road trip activities for 15 month old

45 Road Trip Activities for Toddlers That Will Keep Them Entertained For Hours

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Road trips are a great way to bond as a family during travel but little ones can get antsy sitting for so long.

If you're planning a road trip with your toddler, it's important to be prepared with activities to keep them occupied.

After all, a bored toddler in the backseat is a recipe for disaster! 

To help you out, we've put together a list of road trip activities for toddlers that are both fun and educational.

With these 45 road trip activities for 1-year-olds and 2-year-olds, your little ones will stay busy (and happy) throughout the entire journey.

Road Trip Activities for 1-year-old Toddlers

My 1-year old absolutely loves pop-its . They are quiet, easy to find, and light to pack – the perfect travel toy!

2 Audiobooks

Playing an engaging audiobook will help distract your toddler. Be sure to choose books with a very animated narrator to catch their attention.

3 Little People

Little People are a hit with toddlers. They love to look at them, hold them and explore them. Consider grabbing a set and offering them to your toddler on the road trip.

4 Bristle Blocks

A few bristle blocks can go a long way on a road trip. Toddlers will love building with them, and they can even teach some basic shapes and colors.

5 Fabric Books

While 1-year-olds aren't the best book handlers, they can still explore soft fabric books . Choosing one with different textures and interactions is a great way to keep them busy.

6 Finger Puppets

A finger puppet set will keep your toddler's hands busy. They'll love putting the puppets on and moving them around.

7 Vtech Remote

There's just something about the remote that is highly fascinating to 1-year-old toddlers. We love the Vtech toddler remote which is complete with functioning buttons and sounds – the perfect road trip activity for toddlers.

8 Chewbeads

If your toddler is in the chewing stage, silicone chew beads should be on your road trip list! These links are not only safe for chewing, but your toddler can bend, fold, and connect them together.

9 Magnatiles 

If you're looking for a more educational road trip activity, consider packing a few Magnatiles . These tiles are great for little ones to stack and build with in the car and at home!

10 Animal Figurines

From dinosaurs to farm animals , your toddler will enjoy handling animal figures on a road trip. Look for lifelike figures with distinct features to grab their attention.

11 Cheerio Bracelet

Snacks are a hit for 1-year-olds on a road trip, but try offering something a little more creative than a snack cup. Look for some flavored cheerios and string them on yarn for a ring of snacks they can see and enjoy eating! Bonus – there's less chance of them throwing them on the floor!

12 Textured Bean Bags

Toddlers love exploring sensory items and these bean bags are one of the best road trip activities for toddlers.  The toys are brightly colored and have interesting textures that will keep toddlers engaged. Come up with some sorting games or ask your toddler to hand you a certain bean bag.

13 Buckle Toy 

This soft pillow buckle toy has plenty of activities to keep your toddler busy. They can zip, lift flaps, and learn to buckle.

14 Hot Wheels Cars

Hot Wheels are a fun toy for you toddlers to bring on a road trip. These are something small they can hold, and you can point to out similar cars on the road.

15 Blocks & Balls

Infantino Balls, Blocks and Buddies set is a something 1-year-olds will love for a car activity. They can touch different surfaces and even chew on them them. Divide them up by type and offer them at separate times for more variety.

16 Baby Dolls

A soft baby doll will not only be a cuddle toy but a great road trip activity for toddlers. They can dress the baby and give her a bottle.

17 Sing-Alongs

One of the best road trip activities for toddlers is music . Sing-alongs are always a hit, and there are plenty of classic kid songs to enjoy. Choose a kid's music channel on your favorite streaming service.

18 Peek-a-Boo

This simple game is one that never gets old. You can play it with a stuffed animal, blanket, or your own hands. Peek-a-boo is sure to get some giggles from your 1-year-old during your trip.

19 Snack Breaks

Snacks are essential for a fun road trip, but they're especially important when you've got little ones in tow. Hunger and thirst can lead to crankiness in even the happiest of toddlers, so make sure to pack plenty of snacks and drinks for the journey. And if you're looking for healthy snack ideas, see our list of road trip food for kids.  

