Tips for Going on Road Trips with Kids

Road trips rule, plane rides drool. Okay, maybe I’ve been stuck in a car for too long with my kids this summer. But let’s face it. Buying plane tickets is super expensive. Especially when you have five kids. And I’m a sucker for all the family bonding that occurs when you’re squished in a small space for hours on end. Or not. Haha. Depends on which hour of driving it is. Anywho, here are some tried and true tips we’ve learned over the years to help make the long drives a little less painful.

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Screens (Movies, iPads, iPods, Nintendo DS, etc.)

How did parents survive road trips before screens were invented?? Did they actually talk to their kids? JK…I totally love talking to my kids. But sometimes in the car, I also love peace and quiet. That’s where screens come in.

  • Try to limit screen time before your trip so your kids are dying to play screens by the time they get in the car.
  • We made a rule that screens are only allowed when we are driving. Once we get to where we are going, no screens. We made this rule after we drove to the Grand Canyon and our boys glanced at it, said, “That’s nice,” and kept playing their video games. Maybe it’s just my boys that are obsessed with video games, but I have a feeling they’re in decent company…right? Right?
  • I usually buy a couple new DVDs or download new shows or games before our trip, so there is new stuff to watch/play.

toddler in carseat

Food
We have tried many different things when it comes to food, and they’ve all had pros and cons. Here are some ideas:

  • Give each kid their own snack bag – they have control of it and can eat at will. Pro: they don’t whine for food the whole time. Con: they won’t eat lunch or dinner because they ate snacks all day. And there is trash all over the car.
  • Keep a bag of snacks at the front of the car. Set a time to pass around the snack bag (like every 30 min, 60 min, etc). Pro: your kids won’t whine for food every two seconds, especially if you assign your whiniest kid to be the timekeeper. And your car won’t end up looking like a dumpster if you assign another kid to collect the trash each time. Con: you have to pause your book on tape every 30 minutes to pass around snacks. And they still won’t eat lunch or dinner.
  • Bring no snacks. Instead, let the kids pick out a treat when you stop for gas. This is probably my favorite. Pro: the kids are so excited to pick out their own treat, it keeps the car cleaner, and they will still eat normal meals. There really aren’t any cons. Except that Dad and I need snacks to stay awake while driving. Sad face. So though this is my favorite method, we rarely use it.

Drinks

  • Give each kid their own water bottle and refill it at stops. If you have a kid with a small bladder, do your best to limit their drinks – and my heart goes out to you.

Bathroom

  • Our rule is that when we stop, everyone must try to go to the bathroom, no matter what. Hold firm on this one. You’re welcome. And if you have boys…you can always keep an empty water bottle on hand. Just don’t mistake it for lemonade later in the day. 😉

Games

Sometimes it’s fun to, you know, talk to each other and play games while driving. Here are a few of our favorites:

  • Alphabet Game – find each letter of the alphabet outside of the car. Work together as a team, or compete and race to find the letters first.
  • Number Game – same as the Alphabet Game, but you find numbers instead – see who can get to 20 first or see who can get the highest.
  • Spell Your Name – another version of the Alphabet Game – instead of finding the letters of the alphabet, each person finds the letters that spell their name.
  • Ghost – This is a spelling game. The first person starts by saying a letter (for example “C.”) The next person says a letter, spelling a word, but trying not to complete the word. (“A” for example.) If the next person says “T,” then the round is over because they spelled a complete word, “CAT,” and that person gets a “G.” If that person had said “J” after “CA” the round would continue until someone spells a complete word. Players can also challenge other players if they think their chosen letters aren’t actually spelling a word. The first person to receive all the letters of “GHOST” loses. What do ghosts have to do with this game, you ask? Absolutely nothing. Don’t fight the deepness.
  • Twenty Questions – Someone thinks of a person, place, or thing, and everyone else has twenty questions to figure out what (or who) they are thinking of.
  • Person Game – This is a two player game. Each player thinks of a person – can be someone famous, dead, or someone you know. Take turns asking each other yes and no questions. If you get a yes, you continue asking questions. When you get a no, it’s the other person’s turn to ask questions. The first person to figure out who the other person is thinking of wins.
  • Riddles – My kids LOVE riddles. And with our handy dandy smart phones, it’s easy to look up riddles and read every single riddle known to man. Seriously. Ask me a riddle. I’ll know the answer.

And with that, you’re all set to go. Assuming, of course, that you and all your kids remembered to pack underwear and a toothbrush. And shoes. Good luck with that one.

Happy driving!

 

 

 

 

 

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Stefanie Hohl
Hello Pittsburgh moms! My family moved to Pittsburgh for my husband’s medical training eleven years ago. We loved it so much, we decided to take a job here. I stay home with our five kids – one daughter and four boys. Yes, they are crazy. Yes, my life is chaotic. But it’s also lots of fun. When I’m not driving my kids to music lessons or swim practice or trying to get my 3 year-old to sit on the potty, I study and write. I have almost completed a Masters of Education with an emphasis in Children’s Literature. I write books for children and am working on getting published. I also run Storytime at the Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley. Oh, and I draw pictures and tell funny stories about my kids on my blog: www.stefaniehohl.com. But above all, I like to eat brownies. Out of the pan. Late at night.