Every parent knows that traveling with kids doesn’t always go smoothly.
While they may start out full of excitement and anticipation, it usually doesn’t take long before someone announces that they’re bored, starts kicking the seat in front of them, or asks that dreaded question, “Are we there yet?”
While tablets and movies certainly have their place, they aren’t always the answer.
After all, screens don’t stay charged forever. And, too much screentime, even on a long drive, might be more likely to cause a meltdown than keep your little one entertained.
Having a few screen-free activities ready can make travelling with kids much less stressful.
And, as an added bonus, many of them encourage conversation, creativity, and family bonding time along the way.
Here are some favorite travel activities that can help keep long journeys a little more enjoyable.
Start With a Travel Activity Bag
There are all kinds of great screen-free ways to keep your kids entertained on the road, and a travel activity bag is a great way to have them readily accessible.
Keep it simple by using a small backpack, a zippered pouch, or a reusable tote for each one of your kids.
Fill it with a mix of activities, snacks, and a couple of inexpensive surprises, then keep it tucked away until the trip begins.
Just remember these two rules to help ensure that your child’s travel activity bag is always a hit.
First, pack the bag fresh each trip, so that there are new activities to enjoy each time. Second, don’t let your kids peek inside before your trip actually starts.
Even familiar items can feel exciting when they only come out for travel, and having their own bag gives kids something to look forward to as soon as the journey starts.
Wondering what to pack inside your child’s activity bag? Any one of these seven options are sure to be a hit!
1. Classic Word and Guessing Games
Whether you decide to buy a few books of word games for your child’s travel bag, or simply print out a card or two with simple games and their rules, a classic word game is a great way to enjoy some time with your kids as you drive.
I Spy works for the youngest travelers, while License Plate Bingo and Twenty Questions keep older kids engaged.
A favorite for all ages is often a story chain. One person starts a story with a single sentence, and everyone adds a line in turn.
As an added bonus, word games are a great way to get everyone laughing and bonding together, instead of occupying themselves individually.
It’s a way to connect with your kids and start making memories before you even arrive at your destination.
2. A Portable Painting Kit
If you have an art-loving child, but thought there was no way to let them indulge their creativity on the road, you’ll love portable painting kits!
Thanks to clever water brush pens that actually hold water in the handle, your child can paint to their heart’s content with no mess.
Look for a watercolor kit for travel that combines paints, water brushes, and a sketchbook into a case small enough for a seat back pocket.
Best of all, these painting kits work just as well in a hotel room or a campsite picnic table as they do in the car.
For younger kids who are not ready for paint, chunky crayons and a small pad can be just as much fun, and help them develop their artistic skills.
3. Sticker Books and Activity Pads
The humble sticker book has kept its popularity for decades, and with good reason! They’re fun, inexpensive, and can be tailored to your child’s individual interests.
Reusable sticker scenes are especially good value because they can be done and redone through the whole trip.
For kids in the early school years, you may also want to grab some activity pads with mazes, connect-the-dot puzzles, and word search pages.
Since these books and sticker sheets are so inexpensive, consider buying two or three to pull out during your drive as needed.
4. A Travel Journal
For kids who can write, a simple notebook can become a treasured memento of your trip by turning it into a journal.
Younger children can draw one picture from each day, while older kids can write a few lines about their adventures.
Let them add a few mementos from the trip, from restaurant menus to pressed flowers, and that simple notebook becomes something so much more.
The journal fills quiet moments during travel, but the real payoff comes later, when the wobbly drawings of the hotel pool and the roadside dinosaur statue become family treasures.
5. Audiobooks and Podcasts
While your child will generally need a device for audiobooks and podcasts, the fact that they don’t need to be staring at a screen makes them much more beneficial.
These audio entertainments keep little brains busy while eyes rest, which makes them the perfect wind down activity after a busy day of travel.
Just make sure to download the material you want before you leave the house, so that you don’t have to deal with rural highways and bad cellular reception.
6. Quiet Toys That Travel Well
A few small toys should definitely find their way into your child’s travel bag, but make sure to choose those toys carefully.
The best travel toys have no loose pieces to lose under the seat, make no sound, and can be played with in different ways.
Some popular choices could be magnetic drawing boards, pipe cleaners, a small tin of modelling wax, or finger puppets for the littlest travelers.
Magnetic versions of classic games like checkers or snakes and ladders are ideal for older kids, especially on trains and planes where a fold down tray becomes the game board.
Fidget toys can be a great choice as well, since they can be pulled out periodically throughout your trip when your child’s hands are getting restless.
7. Snack Time as an Activity
When it comes to kids, you should never underestimate the entertainment value of a well-planned snack.
A bento box with little compartments turns a simple snack into something that feels like a special occasion.
Cheese cubes, berries, crackers, and a few surprise treats will occupy small hands far longer than that simple granola bar.
In fact, you may even want to set a snack schedule, and let kids enjoy a different snack every hour or two during your journey.
It sounds elaborate, but it turns the clock into a fun countdown, instead of a constant litany about how much longer you’ll be traveling.
No single activity is likely to entertain children for an entire trip, which is why the real secret to happy travel with kids is rotation.
A painting session, a round of 20 Questions, a snack, and an audiobook will add up quickly and have your little one entertained for hours.
Pack more options than you think you need, keep a couple of surprises in reserve, and let kids move on when their attention fades.
With a little preparation, your travel will become part of your vacation, and may just build some memories that will last for a lifetime.