As the saying goes: Time flies when you’re having fun. However, the inverse is also true – especially when kids are concerned. Bored kids on long drives can make the drive feel so much longer for parents and kids alike. That’s why it’s a great idea to have a variety of activities planned for long car trips.
While many kids would be happy to watch DVDs or play on their iPad, there’s something to be said for some car-friendly activities that don’t involve technology.
Here are eight fun-filled technology-free activities for long car rides to help make the time fly by.
Eight Technology-Free Activities for Long Car Rides:
I-Spy
This is a game the whole family can play. It’s an old one, but it helps keeps kids’ minds occupied so they’ll spend less time focussing on how long the drive is. You can see how obscure you can be with this game. Itís a simple as someone saying “I Spy…” and they’ll give a clue as to what it is they are talking about and the others have to guess what it is. (eg. I spy something green.) It’s a simple game, but it helps pass the time.
Playing Cards
There are many card games that you can play to pass the time. Fun card games for kids include Go Fish, Crazy 8’s, Snap and Uno, for starters. That’s the good thing about playing cards – when you get tired of one game you can switch to the next. It’s fun, and can go on for quite a long time. Always be sure to pack a deck of cards when you are heading out on a family road trip.
Puzzle Books
Another great way to pass time on long car rides is to do puzzles. You have the selection of crossword puzzles, word searches, spot the difference, word scrambles, or Sudoku. You can try a combination of all these types of puzzles and watch as time quickly passes.
Charades
While you may not be able to do a full version of it, using the basic principles will allow you to get a good game going. It can be fun and exciting, and as you usually get so caught up with this game, the time will definitely go by fast. Be as creative as possible. (It’s definitely best to leave the driver out of this game!)
Finish the Lyrics
With this game you start singing a song, and the next person has to finish it. You’ll be surprised how many songs you don’t actually know how to continue – or it could be the other way around, where you know more than you thought you did.
Magnetic Games
Miniature versions of popular games like tic tac toe, chess and checkers are available for purchase. You can use these versions to play on the road. They don’t take up much room, and we all know how long a game of chess can take. Just be sure the kids gather up all of the pieces when they are done and have a secure container to store the games in to avoid losing pieces.
Quizzes
You can purchase a quiz book and start quizzing one another in the various categories available within the quiz book. You can quiz each other about movies, music, history or anything else that the book includes. It can be fun and educational as well.
The Alphabet Game
Each family member takes turns in listing as many words as possible within the alphabet for a particular category. For example, you can ask someone to list all the countries or foods that begin with A. You can do this for any other category as well.
Another variation of the alphabet game is to name just one word in that category as each person takes the next letter of the alphabet. For example, if the category was cities, the 1st person might say Athens, the next person says Boston, the next Chicago, and so on.
By planning ahead to make sure you have some fun activities for long car rides to keep the kids busy you can help avoid hearing that dreaded phrase “how much longer??”
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