Top tips for keeping kids entertained in the car

With summer and warmer weather on the way, it’s the time of year when many like to undertake longer family road trips.

But if you’ve got children onboard, extended journeys might sometimes not be all that enjoyable. The never-ending question of ‘Are we there yet’ can get tiresome as the hours' roll by. It’s why it’s a good idea to plan ahead with different ways to help keep the kids entertained. Here are some top tips.

Road trip bingo and games

Sometimes the old tricks really are the best to try and keep children entertained in the back, and it’s why it’s worth bringing up the classic game of ‘i-spy’ or road trip bingo. Before the journey make a list of things that the children can look out for – a yellow car, a blue lorry, a church, and pretty much anything you want really. These can then be ticked off as and when they see them.

It will help to keep the kids occupied looking out of the window and take their minds away from the journey itself. There are various other games you can play in the car too, such as with words or maybe even small board games and cards. Just make sure they’re not too distracting for the driver.

Let the children take control of the music choice

Children probably don’t want to listen to your Spotify playlist or your radio station of choice, so it’s why it might be worth handing over control of the music to your younger audience.

Though it might mean having to listen to Frozen or Baby Shark for a bit, if it helps to keep the kids entertained in a singalong and makes the journey pass by quicker, it’s probably a compromise worth making…

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Take a more interesting route

Hours on a motorway aren’t very interesting for both the driver and passengers, which is why it’s recommended to plan a more interesting route. By turning off a main trunk road, there will be more interesting sights and landscapes for the children to see, which will help pass the time quicker for them, even if the route might take slightly longer.

When planning a route, many navigation providers let you filter the route settings, including avoiding motorways. Doing this should help you to find a more interesting course that there is more to see.

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Stop regularly

Spending hours on end sitting in the back seats of the car is guaranteed to not be interesting for children, which is why it’s worth planning plenty of stops to help break up longer journeys.

We’d recommend stopping away from main motorway service stations if possible, because these are often expensive and there’s not a lot to do for children at them, either. There are many parks and green spaces just a stone’s throw from motorways. Stockwood Park, located close to the M1 near Luton, is great for children, for example.

Put a film on

While it’s not a bad idea to minimise screen time for children on longer journeys, if you’re wanting to crack on with the trip in relative peace, putting on a film usually works to help kids keep entertained.

Whether you get specific screens to put on the seatbacks of the car for children, or would just rather use a tablet, putting on an engaging film or app will really help the miles to fly by. 

Have plenty of snacks

Few things are worse than children complaining that they’re hungry, so before any longer trip, you should stock up on snacks and supplies for any eventuality. Don’t forget to bring plenty of liquids as well.

Having these along beforehand will also mean you don’t have to splash out on often-overpriced supplies in service stations. It’s a good idea to bring food that doesn’t cause too much mess or crumbs too!

Pack a treasure chest

If you’re doing an especially long trip, packing a treasure chest for the children is a great idea to help keep them occupied.

It doesn’t need to cost a fortune, and can include toys, games and even snacks that you can hand out as the miles roll by. Make sure to not give all the ‘treasure’ over in one go, though, so that the kids don’t get bored too quickly.

The last thing you want on any long journey with kids in the car is to be stuck at the roadside, which is why you should always have breakdown cover.