How to Make Holiday Road Trips Fun for Kids
If you’ve ever done holiday road trips with kids, you know tranquility can fly out the window. Unless they’re asleep, they need to be kept preoccupied. Before hitting the road, prepare to keep them engaged with fun activities. While heading to your destination, eliminate stress and keep them happily riding along.
Pack Kids’ Activities for Your Trip
Create a bright, colorful road trip box to stash a variety of road trip activities. The key is to use the items only when you travel, so they’re interesting and fresh each time. You can add new items when you have a big holiday trip coming up. For smaller kids, magnetic play sets, Yoto Minis, or Wikki Stix are fun options. Older ones can enjoy printable travel activity pages, Where’s Waldo, or Kanoodle. You can reserve some items for the return trip to avoid them losing interest in the selections.
Plan Rest Stops
With little ones in tow, be prepared to stop every few hours to prevent bathroom emergencies. Let Google Maps help you plan your rest stops. They may be enjoying their favorite sippy juice as you drive, so you’ll need to stop for water breaks. If you know in advance where the rest stops are, you can prevent the stress of an unplanned stop. If emergencies can’t be avoided, bringing a small travel potty and wipes or toilet paper can prove a lifesaver.
Pack Snackle Boxes
Everyone knows that with kids, it’s all about the snacks. Snackle boxes are a fun way for them to enjoy their snacks on the road. Take kid-friendly craft or tackle boxes and load them with a variety of snacks. Be sure to pack healthy snacks that have protein to avoid sugar crashes. Snacks like fruit, granola bars, beef sticks, applesauce pouches, and cheese sticks are great options. With a variety of colorful and interesting picks, snackle boxes are bound to keep kids excited to choose from such an assortment of goodies.
Plan Playground Stops
There’s nothing like a playground to keep kids preoccupied and amp up their enjoyment. Look for playgrounds along your travel route. Never underestimate the benefit of stopping at a playground for just 5-10 minutes. Not only does it encourage positive attitudes, but it also helps kids get their wiggles out. After stopping, you could do a few fun exercises like running on a sidewalk, jumping jacks, or lunging laps. This might even make the smaller kids a bit sleepy.
Utilize Free Library Options
Stop at your local library before your trip and check out DVDs, audiobooks, wonderbooks, and books on CD. Having these resources on hand helps supply your kids with new DVDs and books for holiday road trips. Add to their fun by getting books about any new location they’re travelling to or fun facts about places they’ve been.
Provide a Timeline or Visual Map
To help your kids understand your current destination on your trip timeline, use a visual map. It’s a great hack for long road trips. You can place a GPS that’s within everyone’s view, and they can see it for the entire trip. Or, you can use a DIY timeline and hang it on the dashboard or rear-view mirror. Create a movable marker that you slide to show your current location.
Conclusion
Holiday road trips with kids don’t have to be stressful at all. If you take the time to plan, you’ll make it to your destination with everyone smiling and happy. If your family often shares exciting adventures on the road, let the fun begin long before you get to your destination. Your kids will enjoy the ride, and you’ll love your tranquil journey.
