Tons of fun ideas for kids in the car
We have done many miles and hours on the road as a family. Each time we are headed out on a trip I find myself looking for and gathering things to help the kids have fun in the car. I’m sharing this list with all of you. These work great in the car. Most of them also work very well on an airplane except you will probably have to be more selective about how much you take on any one trip. I hope you find some good ideas to help keep everyone happy.
Looking out the window
Looking out the window is always a good place start. You can point things out or encourage them to tell you about what they see.
Electronics
Electronics are always a good back up. We have devices loaded with shows, music, audio books, coloring apps, and games.
Books
Traditional books are a great option too. Bigger kids can read on their own. Younger kids can look at pictures or a parent who isn’t driving can read to them. The drawback to books is that they do take a lot of space and are heavy. Another option is a kid’s kindle. Through the Amazon kids program there are many ebooks available. This is a good way to be able to carry lots of books with you in one small, light weight package. Most libraries now offer services where you can check out ebooks through your library to install on your own device. This is another great way to load up with some familiar books and some new books for a trip.
Coloring and Drawing
Coloring or drawing is another activity for the car that is fun and lasts a long time. A notebook with a pretty firm cover is easier to use than loose paper. It is nice to have a variety of some color pencils as well as a couple different types of pens or markers. I never recommend crayons for the car. You are just asking for trouble if one gets dropped and the car gets hot. Crayon melted into a surface is very hard to remove. We often use pencil cases to transport different types of pens, pencils, and markers. Using one of the cup holders in the car or in your child’s car seat is a great way to make coloring or drawing easier and therefore more fun. You can bring an empty cup to put in the cup holder. When they choose a type of pen to use, take all of the pens of that type from the pencil case and move them to the cup in the cup holder. It makes all of the colors look more appealing and much easier to access.
Color Wonder
Color wonder markers are a great option for younger kids. These special markers are made by crayola and are sold with the special paper that they need. These markers only create colorful marks on this specific paper! Little kids can’t accidentally or purposely color on their clothes, themselves, or the car.
Water Wow
Everyone loves Water wow. The small “pen” will need to be filled with water by an adult. Either have the non driver take care of this when they are ready to use water wow or fill the “pen” with water before leaving and keep it in a safe place. The special “pen” is used to color with water on the water wow book. It makes the pages brighten up and appear to be being colored. Once the pages dry they are ready to be colored again.
Hair heads
Hair heads are a great bet for my family. Both of my daughters love to do hair. We have had a few different hair heads through the years. We’ve had some very small ones from the dollar store, some large fancy ones, and some mid-size ones. For the car, we like the mid-size ones. They are big enough and have enough hair to do interesting styles, but not so big to travel with. We be sure to bring along a couple hair brushes and combs from the dollar store as well as some hair ties and clips. My kids have enjoyed many hours styling hair while driving across the country.
Wonder Loom
Kids about 6 and up can enjoy making bracelets with a wonder loom. This is a fairly compact loom with a pick that can be used to make rubber band bracelets. They can also make necklaces, rings, and many other things once they get the basic idea down.
Magna Doodle
A magna doodle is a classic toy that is perfect for the car. No mess and it can be used to draw and write many different things. Some even come with little magnetic stamps to stamp shapes.
Etch-a-sketch
An Etch a sketch is another classic toy that works well for car passengers. Learning to use the two dials to make the lines go the way you want them to go takes some time. And erasing is super fun. You hold it face down and shake! Then you can start again to create another pattern. Making staircases is a great job for beginners.
Kiddos on the Go printable
I have created a printable book of fun kids activities for in the car. You can find it at Kiddos on the Go on Etsy. There are several activities in the downloadable file. You can print multiples of the same page and as many as you’d like of all pages. Then either have them bound into a book or put them on a clip board. The activities included work well for kids starting around age 3 up to and including adults.
Rubik's Cube
Another great option to keep hands and minds busy is a Rubik’s cube. Younger kids can enjoy moving the colors around and making patterns. Older kids can try to group like colors. Some older kids and adults will enjoy trying to use YouTube tutorials to learn to solve the whole cube.
