Having a plan for keeping your kids entertained and to avoid hearing the dreaded phrase “Are we there yet?” saves your sanity.  If you don’t want your kids binging on screen time, you need to keep things fresh with different games and activities, or even a few properly timed podcasts.

Stick to the Familiar

The long drive is not the time to introduce your kids to new technology and complicated games. Especially if you have young children who are likely to need help.

If you do want your kids to try out a new device or get into a new website, it’s best to give it to them days before they have to cram into the car so you’re not answering tech questions while trying to change lanes, at speed while towing a caravan!

Provide Kids with Quality Content

A growing body of research suggests that providing kids with quality content reduces the potentially negative side effects of excess screen time. If the best way to keep your kid entertained on a long drive is to hand them a digital device, you might want to encourage some of the following websites and podcasts.

Busy Bodies with Mr. Snotbottom

This podcast puts a humorous spin on the human body that kids will find entertaining, as well as educational. It’s great for kids 4+ into the primary school years.

Family Road Trip Trivia podcast

This podcast introduces trivia in an entertaining way that kids will engage in while learning something. It’s something fun for the whole family to play, and you might even find some of the questions stump you too!

PBS Kids

PBS Kid’s games tap into favorite characters with a staggering assortment of educational games and creative apps. It’s great for children in preschool through primary school.

ABC Mouse

ABC Mouse is a vanguard educational website with games and activities for children in preschool and early primary school years. They do a great job of entertaining kids while they learn basics like the alphabet, numbers, and colors.

Adventure Academy

Adventure Academy is the next step up in the ABC Mouse platform. It makes language arts, math, and science entertaining to learn about. It’s a great way to help your kids keep up with their learning while they aren’t in school.

Pack Wisely

When you’re packing all the camping supplies into the car, be sure to leave your kids’ bags where you can quickly get at them. A kid who spills something on themselves or gets car sick will become exponentially more upset with every minute you spend rifling through camping equipment just to find a change of clothes.

Pack Smart Snacks

Just like adults, kids like to eat when they’re bored. Keeping healthy snacks close at hand, let you feed them on the long drive to the caravan park. It’s okay to offer a small bag of chips or some other favorite comfort foods in the mix. You just don’t want them eating junk all day long.

Where you pack the snacks is also important. When you’re loading the car with camping supplies, make sure to keep the snacks in a cooler or tote bag that’s easy to grab. If your kids are little you want to keep the snacks up front, so they don’t just help themselves.

Give Your Kids a Portable Lap Desk

Providing your kids with a proper writing surface is one of the best ways to keep them entertained on a long drive, without letting them binge out on screen time. It’s great for kids who like to draw and write. It also gives them a place to store their entertainment items along with phones, tablets, and laptops.

There are plenty of lap desk options out there, catering to kids of all ages. Amazon.com.au and Amazon.com have many great options for folable lap desks. My children use the Nouram Genion Folable Table which sits up higher and stops them slouching over. They don’t seem to complain about headached as much during a long trip.

Plan Entertaining Stops

Even if you’re content to drive non-stop, your kids are going to be happier campers if you make a few timely stops along the way. It’s not enough to pull into a roadside rest area now and then. Try to find things that your kids will find entertaining, or at least new enough to catch their interest.

This might be stopping at a scenic overlook to take in a majestic view or carving out two hours to tour a museum that’s not quite on the way to the camping spot. The goal is to cultivate a mindset that makes the journey just as important as the destination.  

Put a Twist on Classic Road Trip Games

I-Spy and 20-Questions are classic road trip games that every kid knows as a great way to pass time on a long drive. You can use some of the following games to keep your kids entertained on a long drive.

I Spy

I Spy starts with one person saying, “I spy with my little eye,” and then they offer a clue. Everyone else tries to guess what it is. You can spice it up by saying “I spy something that rhymes with,” rather than using a literal description.

20 Questions

20 questions start with the player thinking of something and offering a basic clue. The players can then ask up to 20 questions to try to determine what the thing is. If they can’t figure it out, the player gets a point, and the next person gets their turn.

I Packed My Bag

This is a memory game that can keep everyone in the family entertained. The first person says “I packed my bag and I put in…” They name something, and the next person must recite the line. They add another item to the list, and the next person recites it, adding their own item to the list.

The first person who gets it wrong is out. The game keeps going until only one person can remember the entire sequence of items correctly.

For many other ideas for games and activites on your next road trip check out Adventure Awaits for heaps of activity and games options for a long road trip.

Wrapping up

With proper preparation, keeping your kids entertained on a long road trip doesn’t have to be hard. We hope this guide will help to you to make your next camping trip away a breeze.