20 Playground Stops

It's important to take breaks often when you're on a road trip with toddlers—both for their sake and for yours! Consider making pit stops at playgrounds along the way – they'll love getting to run around and explore!

Road Trip Activities for 2-year old Toddlers

1 the quiet game.

This is among many parent's favorite road trip activities for toddlers! If your toddler is any good at this game, you'll be enjoying plenty of relaxation on your trip! See who can be quiet the longest and that person wins a special surprise!

2 Paint with Water

Paint with water sets are the perfect toddler road trip activity. Water Wow sets from Melissa & Doug include a fillable pen that holds the water and comes out the brush. Virtually mess-free and very amusing for your little one.

3 Sticker Books

We love sticker books to keep toddlers entertained on a family road trip. They love peeling the stickers which is a great fine motor skill.

4 LCD Drawing Tablet

If your 2-year-old loves to color, LCD drawing tablets are a must. They can color whatever they want and erase it when they want a new canvas. Not only is it mess-free, the tablets are an inexpensive travel toy!

5 This or That

One of our favorite road trip games is one we made up. I played this with my oldest when she needed to be distracted in the car. Say two things and ask which is their favorite. You can use animals, food, or toys for example. It's a great activity to avoid meltdowns when things are going south.

6 Counting Things They See

Keep your toddler learning by counting the things you see. Look out the window and see 3 birds – 1, 2, 3! This is a great activity to help keep them occupied while on a road trip.

7 Squigz Suction Toys

These suction toys are a great road trip activity for toddlers because they will keep them entertained with building and creating new designs. Additionally, the suction cups on the toys will stick to windows and other surfaces, providing an extra level of fun.

8 Magnetic Puzzles

Magnetic puzzles can keep toddlers entertained for hours while on a road trip. The puzzles are easy to carry and keep toddlers busy as they try to move the pieces with the magnetic pen!

9 What Do You See Out the Window

Practice object recognition, colors, and shapes with your 2-year-old by asking them what they see out the window. If they see a tree, ask what color is the tree? Continue the conversation with questions for them to answer.

10 Connectable Fidget Tubes

Fidget tubes can be connected together to create a chain, and your toddler can twist and turn them to their heart's desire. This will keep them occupied and happy, which is essential on long road trips.

11 Lacing Cards 

The repetitive motion of lacing and un-lacing helps to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. We love these small lacing cards as they are portable and offer just enough practice for a 2-year-old.

12 Lego Duplo Blocks

Let their creativity run wild with Lego Duplo Blocks. They can build towers, cars, and other structures with the blocks that come in various size kits.

13 Memory Game Cards

While 2-year-olds may be a little young to play Memory, they will certainly enjoy looking at the picture cards. Memory cards are durable and the perfect small, learning toy to bring along on a road trip.

14 Vtech Laptop

The Vtech laptop is a fun learning game for toddlers. It's not quite screen time, but it is interactive with songs and games that will keep them engaged.

15 Glow Sticks

Road trip activities for toddlers don't have to be limited to just watching movies or looking out the window. A great way to keep them entertained is by bringing out some glow sticks . If you're traveling in the dark these are an ideal way to have some fun when you're almost to your destination.

16 Reusable Sticker Scenes

Reusable stickers are a great car activity because they can easily be moved and manipulated by your toddler. They will enjoy creating stories and using their imagination. Just ask them what they made!

This classic road trip game is perfect for toddlers because it's easy to adapt to their limited attention span. Keep it simple by spying something that's a certain color or shape.  Keep the “spied” objects inside the car to give time for your toddler to find them!

18 Masking Tape

Toddlers love playing with random objects, and masking tape can be used to your advantage. They will enjoy peeling it, balling it up, and making designs on the windows. This is a great way to keep them entertained in exchange for a little cleanup.

19 Mess-Free Coloring

Coloring is a great way to keep toddlers occupied, plus it's a quiet activity that won't disturb other passengers in the car.  Crayola Color Wonder is an amazing gift to parents. The markers only draw on the special paper and leave no other mess. They come in cute sets and are sure to keep your toddler busy.

