know how adults can get crazy when there’s a little traffic or road construction!
Since driving around town is an inevitable part of every day life with children, I turned to Pinterest to get some ideas on ways to make drives more enjoyable for toddlers — and their parents! And it turns out that Pinterest has an insane amount of ideas! It was tough to sort through them all, but I’ve rounded up my favorites in the list below:
1. Pipe cleaner shapes. For just a couple dollars, you can pick up a pack of multi-colored pipe cleaners and give your kiddos fun to last many trips in the car! Challenge your kids to make different shapes, animals or story lines with the pipe cleaners. These are a great car toy because they are quiet and mess free.
2. Sewing cards. I remember playing with these sewing cards as a kid, I can definitely recommend these from first-hand experience! Sewing cards are brightly colored animals or other shapes that have holes for the kids to “sew” the outline of the shape with yarn. These are great for learning dexterity! You can buy sewing cards here or make your own.
3. Specialty snacks. First off, I will say that giving kids candy and treats in the car seems like a definitely no-no. All that sugar can make them bounce off the walls, and yet they have nowhere to go! Hence, I love the idea of saving new healthy snacks for your kids to try in the car. They will be intrigued and get excited to hit the road knowing that they get a fun snack for the ride. You can also try snacks that take a while to eat, like string cheese or fruit leather.
4. Practice numbers and letters. Driving around in the car is a great time to teach your kids new things or have them practice something you’ve already taught them at home. I saw this activity on Pinterest and I think it’s totally genius! It only requires a toilet paper roll and some stickers, so it’s budget-friendly too.
5. Keep certain toys in the car only. If you save special toys for car rides only, you can use them as leverage to get your kids excited about running errands or making a long drive. Save a couple of their favorite toys as “car buddies” that need to stay in the car. That way, the novelty of the toy will take much longer to wear off!
6. Disposable camera fun. In the age of iPhone cameras and DLSRs, a disposable camera has its own unique qualities that make it a fun entertainment option in the car. Disposable cameras are relatively inexpensive, and your kids will get a kick out of snapping photos of sights in and out of the car. When you develop the pictures, they’ll be even more excited!
7. Play car games. Of course, you can play the classic car games like the alphabet game or the state license plate game to pass the time in the car with your kids. But there are other awesome games out there that can teach lessons, too! I love the idea of the “rainbow game” (have your kids look for every color of the rainbow and call it out when they see it) the “sound game” (take turns making animal sounds or other noises and have your kids guess what they are) or 20 questions to help kids learning reasoning skills.
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