Family car trips: Easy ways to keep kids happy and entertained

Nothing derails a family car trip faster than bored kids. A well-stocked activity bag can mute the refrain of "are we there yet?" from the back seat and help you log some serious miles in peace. How elaborate your activity bag should be depends on the length of your trip and how many children you're entertaining as well as their ages and attention spans.

Electronic entertainment

Tablets, laptops, and phones: Download plenty of educational and just-for-fun games, movies, episodes of favorite shows, and music before leaving home. (Get our tips for the best apps to entertain kids.)

An old-fashioned portable DVD will do in a pinch too. If your car isn't equipped with a video player, you can buy a basic one for about $50. Check your local library for free downloads or DVDs.

If you relax limits on screen time, make sure your child knows what to expect while you're on the road. It's tempting to hand a tablet or phone to a cranky young passenger, but try to avoid offering your child a device as a way to manage boredom or fussiness – your child will quickly learn that acting up pays off.

Audiobooks: Starting at about age 3, most kids can follow a more complex story line, and audiobooks become a great way to pass time on the road. You can listen together to family favorites like Harry Potter, Charlotte's Web, or My Father's Dragon. You can also download audiobooks to individual devices so the kids can listen with headphones, allowing the adults in the car to rock out or listen to something more sophisticated. Check your local library for free rentals.

Creative activities

Whiteboard and dry erase pens: Kids can draw, play tic-tac-toe and hangman, or write notes to each other, then wipe it all away and start over.

Magnetized letters, numbers, and shapes: Pack a metal cookie sheet and an assortment of magnets for older kids, or buy a set that comes with a magnetized playing surface and plenty of fun magnets. (Magnets are a choking hazard, so don't let kids under age 4 play with them.)

Sticker and activity books: These are perfect for toddlers because they let kids be creative without using pens on the upholstery.

Crayons or markers: Washable markers are suitable for kids 3 and up, and crayons are best for kids younger than 3. If you're worried about your child drawing on the seats, try Color Wonder markers – they only leave marks on special paper.

Instant film cameras: Yes, these still exist! Models from Polaroid and Fujifilm spit out small instant photos and are lots of fun. Kids can take silly pictures of themselves or capture images for their trip notebook.

Silly Putty: It's cool to stretch and squish, and it's less likely to end up stuck permanently between the seats because it's so elastic.

Colored pipe cleaners or Wikki Stix: Your child can use these to make animals, people, jewelry, or just crazy shapes.

Stuff to play with

Busy boxes: Fill a few shoe boxes with flash cards, card games,  Matchbox cars, Legos, little figurines and dolls, and other items. Your child can use the box's lid as a playing surface, and decorate the box using stickers and crayons or markers.

Crafty toys: Drawing on an Etch A Sketch, Magna Doodle, or Aquadoodle can keep kids busy for miles. Toys that let them draw using a magnetic "magic wand" (like Wooly Willy) are also engaging. These are all easy for kids to hold in their lap and can be used again and again.

Restaurant fun box: Keep crayons, pens, and coloring books or paper as well as some small toys (like plastic animals, toy cars, or blocks) in a container that you can take into restaurants with you to make wait time go faster.

Fun road trip ideas from BabyCenter parents

"Last year I made a whole bag of things for our road trip. The biggest hit with my 3- and 5-year-old was some photos of our faces that I had blown up and laminated. I bought some dry-erase markers and we made silly drawings on each other's faces. Best of all, because they're laminated, I just cleaned them well and put them away for next year!"
– Kidmom

"I have three boys: 13, 10, and 2 months old. My older boys love to do Mad Libs when we take trips. This is a great activity that allows them to use their imagination, increases their vocabulary and familiarity with the parts of speech, and involves the entire family. Whenever we get in the car for a trip, my boys always expect me to have some ready!"
– jen09

"We went on a 12-hour drive with our 2-year-old. She's a big fan of mixing things, so I decided that making trail mix in the car would be fun. I packed a big plastic bowl with a lid, a plastic spoon for mixing, and about 10 different ingredients, including M&Ms, nuts, small pretzels, goldfish crackers. She had a great time making it and then she dished up trail mix for us to snack on in the car. It used up a lot of time and was fun."
– LauraT

"Snack or candy necklaces. Take some strands of yarn (long enough to make a necklace) or licorice strings. Let your kids put anything edible that has a hole in the center (cereal, candy, etc.) on the string. When done, they're fun to eat, and it helps the time fly by!"
– A BabyCenter member

"Write or print a list of the 50 states and have your child check off state license plates as you see them."
– LaLa7

"Go online and print photos of things like trees, cows, blue cars, red cars, and so on. On the journey, ask your child to look for the items. It's unreal how quiet a child can be when concentrating on finding them!"
– A BabyCenter member

"I made a soundtrack of all the hand-motion songs (If You're Happy and You Know It, Pat-a-Cake, This Old Man, etc). My daughter motions along to the songs. This normally keeps her busy for the length of the soundtrack."
– Ms Mom

"We made a portable felt board for our 3 1/2-year-old. We got an unused, medium-size pizza box and glued a piece of felt on the inside of the lid. Then all her felt characters and objects can be stored in the box, and it fits well on her lap in the car. We let her decorate the box – inside and out – with stickers galore."
– A BabyCenter member

"A small, plastic magnifying glass keeps my kids busy longer than anything else! We got ours from a local dollar store."
– wolfe93

"My boys (ages 3 and 5) love Play-Doh. I throw several small cans and some of their utensils in a bag and they're occupied for quite a while!"
– 40mom

"Bring puppets. When I'm sitting in the front passenger seat and my 3-year-old is behind me, I use a puppet to 'talk' to him over the headrest or off to the side. It allows me to interact with him without turning around. If you sing songs or play peekaboo, it can elicit tons of giggles. Give your child a puppet too, and have a whole conversation!"
– CarrieW

Learn more:

Tips for helping your toddler adjust to travel

Best family vacations for kids

Seven essentials for car travel with kids