20 Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

Make a scavenger hunt list of things they can look for outside the car window. Include things like different colors, shapes, and animals.

21 Seek and Find Books

Seek and Find books are excellent road trip activities for toddlers because they can keep them busy and engaged. Bring along a few beginner seek and find books to look at together when they need a break from looking out the window.

Limiting screen time is one thing, but you may need a little more of it on a road trip with toddlers. Download some age-appropriate apps on your phone or tablet for them to play during the drive.

23 Story Time

Reading stories is always a hit with toddlers. Bring along some of their favorite books or download some digital ones before you hit the road.

24 Pack Some Surprises

Save some of your toddler's favorite snacks or toys as “surprises” for later in the trip. This will help break up the monotony and give them something to look forward to. These are also great to take out when things aren't going well (i.e. traffic.) 

A portable DVD player will give your toddler the comfort of their favorite movie. Use movies to wind down before rest time on your road trip.

Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

A road trip with toddlers doesn't have to be stressful—as long as you know how to survive a road trip with kids !

1-year-olds and 2-year-olds have unique needs when it comes to car activities.

They have a shorter attention span and need a larger variety of things to keep them occupied.

However, with these 45 road trip activities for toddlers, you can rest assured that your little ones will stay entertained the whole way!

And who knows, you might even have some fun yourself in the process!

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25 Easy Road Trip Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Packed for Life contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Disclosure policy for more info.

Road tripping with kids? The thought of entertaining  toddlers and preschoolers on long car rides can have even the most laid back of parents reconsidering their trip. Which is why I’ve gathered our tried and true easy and fun road trip activities for toddlers and preschoolers. 

After years of taking road trips for summer holidays, to visit family and to move across the country I have some pretty cool tips, tricks and ideas to make your next road trip more fun, and less stressful for everyone.

Practice and preparation are key. The more you do it, the more your can’t sit still in one place for even 2 minutes toddler or preschooler will know what to expect, and the easier it will become. In our experience, the best kids car activities are easy, mess free and something they can do on their own.

Here are what we think are the best road trip activities for 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and preschoolers 3-5 years old that you can buy, make or do yourself. Plus some road trip tips to make your family’s journey smoother.

  FUN TODDLER ROAD TRIP ACTIVITIES

Don’t forget to grab our Road trip planner so you can stop stressing about trip planning & logistics, and keep everything organized and in one place. Other tips:

• Use a surface to play / color on : You can use a small shallow box, a small metal baking tray or a car seat activity tray like this one . But don’t stress if you don’t have one. We’ve done many family road trips without an activity tray.
• Plan ahead: The trick I’ve found is to plan ahead and have a variety of activities you (and they) can pick and choose from.
• Small, easy age appropriate activities: Toddlers and preschoolers don’t always have long attention spans, so we’ve found that lots of smaller activities can really save the day.
• You know your kids best. Choose one’s you think they’d like.

If you have babies in the family too, these are some of the best travel toys for babies to keep them happy & entertained.

1. Mini Coloring Kits 

Coloring activities were always a favorite for our kids. To manage the likelihood of said toddlers throwing crayons around, keep only a few in a small container they can easily open. 

If you are short on time (who isn’t?), then mini coloring kits like these  were always a hit when our youngest was little. 

Or you can make your own.

• Grab a small empty first aid kit from the Dollar Store or local box store like Target or Walmart.
• Hot glue gun a square post-it pad on the inside (top).
• Put in a couple of crayons, or pencil crayons. Whatever fits.  Learn how here .

2. Mess Free Coloring – Melissa and Doug Wow Books

We’ve loved these WOW books for years. Super handy to keep the kids entertained on long or short car rides, at restaurants, or even much needed quiet time at home.

No mess! Your littles will just paint with the water brush and color appears. 

Melissa and Doug have lots of great products for toddlers and preschoolers. 

