The Summer holidays will shortly be upon us, are you ready for those long car journeys in the car with kids? After last half term holidaying in Cornwall for the week and spending 6 hours on the M5 with 2 young children in the back of the car I was relieved we had come prepared after only travelling 30 miles in 3 hours I knew it was going to be tough.
We had already organised snacks and drinks to keep everyone happy, but I knew that wouldn’t be enough. As parents we have all suffered the persistent moans of “are we there yet?” and the incessant “I’m bored” and “how much further?” Going on holiday with the kids should be fun for everyone and knowing how to make the journey more bearable is a great start to your holiday. Ensuring I had plenty of ideas for travel games for kids was my secret to success. So once I managed to get the children to put their screens down (this also helps reduce travel sickness) we started on one of our favourite car journey games “Spot the Car”. Without anyone noticing the motorway started to move quicker and the time and miles were flying by.
Tips for travelling with Kids
Thankfully with a little planning and thought you can minimise the frustration children feel of being confined in a car for hours with nowhere to run. I always prepare a car journey planner which takes into account the route, planned comfort breaks and ideas to keep children happy in the car.
Another key to success when travelling with kids is to ensure everyone is fed and watered and to save the added nightmare of service stations we always take plenty of snacks and drinks and our range of kid’s lunch accessories are ideal for this.
Games to play in the car with kids on long journeys
We all have memories of playing “I Spy” on a long car journey as a child but games to play in the car with children can also be educational and entertaining for everyone. There are lots of car journey games to choose from but here are some of our favourite travel games for kids..
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
This classic game a version of “Twenty Questions” is great to involve adults and children. Taking it in turns, each player thinks of something within the animal, vegetable and mineral categories ,the others then ask questions, trying to guess what that “thing” is. This game requires logic, concentration and teamwork. Everyone will love it, the miles will fly by.
Guess the Capital
Parents can call out the name of any Country in the World and then the kids have to name the country’s Capitol. Great for lovers of geography who like to show off their knowledge or perfect for a child who wants to learn about different Countries.
Road Trip Bingo
This game is perfect to leave the kids to it, give the kids a list of items to visually find out of the car window. This encourages children enjoy the scenery and spot items on the list as they pass by. Marking each item off the list once they have spotted it.
Number plate sentences
Using only the letters of car number plates, make up silly sentences. TM51 TTH? Take Me To The Hairdressers, more like. Kids will love this one!
I went to the shops
A traditional drama lesson game that the whole car can enjoy. Taking it in turns to name items from a shop in alphabetical order. It’s not as simple as it sounds when every item needs to be remembered and recited back. It quickly descends into hilarious confusion.
Spot the car
A simple and effective game. Simply tell your kids a car make, model or colour, then get them to spot one, or more, in a certain time frame or distance travelled.
Secret Place Race
If you’re one of the few who still keeps a map in the car, then this is a good choice. One person chooses an obscure location – a village, town, river etc. – and the other has a mere 60 seconds or 6 minutes to find it.
Best Way to entertain the kids while travelling
Once you have exhausted yourself with playing our suggestions for car journey games an Audiobook is brilliant for entertaining the whole family. I would suggest you have a pre-chosen list before the journey, let the kids choose from that list and then just sit back relax and enjoy the story. Certainly beats the continual round of play lists on the radio and the commercials on local radio. Another easy option is a pod cast or we use BBC Sounds app which has a vast collection of pod casts, music mixes and a vast array of BBC radio channels. Did you know CBeebies has a Radio station?
For older children writing a travel journal can be an activity they can pick up and put down throughout the journey and holiday. You can involve kids with writing an itinerary and their plans for the holiday. Kids are likely to experience new and exciting adventures on holiday and its good to write down the names of the places visited, draw the interesting things they saw, the people they met, or stick some interest finds, maps or cards from the destination. For younger children why not pack a small activity or craft pack which will keep children entertained while travelling or sitting at a restaurant. They can draw a scenic picture of your holiday destination or create a drawing of an adventure you have experienced that day.
Games to take on holiday
This summer we have brought together a selection of children’s toys and games from one of our favourite brands Floss & Rock which are ideal for travelling with kids. Whether you are hanging around an airport or looking to entertain children at a restaurant these kids travel games are ideal. These games have been cleverly designed for this purpose and come in beautiful designed boxes to keep and can easily be packed into a suitcase or bag.
Magnetic Fun & Games – 1 tin 4 games includes Snakes & Ladders, Tic Tac Toe, Word search and a Magnetic Scene with pop out pieces. The set also includes a bag to store all of the bits and pieces and a ‘dry wipe’ pen for the word search. Great fun for playing alone or with friends and family.
Dress up dolls
Children love dressing up games and these Magnetic Dress up dolls are perfect to take on holiday or when you are travelling with kids. This dress up set is made from wood and all pieces are magnetic and outfits can easily be pieced together. These delightful dress up sets come in a gorgeous display box which folds out to create a themed background. Ideal for when you are sitting waiting in a restaurant, a long car journey or hanging around an airport.
We hope this blog has helped you with planning your Summer break whether you are planning a Staycation or flying further afield.
Happy Holidays!
Vikki x
