Road trips are fun especially during summer when the weather is great and school is out.But long car rides can be boring sometimes, as you have to be seated in a spot for long duration. But things do not have to be so boring. Having travelled around the United States and having done so many road trips with my kids(especially my oldest who is 9), I can assure you having a bag full of activities for them really helps. Pack some good activities for your child along with a few healthy snacks and you are good to go.
As a mom , I make sure that I also involve myself in the some of the games and we also do some no materials involved games like guess the song, guess the Disney princess, would you rather and more! At other times, they keep themselves busy with these activities mentioned below. We don’t carry everything mentioned here in this post for a trip. We collectively chose some that we have and pack the activity bag according to the distance or time required to travel to our destination.
Our oldest daughter(9) has never used electronic devices during any of our roadtrips before and my youngest(2) has not been on many trips so far because of the pandemic. This year, we started traveling again and we noticed traffic can get really worse at times which can be for the kids to deal with especially when you are driving or trying to navigate through heavy traffic. So, we decided to invest in the fire tablets for the kids so they can have some sort of entertainment while the car is almost stationary at a heavy traffic highway.
Without further a do, here are some of my kid’s favorite things that they love and also are approved & adored by me as a mom.
1. Activity books
You cannot go wrong with a good activity book. They can be entertaining, fun and also educational at times. Kids at the this age (6-9) can work on these activities on their own or with very little help.There are a many different types of activity books from solving puzzles, mazes, crosswords to using stickers to create amazing images. Please do check back for a post about the activity books in the future.
At the moment, these are some of our favorite activity books.
Build your child’s critical thinking skills with this Logic puzzles activity book for clever kids. It’s not just a plain activity book with some stickers. It’s full of questions that encourage your child’s brain to think. The activities include puzzles, sequencing, patterns and also it is filled with colorful illustrations. Brain games need not have to be boring, yeah? Needless to say, I highly recommend this book. They also have another book in the series which is More Logic Puzzles for Clever Kids.
Spotting the difference activities are fun, engaging and entertaining. My kids love these activities, actually sometimes I find myself doing this for quite a long time while the kids are napping while on a road trip.
It’s never a bad idea to learn while on a road trip! This book is all about facts and details about the 50 states in the USA.
Dover little activity books
2. Magnetic Roadtrip games
Magnetic road trip games are so fun! They usually come in a metal tin case and are compact and well contained. This Magnetic Dress up game can keep my toddler occupied for about 15-30 minutes which is awesome when you are on a road trip.
We recently bought this Magnetic bingo and the kids enjoy this game a lot!
Well, this can be considered as an activity book but I thought mad libs deserves to be on it’s own.MAD LIBS was created in the 1950s and the series has been favorite among the kids ever since. This book has 21 fill-in-the-blank stories about neighborhood adventures, pranks and goofing around with friends.It’s basically a word game where you can create your own funny stories and have a good laugh.
Finding the license plate can be a great activity for older kids. It’s something the kids can do all through the trip and not just for a few minutes. This activity also gives them something to look forward to and encourage them to look outside and enjoy the scenery while they are hunting for the license plates. of different states.
You can also check this free printable form Paper Trail design here.
It comes with 14 colorful magnetic blocks that your child can use to make different patterns. The magnetic bottom of the shapes are quite strong and durable.It also comes with a booklet attached with a lot of ideas on what you could shapes and patterns you could do using the foam blocks.It’s fun and challenges the kids and helps them build their creativity while keeping the boredom away.
6. Travel lego case
My daughter is obsessed with Lego that she spends most of her summer. So, while we are traveling she missed creating with Lego blocks. This Lego travel case and organizer has been a great addition to our travel activity bag. The case holds all the pieces and the building plate allows them to have a sturdy base for the creations.
7. Note book, sketch book, Washi tape markers
It might look like a very simple list of things but it can be very useful for a child who loves to doodle. Stickers are fun at any age and washi tape makes a great mess free activity or a could also be used to decorate their book. We love these scotch expressions washi tape with summery patterns.
We use these double ender markers and here is a great set of stickers
8. Stickers
Stickers are fun at any age. They keep the kids occupied and also help improve their fine motor skills as they peel and place the sticker onto any surface preferably a notebook 🙂
I usually buy stickers from amazon, Target or dollar tree.