Spot It
Spot it is a fun card game. It works well in the car as the cards aren’t spread out and you don’t need a flat surface. The stack of cards can stay sitting in the container and then each player can hold their own stack of cards. This is a game that many kids can start to play at age 2.
Disney Eye Found It
There is a card game called Disney Eye Found It. There is also a board game version which won’t work in the car. It is a hidden picture game of sorts. This one works well for a solo player as well as multiple people playing together.
Bead Bracelets
For older kids and teens, jewelry making is a fun past time. My oldest daughter loves to make bead bracelets. We have some multi section containers so she can bring multiple types of beads along. Then she just needs a pair of scissors and a reel of elastic thread. She loves to make the bracelets and enjoys wearing them or giving them to others. They can be themed to our trip or anything else that strikes her fancy.
Embroidery Floss Friendship Bracelets
Using embroidery floss to make bracelets is another craft that is easy to manage in the car. Bring some scotch tape or painters tape to attach your work to the back of the seat in front of you. You’ll also need multiple colors of embroidery floss and a pair of scissors. Many of us adults remember making these as kids. It is a fun thing to do together. Kids can also make longer or shorter lengths and use them as book marks or water bottle decorations. Younger kids can start with a simple 3 strand braid.
Usborne Sticker Books
Usborne sticker books have been a hit with my kids for many years. They especially love the ones where you dress up people. There are cultural books, costume books, fantasy books, sports books, etc.
Legos
Legos can also be done in the car. Duplos are probably a little tricky to bring along, but once your kids are three or so and can be trusted with the smaller legos this can work. Bring along a lego board. Some people like to attach them to the top of a small plastic tote or inside the lid of a lunch box. Then fill the tote with an assortment of legos. It is fun to have both the blocks for building as well as some people or animals and other stuff to play with.
Photography
Everyone loves to take pictures! Little kids can use a kids camera or an old camera of yours. Most devices can also take pictures. It is a fun thing to get them started enjoying as you drive along.
Trip Journal
My daughters have made several trip journals on longer trips. I get them a nice moleskin notebook. We take along pens and markers. Sometimes we have even gotten stickers themed to our destination to take along. Don’t forget to bring along some glue sticks and scissors to include cut up brochures or tickets picked up along the way. Water colors are another fun option that is different and not too messy. Take along a small cupcake liner or similar cup to hold about a ¼ inch of water in when it is time to paint. You can soak it up with a paper towel or napkin when painting time is over. It should sit pretty well in their cup holders. Then all you need is a paint brush and a water color pallet. Be sure to let the journals sit on the dash opened for a while after water color creation so they can dry well. Our rule is always that they can use whatever they want to record anything about our trip whenever they want. They can’t just color or draw randomly in the trip journal though.
Polly Pocket
Polly pockets are another small imaginative toy that works well in the car. We have the ones that fold up into little cases. When you open them there is a tiny figurine or two and a very small set in which they can play.
Fidget Spinners
Fidget spinner can be fun too. It is just something fun to mess with and keep their hands busy. Just make sure the ones you have chosen aren’t too noisy.
Ball Popping Animals
There are some animal toys that you put a small foam ball into their mouths and then squeeze their bellies. The ball pops out of the animal’s mouth. The small versions have the ball attached to the animal with a string so it doesn’t go flying around the car. These are fun and not too loud. Plus the string is short enough that they can’t usually reach their siblings with it. The small ball definitely makes this one a choking hazard for young kids.
Koosh Balls
Koosh balls are fun to toss up in the air lightly and catch.
Water Games
The handheld water games from when I was a kid are fun for in the car. These are the things you fill with water at home. Then you tip it around it your hands and push the little buttons to try to make rings go around posts or balls go in a basket.
Buckle Toys
We have a couple buckle toys. These are soft, pretty small toys. They have multiple straps and buckles for kids to buckle and unbuckle over and over again. These are a great hit for the car.
Paper Atlas
Starting at around 7 years old, a paper atlas is a great source of entertainment as well as learning while on the road. As a kid I spent many hours following our path on an atlas and considering all the roads and all of the places I could go sometime. Map skills are great skills to have.