3. Best Road Trip Kids Activities: Kids Activity Books

I created these fun kids activity books to help keep your kids (& my own) from saying “are we there yet?!?!?” every 30 seconds.

Sometimes you just have those long stretches of road you need to get through. Plus they are educational, and screen free.

What are their interests? Try one of these kids car activities:

• Dinosaur coloring book with fun dino-facts
• Magical Unicorn Activity Book
• Baby Animal Mazes and Coloring
• Road Trip Activity Pack (perfect for multi-age families)

4. Scavenger Hunt

Your kidlets will be spending lots of time looking out the window. Why not get them to do a scavenger hunt. My youngest always loves doing this, even now that she’s much older.

Or if they are a little older, this  Road Trip Bingo game would be a fun car activity. 

PRO TIP : What always worked well for us is to have a travel backpack for each kid. Inside they can keep all their toys, books, road trip activities & some snacks all in one place. Check out our list of the best travel backpacks for kids and toddlers.

5. Magnetic Puzzles 

Anything magnetic will help reduce tears from having their pieces fall on the floor every 5 seconds where you can’t reach. Just make sure there are no small magnets or pieces for them to swallow. 

Magnetic puzzles or Magnetic dress up kits will keep them busy and entertained for a good long while.  

6. Toddler Busy Books

If you have the time, there are a lot of super cute, and fun DIY busy books you can make out there.

But if you aren’t so crafty, or are short on time, this Montessori busy board is ready for your toddlers to have fun in the car. While they also learn key motor skills to help them dress themselves.

7. Seek and Find Books or Hidden Picture Books

We always used to hit up the library before heading out on a road trip.

Seek and Find Books and My First Hidden Picture books are always a crowd pleaser. One that keeps our kids busy for up to an hour or more some days.

8. Wiki Stixs

Sticky, bendy sticks you can make trains, cars, flowers, bracelets anything your kids can imagine out of. 

Check out this cool Wikki Stixs article for more fun ideas .

9. Magnetic Drawing Board

A no mess road trip activity for toddlers & kids.

The Magnetic Drawing Board can be a great sensory toy, and a relaxing screen free activity for the car. Put on some road trip music, and the kids will have focused fun for a long time.

10. Boogie Board – Reusable Writing Pad

Best gift ever. A Boogie board is an LCD writing tablet that comes with a special pen (stylus) you can draw on and erase over and over again.

You may want to consider grabbing an extra stylus or two, given these tend to get lost or thrown on the floor of the car. Yes, I am speaking form experience.

11. Reusable Sticker Books

Kids love stickers. A reusable sticker book is even better as they can move their stickers around more than once. Plus you don’t have to worry about peeling stickers off car windows, your seats or somebodies hair. Guess how I know?!?!

Melissa and Doug make great ones. Including these super cute make-a-face sticker books .

12. Screen Time – Watch Movies & Play Games

When little Miss S was younger we tried to avoid much screen time if we could. However sometimes you need a little something to distract them when they get antsy. The IPad or a tablet does make an easy kids car activity. 

You can load up some episodes of their favorite tv show, or a toddler / preschooler friendly movie or two. It’s good to have as a back up,  just in case. Give yourself some grace, and a break. Traveling in confined space for 13 hours with young kids is exhausting. 

Grab a subscription to the Family Amazon Prime or Disney Plus for the month. With Prime you get music and movie/ tv streaming.

Some toddler & preschooler friendly apps we loved, or that come highly recommended:

• LEGO Duplo Trains
• Toca Monster or Toca Nature
• Very Hungry Caterpillar
• Daniel Tiger
• Busy Shapes
• Khan Academy Kids
• Epic – Reading App

13. Listen to Podcasts 

Podcasts are a great way to keep young children focused and happy. Now that my daughter is a little older, she still likes listening to them while she draws, cleans her room or for those long travel days by lane or car. Some of our favourites include:

• Wow in the World
• Story Pirates
• What If World

14. Listen to Audiobooks

I almost said books on tape….Showing my age there. Listening to audiobooks is another great way to skip the screens on long car rides and family road trips. And avoid the hoarse raspy voice from having to read Peppa Goes to Ballet Class for the 7 gazillionth time. Ask me how I know!

