My favourite 7 Road Trip Entertainment Ideas for the whole family
Taking a long trip to your next holiday destination can be exhausting, especially if you did not come prepared. Here are 7 of my favourite road trip games to play in the car, and keep the minds off the "Are we there yet?"
Scavenger hunt
This is a really great game as you can either compete as individuals or in teams. Draw up a list of age appropriate things to look for on the road while driving. It can be landmarks, animals, vehicles, etc. Celebrate the final treasure!
Books and music
Bargain books have a wide variety of book/CD combos. If you don't mind listening to the stories and songs with your kids, it's a great way of keeping kids entertained, especially if they are familiar songs that one can sing along. If listening to nursery rhymes while you drive is not your scene, then you can always revert to interactive books for toddlers or activity books for older kids. Touch and feel books are fantastic since they stimulate both tactile and visual senses.
Mobile Applications
Applications are ideal if your kids don't get motion sickness as they provide the interaction that kids seek and it is a sure way of taking their minds off the prolonged sitting. Make use of apps that aren't over stimulating and limit their screen time. There is a wide variety of apps available for Android and iOS. We have tested the Cleverkiddos apps “Memory Games” as well as “Seasons” and found them professional, entertaining, uplifting and educational, all in one! They are available in Afrikaans, English and French. Oatu&Eara are free Afrikaans apps that we tested. Our reviewers preferred the “1 tot 10” app. You may want to switch off the tunes after a while though.
Car Cricket
We used to love this game as teens. First you pick cars with a specific colour and later a specific model car that would represent one, four or six runs. Then you pick a specific car that represents a wicket. Each person gets a chance to bat using oncoming traffic until you are bowled out when your “wicket” passes. The person who scores the highest wins and he/she can claim one favour of each participant as his/her reward (as if winning is not enough :)).
Entrepreneurial games
Give your kids a travel allowance and teach them basic business principles e.g. keeping a balance sheet, managing their spendings and earning pocket money. Get some ideas from Young Entrepreneurs Pocket Money Market or make up your own ideas. Kids requiring pocket money may be off your payroll soon!
Imaginary games like virtual hide and seek
Pick your house or the car as the virtual playground for a learning experience. E.g. if you pick the car, you teach the kids about car parts. One person, the suspect, “hides” while the others guess where he is by asking: Are you in the... carburetor …the… radiator? Keep on until they narrow it down to where the suspect is hiding.
Active rest
When you stop for petrol or a break, take a ball with so that the kids could move around, or let them climb and slide to their delight instead of sitting and waiting for your takeaway or sit down meal.
Hope these tips made your trip a little more fun! If you liked it- please share with your friends and families!
Article originally appeared in www.thingstodowithkids.co.za/magazine