Bop It
Bop it travel version is a good game for the car. It is very fun and you always want to play one more time to see if you can do better. This does talk and make noise. We usually find the entertainment value for the kids outweighs any irritation from the noise.
Simon
Simon is another game that comes in a small version and can be played in the car. In our experience this one is a little harder, so maybe doesn’t hold the attention of younger kids as long.
Ear buds
Don’t forget to pack earbuds or headphones for the devices you choose to take along!
Figurines
My younger daughter loved playing with little figurines for years. She played with them often at home. Choosing which selection of figurines got packed for an upcoming trip was always a process. We found putting a blanket across her lap in her car seat made it easier to play with more than a couple figurines at once.
Barbies
Barbies also work well in the car. You can make a Barbie do gymnastics or jump or walk on the windows. With more than one Barbie, they can interact for more imaginary play.
Where's Waldo
Where’s Waldo books are enjoyable for passing time in the car. They can be enjoyed by all ages. The pages are full of silly things to look for. You can always look for Waldo too. There are paperback versions and smaller versions that can be easily packed in a backpack.
Guess Who
There is a travel size version of the classic game Guess Who. It works well in the car. It’s pretty small for packing. Each person holds their own board and there are no pieces that need to be set anywhere else. I think kids can start to enjoy this game around age 4.
Wikki Stix
Wikki stix are fun for creating things in the car. These are small wax covered sticks that can be bent easily into different shapes. They hold their shape once you form them and can be used to make many things. Jewelry and glasses have always been the favorites around here.
Fashion Plates
Fashion plates are another art type activity that can be done in the car. It requires a few more pieces than some things, but is definitely workable for kids once they get to be about 7 or 8. This is a thing where you choose one plate for the top of the figure, one for the middle, and one for the bottom. Those are placed in a tray and then you do a crayon rubbing to transfer your creation to paper. You can color them in afterwards.
Muslin Blankets
Muslin blankets are winning options for us while traveling. They feel cozy like a blanket and bring comfort. It’s nice to have a blanket to take the chill off of a slightly too cool car or plane. Blankets can be used as pillows or to make a hideaway for a kid who needs some personal space. Plus the muslin blankets fold up small for easy packing!
Boogie Board
Boogie boards are small LCD drawing devices. Kids can draw or write on them or play tic tac toe or hangman. When they are finished they push a small button and the screen clears so they can start again.
Favorite Baby Doll or Stuffed Animal
A favorite baby doll or stuffed animal is a good thing to bring along too. They can bring some comfort as well as playtime. Sometimes you can find small 8” dolls with accessories for interesting play.
Map for License Plate Spying
We like to print and take along an empty US map. Then we color each state in as we find a car with a license plate from that state. This is another one that is fun for adults as well as kids and for the whole family to do together.
Post It Notes
A pack of post it notes are great fun for kids. This is something they probably don’t play with much at home. They can write on them or not. Either way they are fun to pull apart and stick around the car.
Scotch Tape
Scotch tape can be a good way to keep kids occupied too. It can be messy if unsupervised though. If you have a non driving adult or older kid who can make sure the tape gets onto some paper, a roll of scotch tape can provide a lot of entertainment for kids.
Lite Brite
If you will be driving a night, you need to think of night specific activities. So many things don’t work at night. A Lite Brite is a good option. This one also is not good for little kids due to the tiny pegs. It can work well starting around 6 or so for in the car. There are travel versions and even the regular one isn’t as big now as it once was.
Glow Bracelets
Glow bracelets from the dollar store are fun at night in the car. They aren’t too bright to cause safety issues for most drivers. The kids enjoy breaking them to see what color they will glow. They can be worn as bracelets or hooked together to make abstract art pieces to hang in the car.
Book Lights
Book lights are a fun addition for older kids during night driving. They can be clipped onto a book or onto a seat belt to make it possible to see toys in their laps.
Fun that doesn't require anything to be brought along
Don’t forget games like I spy and the alphabet game that require taking nothing along! A good old fashioned sing along can be fun too.
