Summer Road Trip Survival Tips with Kids

Staying Sane & Having Fun with Kids in the Car

Written by Carly Hallman

Summer vacations often include a family road-trip. There are countless destinations to explore from the kid’s favorites, exciting and entertaining roadside attractions to the adult favorites, historic destinations, and educational journeys. But, as many of us know, the quality time we spend with our kids won’t be all about the sunshine. Often, the majority of time will be spent in the car. When the kids are getting antsy and traffic is at a standstill, what you need is a summer road trip survival guide!

While planning a road trip during the summer months, there is more to plan for than having fun in the sun. A lack of mental stimulation and ensuing boredom during the trip is something the modern parent often forgets due to all of the available technology. A good schedule and plan plus some quite-time games for your travels can help keep the children happy, quiet, and still having fun (and hopefully keep you sane in the process)!

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More Amazing Road Trip Sources!

Sightseeing Road Trips – So much to see! These Memories are worth Stopping for…

• National Parks to Visit on your next Road trip
• Unusual Roadside Attractions across America
• Welcome Signs Across America
• Road Trippers – Most Amazing Roads in the World
• Unforgettable Road Trips in America

Driving Tips for Successful & Safe Road Trips – There is no fun without safety and comfort first

• Most Congested Highways in America
• Car Safety Tips Everyone Should Know on your next road trip
• Pets and Car Travel Safety
• Common Road Trip Dangers on the Road
• Road Trip Survival Guide Infographic and Links
• The Essential Guide to Emergency Car Kits

Road Trip Snacking & Packing – Good travel food means healthy-good spirits on the road

• Best Road Trip Snack Recipes (Infographic)
• Video Road Trip Snack Recipes

Boredom-Crashers – Fun Activities in the Car – The Ultimate Lists (No devices required)
Eyestrain and motion sickness can result from too much time staring at a screen, so don’t rely on digital devices to keep your kids busy. Here are some alternatives:

• Ultimate List of Brain Games and Riddles to Play in the Car with Kids
• Songs to Sing in the Car with Kids
• Card Games to Play in the Car with Kids
• Boredom-Crasher Games in the Car for Kids (Infographic)

Road Trip Apps – Your On-The-Road Personal “Concierge”!

• Roadside America
• Roadtrippers
• iExit

Mini-Me Explorers – Kids on Navigation Duty
Car travel with kids can be annoying. There are some simple ways to avoid it by having kids participate in keeping track of where they are:

• Hang up a map inside a plastic sleeve with a dry-erase marker. Tell them where they are intermittently so they can follow along.
• Create a kids’ travel journal or binder full of maps or other activities. Allow them to mark off in their books where they are.
• Give out “state passports” when passing state borders or major landmarks. Or you could celebrate in some other way: Have a car dance party, or sing a song about being in a new state!
• Give out presents based on timed intervals to create less pestering. When the time reaches what you wrote on the sticky note, then you can both give out small treats and tell them where they are.

When Silence is Golden
Fun games can be somewhat loud and boisterous. Parents shouldn’t have to drive with migraines. These quiet road-trip activities can give you a well-needed break:

• Trick out a lunch box for Legos. Kids can spend hours creating their masterpiece while still keeping all of their building blocks contained.
• Sew a pocket into a pillowcase for the kids’ books. If they don’t get carsick, reading is an excellent, quiet road trip activity for kids.
• Create a colorful “I-Spy” bottle full of interesting trinkets. It’s a super-quiet activity that’s great for when one sibling is asleep and the other isn’t. Just have a list of all the items inside it and have them check off the ones they find.
• Give the kids some tin foil to create fun sculptures. This is an old-school camping game. Kids can enjoy a lot of the creativity of play-dough or markers, but without making a mess.

These are the basics of how to travel with kids; many more parents have come up with some truly amazing road trip ideas. For kids looking to go on an adventure, time will certainly fly when you plan to have fun!

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