Grab an Try Audible Plus if you want to listen to adult books too. Or the Epic reading app just for the kids. 

You may also like the Best Walkie Talkies for Road Trips

15. Create a Road Trip Playlist

Think epic 80’s tape mix, but for the 2020’s and the younger crowd. My partner is the DJ in our family. He has an eclectic taste in music; everything from German metal bands to classical music, country, ska and pop.

You don’t have to be stuck to just kids music from Sesame Street (unless you want to be.)

Play Old School Car Games

Sometimes the simplest things are the easiest, and cost the least. Pull out some of those old school games you used to play on road trips when you were a kid.

16. License Plate Game

See if you can spot license plates from all the States (if in the US), or provinces / Territories (if in Canada. Whoever spots it first gets the point. The one with the most points wins at the end. Or skip the points. 

17. Story Time 

Invent a story as a family. Each person takes a turn telling part of the story with a sentence or two. Create your own fairytale…start with once upon a time. You can make a time limit for the story, say 10 minutes, or after each family member has had a chance to say 3-5 sentences. 

If ever there was a game that evokes summer vacations and riding  in the back seat of my childhood car, squished between my brothers to keep them from fighting, it’s I Spy.

One person chooses an object, and the rest of the players have to guess what it is. 

19. Road Trip Questions & Would You Rather

Road trips are a great time to ask your kids about the world and their thoughts. You never know how they  will respond, but there is guaranteed smiles and laughter.

Especially if you start a round of would you rather…… Would you rather have to drink everything from your nose or eat everything with your belly button…. 

Check out our list of road trip questions to ask. 

DIY Road Trip Activities for Kids

When I had more time ( and energy), I made all sorts of DIY travel activities for my youngest when she was a toddler and preschooler. Pinterest has lots of great low-cost DIY ideas , if you are looking for screen free, fun car activities. 

I used to put these in their own individual soft pencil case to keep them organized. If you grab the ones with holes, you can make a travel binder to keep your kids road trip activities all in one spot. 

20. Popsicle Sticks with Velcro

Grab a pack of popsicle sticks (multi colored for more visual interest), and stick-on those velcro circles from a craft store or the dollar store. Stick the velcro circles on each end of the popsicle sticks. Your toddler can then make different shapes with them. Little Miss S loved this one the best out of all the DIY road trip activities I made. 

21. Make A Word Popsicle Sticks

Continuing along the popsicle theme, create sight word popsicle sticks. You will need:

• Metal tin or lunch box or small cookie sheet in a pinch
• Popsicle sticks 
• Roll of magnetic tape
• Sheet of pictures with simple words underneath they can make (optional). 

Attach pieces of magnetic tape to the popsicle. Write letters with a sharpie on each popsicle stick. Have your kids try to make words out of the letters.

Or alternately, you can  use a First Words magnetic poetry kit , or magnetic letters. Just make sure they’re old enough not to swallow anything.

22. Lego Mini Boxes

Make use of all that lego that is underfoot and driving you crazy. You can grab most of the crafting items cheaply at the dollar store. What you’ll need for mini lego boxes:

• Small square plastic lunch container with lid
• Small square thin lego board
• Handful of lego pieces

Glue the base lego board to the lid, put a handful of lego pieces in the plastic container once dry, and there you go. Cheap and easy in car entertainment for kids. 

Or if for some reason you don’t have lego (tell me your secret!) grab this travel lego building case 

23. Rolling, Rolling, Rolling Spools of Ribbon

Unrolling and then rolling back up spools of ribbon can be a fun toddler car activity that can be used again and again. You may just have to be the one that rolls it back up though.

24. Pom Pom Skills Activities

Get those fine motor skills working. Pom Pom tweezer activities can be fun. What you will need:

• Big and small pom poms
• 3-4 small plastic cups ( take out sauce sizes) 
• Kid friendly tweezers

Get your kids to sort by color, or number of pom poms into the empty plastic cups. 

