The summer holidays are nearly here and we’re already excited!
Whatever you’ve got planned for the holidays whether it’s driving to the beach, flying off to sunnier climes or heading off to visit far-away relatives, travelling with kids can undoubtedly be tricky.
If you’re keen to beat the boredom blues and put a stop to the never-ending question of “Are we there yet?”, then check out these 5 tried and tested games to keep the kids busy – wherever you’re headed!
1. Kids Countdown Activity to While Away the Travel Hours
If you’ve a mammoth trip planned, then segmenting it in to chunks and planning an activity for certain times along the way can really help keep boredom at bay. Countdown activities can range from games you plan to play at different points, special designated snack times, to small surprise gifts to be opened at certain places to keep them occupied! When the kids know there’s a schedule of fun planned it guarantees to minimise the moaning and keep everyone’s spirits high. It’ll save your sanity too! Promise!
2. Road Trip Bingo
Who doesn’t love bingo? Instead of eyes down for a full house, it’s time to keep your eyes peeled to see what you can spot! There are oodles of free printable bingo sheets online that you can use to add some entertainment to your journey. Sticking to your side of the window, the rules are simply to spot things on your bingo board as you go along! From cows to traffic lights and a whole host of other things – the first one to complete their board could win a prize. You could even make up your own bingo lingo for some extra fun!
3. Travel Journal
We LOVE this idea. Get the kiddos flexing their writing skills by creating a journal about their travels! Whether they write in bullet points, sentences or paragraphs it doesn’t matter, just get them to jot down all things they’ve enjoyed and to add some interesting facts about each place you visit. It’s not only a great way to keep them engaged throughout your travels but also a sneaky way to remind them to use a wide range of adjectives to describe the things they see. With lots of opportunities to practice spelling new words and unfamiliar place names it’s a fab way to encourage little wordsmiths. Get your kids to draw pictures or take their own photos of the things they see and like along the way. They can even collect mementoes and souvenirs to stick into their journal too. It’ll be a beautiful piece of art once they’ve finished and a wonderful way to remember the family trip.
4. Movie Night
Turn your car in to a cinema! This idea is perfect for late night travelling. Nothing beats the thrill of a movie night and it’s even MORE exciting when you’re watching one on-the-go!
Make sure you’ve got some snuggly blankets and lots of popcorn to create that authentic cinema vibe! If you want to go the extra mile you could always print off DIY cinema tickets to hand out before the kids enter the car - just like the old cinemas! Once everyone is settled, start the car and simply enjoy the movie magic. It’s a wonderfully easy way to make them forget about the length of the journey … well at least until the film ends!
5. Fortunately, Unfortunately Game
No props are needed for this giggle-tastic game! The idea is that this is a back-and-forth verbal story that can go from good to bad and back again. It’s perfect for encouraging creative thinking and is a winner for keeping the kids entertained. Start with an opening sentence like – “Once there was a princess that was locked in a tower.” The next person chimes in with “Unfortunately… the key to the tower had been lost”, the next person then starts with “Fortunately” … and adds something good to the story and so on until it reaches a happy ending (or not!). The sillier the story the better. It’ll have everyone in fits of laughter and before you know it, you’ll be at your destination!
However, you choose to beat the boredom when travelling with kids our ultimate top tip is - don’t forget to pack the snacks! Mess-free, easy to pack snacks will keep the kids happy for hours! We love the idea of DIY snacks that the kids can help prepare beforehand. Get the kids busy stringing Cheerios on to string to make a snack necklace to munch on in the car! Genius!
From silly games to movie marathons and of course lots of snacks – with a bit of preparation we guarantee you can all enjoy the journey AND the destination!
Here’s to a summer of fun and stress-free travel.
1. Kids Countdown Activity to While Away the Travel Hours
If you’ve a mammoth trip planned, then segmenting it in to chunks and planning an activity for certain times along the way can really help keep boredom at bay. Countdown activities can range from games you plan to play at different points, special designated snack times, to small surprise gifts to be opened at certain places to keep them occupied! When the kids know there’s a schedule of fun planned it guarantees to minimise the moaning and keep everyone’s spirits high. It’ll save your sanity too! Promise!
2. Road Trip Bingo
Who doesn’t love bingo? Instead of eyes down for a full house, it’s time to keep your eyes peeled to see what you can spot! There are oodles of free printable bingo sheets online that you can use to add some entertainment to your journey. Sticking to your side of the window, the rules are simply to spot things on your bingo board as you go along! From cows to traffic lights and a whole host of other things – the first one to complete their board could win a prize. You could even make up your own bingo lingo for some extra fun!
3. Travel Journal
We LOVE this idea. Get the kiddos flexing their writing skills by creating a journal about their travels! Whether they write in bullet points, sentences or paragraphs it doesn’t matter, just get them to jot down all things they’ve enjoyed and to add some interesting facts about each place you visit. It’s not only a great way to keep them engaged throughout your travels but also a sneaky way to remind them to use a wide range of adjectives to describe the things they see. With lots of opportunities to practice spelling new words and unfamiliar place names it’s a fab way to encourage little wordsmiths. Get your kids to draw pictures or take their own photos of the things they see and like along the way. They can even collect mementoes and souvenirs to stick into their journal too. It’ll be a beautiful piece of art once they’ve finished and a wonderful way to remember the family trip.
4. Movie Night
Turn your car in to a cinema! This idea is perfect for late night travelling. Nothing beats the thrill of a movie night and it’s even MORE exciting when you’re watching one on-the-go!
Make sure you’ve got some snuggly blankets and lots of popcorn to create that authentic cinema vibe! If you want to go the extra mile you could always print off DIY cinema tickets to hand out before the kids enter the car - just like the old cinemas! Once everyone is settled, start the car and simply enjoy the movie magic. It’s a wonderfully easy way to make them forget about the length of the journey … well at least until the film ends!
5. Fortunately, Unfortunately Game
No props are needed for this giggle-tastic game! The idea is that this is a back-and-forth verbal story that can go from good to bad and back again. It’s perfect for encouraging creative thinking and is a winner for keeping the kids entertained. Start with an opening sentence like – “Once there was a princess that was locked in a tower.” The next person chimes in with “Unfortunately… the key to the tower had been lost”, the next person then starts with “Fortunately” … and adds something good to the story and so on until it reaches a happy ending (or not!). The sillier the story the better. It’ll have everyone in fits of laughter and before you know it, you’ll be at your destination!
However, you choose to beat the boredom when travelling with kids our ultimate top tip is - don’t forget to pack the snacks! Mess-free, easy to pack snacks will keep the kids happy for hours! We love the idea of DIY snacks that the kids can help prepare beforehand. Get the kids busy stringing Cheerios on to string to make a snack necklace to munch on in the car! Genius!
From silly games to movie marathons and of course lots of snacks – with a bit of preparation we guarantee you can all enjoy the journey AND the destination!
Here’s to a summer of fun and stress-free travel.
If you’d like to find out more about the practical magic we can bring to your family please get in touch.
Call 07581 156684 or email sophie@practicallyfamily.co.uk
