Car activities for kids can be a real lifesaver when summer road trip season rolls in. Whether it will be 2 hours or 10 hours until you reach your destination, boredom will set in as soon as you leave town. But the drive does not have to be a drag! With these fun car ride activities, it can be an entertaining adventure.
Make Edible Necklaces
This activity comes in two parts. First, you have the kids make the necklaces by stringing ring-shaped pretzels, Cheerios, Lifesaver Candies, apple rings, and other ring-shaped snacks onto a long piece of string or yarn. Then, you let the kids wear the necklaces throughout the rest of the voyage, snacking as they go.
Play “Guess That Song”
This one works really well with older kids who have a broader music knowledge. Start playing a song, and see who can guess the song’s title and artist the fastest. You can get even more creative by choosing all music within a certain genre or from a certain decade. The kids might win the 2010s round, but the parents will dominate the 90s music round!
Pass Around a Book
Find a short novel that will appeal to all or most of the family members, and pass it around the car. Each passenger should read a designated number of pages out loud before passing it on to the next family member. This is the perfect way to sharpen your kids’ reading skills, and if the book selection is spot-on, you’ll want to keep reading even after you reach your destination.
Play “I Spy”
This is one of those classic car activities for kids that never gets old. You say “I spy something red” with a certain item in mind. The kids guess what the item is, and you answer “yes” or “no” as they guess. You then repeat the game with another adjective, such as “I spy something fast.”
Play “I’m Going on a Picnic”
“I’m Going on a Picnic” is another classic car game. You start by saying, “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing cheese.” (You can choose whatever item you want to bring.) The next person repeats what you said, adding their own item. So, for example, they would say “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing cheese and carrots.” The next person repeats what the second person said, again adding their own item. You see how many times you can go around, adding more and more items to the list, before someone forgets.
Car Activities for Kids: A Healthy Spin
If you’ve been looking for ways to get your kids more interested in dental health, or in health in general, you can put a health-related spin on most of these car activities for kids. Require that picnic items for “I’m going on a picnic” be good for teeth. Pass around a book to read that is related to dental health. The sky is the limit. Have a great car trip!