How to Keep your Children Entertained on Long Trips

One of the hardest things to deal with when on holidays or when taking a long road trip is dealing with children’s impatience. Keeping kids entertained when driving is something of a gift, however like a lot of things in life, a little preparation can go a long way. So, we’ve compiled a list of different ways to help you keep those kids happy and quiet when you trek across the countryside in peace and silence.

Toys
In the old days a strongly worded warning was often enough to keep children quiet, however things have changed and nowadays it takes a little more. Rewarding good behaviour is a great way to get the children to be good and behave on the trip. So, promise them an inexpensive toy at the half way point rest stop if they’re good, which they will be and then this should keep them happy for the second part of the journey.

Sing-Along
Yes, it seems that the old ones are still the best as regards both musical taste for younger ones and also tricks to keep them under control. There are plenty of CDs available to keep children singing along as you trundle from A to B. Playing a CD or MP3 in the car stereo can be a great way to keep them happy and make the travelling experience almost as positive as the time at the destination. Remember, it’s not the end point that’s important, but the journey.

Animal Spotting
On shorter trips and one through the country side, asking children to locate animals and count them up against each other is often a good way to keep them distracted. Making the animal spotting games as competitive or uncompetitive as the situation requires is very important and a prize can be rewarded for the winner, so all parties join in. Be imagainative with games and you can keep them entertained the whole evening long while on holiday.

Electronics
If you don’t think your children will have the patience for any of the above, or are going on an extra-long trip then it maybe be time to invest in some TV screens and some cartoons and movies. A lot of homes nowadays have iPads and tablet computers and these can be a great addition and allow all sorts of entertainment to take place in the car. From computer games, to movies, to their favourite cartoons, to educational programs – tablets have it all. Just make sure all of the children can see it and share it equally so they don’t have to argue or fight.

The Celeb Game
This game involves a person thinking of a character or celeb and then the next person coming up with another name, where the first name begins with the second name’s first letter. So for instance:

• Mickey Mouse
• Martin Sheen
• Shelley Duvall

You get the idea and it’s a great way to keep them entertained and happy throughout a good part of a long trip.

Keeping children entertained reduces the stress of driving, limits distraction and may also reduce the chance of a mishap on the road.