Goodkin

Keep Kids Happy in the Car

Ahh, the dreaded road trip with kids. We always think it won't be that bad, but anyone who's ever spent more than two hours in a car with children knows things can go south quickly if careful planning isn't made in advance. We got Liz Cutten, an expert on travel, to give us her favorite tips on keeping kids happy in the car: 

It seems like car rides and road trips with our children are either longer or shorter because of them. Depending on our child’s mood that day, the trip is either a hit or a miss. Although, we must understand that being little, and having more energy makes it hard to stay put and just look out the window for several hours at a time. Sitting in the car can get boring pretty quickly so to keep ourselves and our children entertained, here are a few things we can do.

• Frequent stops It is important to take frequent stops for ourselves and our children. This will help us stay comfortable, give us time to stretch, get a snack and go to the bathroom. When we’re crammed, hungry and need to stretch, the ride seems much longer than it really is.
• Video games Children love video games! Whether they have an old GameBoy or a Nintendo DS, this will help keep them happy and entertained.
• Portable DVD players If you’re taking a road trip, these are great to have! These will help keep your little ones entertained for hours at a time. Watching DVDs compared to looking out the window is much more entertaining! Not to mention, these aren’t too badly priced. They may be a good investment if your children spend a lot of time in the car.
• Interaction It is good to interact with your children on the road. Ask them how they’re doing, how school is going, what they’d like to do on their next school break and what they’re learning. Keeping a good connection going with your children is important. This also helps pass time and keeps them happy while riding in the car.
• Games There are so many road games that you can play in the car. Playing games like the license plate game, name that car game, and your own made up games are always fun. You can also get their creativity and imagination going by asking them to make up a game to play.

Car rides don’t have to be boring with your children! Instead, you can help make them fun by considering a few of these ideas. Whether you have a whole day’s worth of errands to run or you are taking a long road trip, these will help pass the time and keep you and your child entertained and happy along the way.

What are your best, tried and true tips for keeping kids happy in the car (or plane ride!) on long trips? Let us know!

Liz Cutten helps run FindAirlineCards, an airline miles credit cards site/travel blog helping those save on their trips.

[Photo: Flickr member BenedictFrancis, licensed for use under under the fabulous Creative Commons license]