Mommysavers › Forums › General Discussion › Family Matters › Road trips... entertainment for 3-5 year olds
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Road trips... entertainment for 3-5 year olds

post #1 of 11
6/25/08 at 6:35am
Thread Starter 
We've talked about this before but how do you entertain your kids in the car? We're taking our tiny little Jetta TDI so I'm afraid the girls will clobber each other before we get there. I bought a few new inexpensive DVDs from Overstock. I was thinking of doing the little surprises every hour or two but I have no idea what to get. I don't want to buy junk or give them too much sugar(that will make the situation worse). We're driving 11 hours next month. We planned to stop halfway on the way up but I think we're going to drive straight home on the way back to save money.

We have an etch-a-sketch and magnadoodle but they are worn out on those things from using them at church.

I also have a Leapster to take along for my older dd.
Reply
Reply

Featured Stories on Mommysavers

The $5 Savings Plan - Have you tried it?
How to Find the Best Deals at Target
Mommysavers Coupons
post #2 of 11
6/25/08 at 6:58am
MY 4 year old daughter recently took a 6 hour driving trip with my dh. I bought her a baking pan to sit in her lap so she could play on it and not drop the toys. She could color on it. drive cars on it. or you could do like I had plan to do but ran out of time. I was going to make little people out of har paper and put a magnet on the back so she could play on the baking pan with it.

Also pack snack- non messy snacks lol. Good luck on your trip
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 11
6/25/08 at 7:17am
We take trips like that quite a bit. We go down to Baltimore from MA, and to PA and NJ. I pack each kid(now they help pack it) a backpack of things. I found some travel games at the Dollar store and when they were younger they got little puzzles, coloring books(color wonders for the youngest), books, and they had those little TV lap trays(they sell them at Walmart for a couple bucks.) Now that they're older they still have travel games, and coloring, but then word searches, video games, ipods, DVD's and each kids got a throw blanket and a pillow and a stuffed animal if they wanted.

THe thing that helped me was I wouldn't let them play with anything that was in their backpack until we were in the car.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 11
6/25/08 at 7:18am
Go to the dollar tree and get a bunch of workbooks and coloring books!
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 11
6/25/08 at 8:48am
Music that they like and maybe audiobooks. Usually we do sing-alongs for most of the ride. It helps if they are used to road trips from a young age.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 11
6/25/08 at 9:55am
Thread Starter 
Littlelizard, I think you are right, it would help if they were used to it. They start to complain if I keep them in the car longer than an hour. We just don't have a reason for travel. We are happy to entertain ourselves close to home most of the time and don't need to travel to visit family.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 11
6/25/08 at 11:16am
We are getting ready to go on a 9 hr trip and here is what I have done. Each girl has their own backpack and in them I put:

a really small radio and earphones ($2.50 for radio @ Walmart and $.99 for earphones @ Big Lots)

small tablet and gel pens (Dollar bin @ Target)

a mini piano ($2.50 @ Big Lots)

snacks (mini juice box, fruit snacks, suckers, gum)

activity pads

eye spy books

walkman for books on tape

kaleidescope

a spinning light thing

They received VTech laptops for Christmas and we'll take those, but I always try to include a few new items. It's worth it to spend a few extra dollars to try and keep them entertained. They aren't yet old enough to read or play the usual travel games.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 11
6/25/08 at 11:35am
Thread Starter 
[QUOTE=kellym3girls;688370]We are getting ready to go on a 9 hr trip and here is what I have done. Each girl has their own backpack QUOTE]

Thanks for sharing! I like the backpack of stuff ideas
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 11
6/25/12 at 5:26am
  • Grab some items from the Dollar Spot at Target or the Dollar Tree (links to photos) for cheap entertainment
  • Wrap up some trinkets for them to play with along the way.  We did one "gift" for each hour in the car.
  • Print out a map of the USA and have them color in each state after you spot the corresponding license plate
  • Make a homemade iSpy game
  • Mad Libs are always fun for older kids
  • Play "20 Questions" aka "I'm Thinking of Something"
  • Make them a necklace out of Cheerios or Fruit Loops - entertainment and a snack!
  • Fruit snacks that create tongue tattoos are also fun
  • Have them make a travel journal.  At this age, they can't write yet so get an unlined blank book and have them draw pictures of "What we saw," "What we ate," etc.
  • Small plastic tackle boxes make great snack keepers
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 11
7/8/12 at 12:09pm

Great post! We just came back from a 9 hr road trip.

We a mini scavenger hunt...I have the kids spot a red car, yellow truck, motorcycle....etc

 

Did dvds...those are a life saver

 

and coloring

 

Got some kid music from the library.

Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Family Matters

Featured Stories on Mommysavers

The $5 Savings Plan - Have you tried it?
How to Find the Best Deals at Target
Mommysavers Coupons
Mommysavers › Forums › General Discussion › Family Matters › Road trips... entertainment for 3-5 year olds