You can also try these make your own face stickers, they also come in a book.
9. Books
Do you have young readers in house? Then definitely plan on keeping a few books on hand.
Chapter books are great, since they can keep the young ones occupied for a while.If your kids like to read something quick then I recommend having some comic books. Here are some of my recommendations for kids aged 6-9.
If you don’t like carrying physical books, then you can have some electronic form of books like a kindle, or Amazon Fire HD Tablet which I will talk about in a second.
There is another great book subscription service called Epic, where you can find amazing collection of kids books. The monthly subscription is $9.99 but they have a huge collection of books for ages 0 and up.I highly recommend this service if your child is an avid reader or you would like to encourage them to read more often. It’s also great for homeschool families.
10. Amazon Fire HD kids pro tablet
This amazon tablet is designed specifically for kids and comes with a tons of entertainment features. It also includes one year subscription of Amazon kids + which includes ad free access to books, games, videos and more. We only use this tablet while traveling but if you want a tablet that you can use anywhere I would highly recommend buying the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet, 10.1″. Not only this tablet has a bigger screen but also has Octa-core CPU with a 3 GB RAM which means faster processing speeds making the tablet more efficient.
Mamma tip: Check out for Amazon prime-day deals where you can get this tablet for almost 50 percent off.Now, that’s a deal!
11. The Scholastic Brainiac Game Tin
Now, why not have some fun while on the road? But in a fun way, of course! This is a portable version of the Scholastic Brainiac Board game. The tin includes questions and answers in five subjects – Science, Math, Arts, Reading and the World. This game is best suited for grade 1 to 5. Kids can ask these set of questions to the parents as well. No one loses in this game even if you don’t know the answer instead you just learned something new!
12. Word search
Word search is probably my daughter’s least favorite activity and I often make one for her myself or find a free printable. However, if you are looking to buy a set of word search cards best for travel.
13. IQ Fit – a fun 3D travel game for ages 7 & up
This is my personal favorite game. It’s very challenging and fun to play when you are bored. It comes with colorful 3d blocks and a booklet with challenges all in a compact case perch for packing it away in you bag. The game helps you develop planning and build cognitive skills.I would not suggest this game for younger children as it can be too challenging which could lead to frustration.(Smilingmamma recommends for ages 8 and up)
14. Twisting puzzle snake toys
This is a great fidget toy to have around while you travel with kids. It’ s very simple toy yet can be used in so many different ways.It keeps them entertained while waiting in long lines, restaurants or absolutely anywhere.It helps them to calm down and reduce anxiety. It also enhances focus and keeps them entertained.
15. Funniest Illustrated Jokes for Kids!
There is nothing better than a good joke book. The is an entertaining collection of kid -friendly jokes with comic illustrations. This book is funny and also easy to read for young readers.
16. Would you rather
Kids love playing a game of “would you rather?” You can come up with your own set of questions for your kids or feel free to take the help of would you rather books like the now below.
17. Kid’s Camera
We bought one of these kid’s camera for my daughter’s birthday and it is one of the best birthday present we purchased for her so far. She adores the camera and loves taking it with her everywhere. She loves to capture beautiful scenery, birds and flowers. It’s very cute, shockproof and works great. It also comes with a 32 GB SD card* which is perfect for photos and videos. The image quality is not the best but is perfect for the little hands.
*32 GB SD card may not be included at all times. Please make sure you check before buying.
18. Pop it
This widely popular toy needs no introduction. It’s satisfying and relaxing for the mind and body.
19. Lacing toys /cards
Lacing toys/cards are another favorite one in my family. It’s really entertaining and keeps the kids busy for quite some time.
20. Rubik’s cube
Rubik’s cube is a combination of math, science and art. Let them develop their problem solving skills while also keeping them occupied. Solving a Rubik’s cube can be very challenging , so the kids might need a little bit of help. Download these instructions from the Rubik’s website here , so that they can be helpful in solving the puzzle. Best suited for kids 8 & up. For beginners, I suggest getting the 2×2 cube like this one–> 2×2 Speed Cube or the Rubik’s 2×2 cube.
Did you know the original cube has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 combinations, but only one solution?
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