25. Make Cereal Bracelets or Necklaces

Give your kids some cheerios or fruit loops and a pipe cleaner and have them make cheerio bracelets. Bonus, they can have a snack when they get hungry.

But we forewarned – it can be messy.

26. Play with Glow Sticks

If you are driving at night, kids will get a kick out of playing with glow sticks. 

27. Joke Books

Bring out the jokes! Whether you are naturally funny….come on, parent jokes are the best, or need a little help, everyone will be smiling. 

Here’s a great option for kids 3 to 6.  

PREPARING FOR YOUR FAMILY ROAD TRIP

Quick Tips for successful road trips with kids aged 2 to 5

Taking long car rides with kids can be challenging and exhausting. Here are a few of my family’s tips that I use to make our road trips easier:

• Age appropriate road trip entertainment – Make sure your road trip activities are age appropriate and suit your child. 
• Bring a variety of kids road trip activities you can switch out regularly
• Begin your day with some quick & easy road trip breakfast ideas
• Start your day early  – There’s usually a sweet spot where kids are still happy in the mornings. Start earlier, and they may even nap for a bit in the car. 
• Make frequent stops to let the kids run around and use the washroom.
• Prioritize some fun kid friendly stops along the way your children will enjoy. A trip to the zoo, a cool playground,  a short hike or a stop for ice cream.
• Drive less each day if you can.
• Load up on kid friendly road trip meals & snacks – hangry kids are no fun!
• Prepare for the unexpected. Bring a first aid kit, a clean up kit (wet wipes, hand sanitizer, extra clothes, small garbage bucket), and a container in case a kid gets sick.
• Bring a couple of large towels – Clean up unexpected diaper explosions, or use as picnic blankets, rolled up as a pillow and even shade for a back window. 
• Check out our camping with kids hacks – to make camping easier and more enjoyable for everyone.

Conclusion: Kids Car Activities 

You really can have fun family road trips with young kids. We’ve made so many fun memories on road trips with our littles. They often bring up special or funny moments we’ve had long after the road trip is finished.

But if you’re planning a long drive with a toddler or preschooler, make sure you plan some great road trip activities to keep them entertained. You’ll be glad you did.

Preparing for your Road Trip

• Road trip packing list essentials for the family
• Yummy Road trip snacks. Kid (and adult) approved!
• Summer travel tips to stay on budget & maximize family fun
• How to save money on road trips (and not miss out)

Donna Garrison is the founder of Packed for Life, an ever curious traveler with a passion for making memories with her family. With a unique perspective on travelling on a budget gathered over 30 years, 20 countries and 5 continents she gives families the tools & resources they need to experience the joys of travelling more for less through practical solutions. She helps over 20,000 families a month plan & take the family travel, camping and road trip adventures of their dreams in Canada, the USA and around the world. Contact her at: Donna [at] packedforlife.com

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20 Toddler Activities For Long Road Trips

We are heading on a long road trip to Maine and I thought I’d update this old post with toddler friendly activities for the car. While I’m all for using the iPad to watch movies and shows on long road trips I definietly don’t want Piper glued to a screen for 15 hours. Many of these work for airplanes, and going out to eat too! Remember to save some of these activities for your way home so you still have some “new” tricks up your sleeve! Also THESE are the packing cubes I posted about!!!

Mini Coloring Boxes – Use an empty first aid kit box ($1 in the travel section at Target) and attach a new square size post it with hot glue or double stick foam tape to the back and stick a few crayons in. It’s the perfect size to hold everything and you can toss it in your purse for when you eat out, too. Just don’t leave the crayons in a hot car! Got the idea here .

Popsicle Stick Puzzles-  This genius idea could not be easier and will keep toddlers entertained for a while! Use it on a small cookie sheet and the fridge after you travel! See how to make it in this post!

Popsicle Sticks With Velcro – Add velcro dots to the back of colored popsicle sticks and let your child create different shapes. Will be fun to use out of the car too, be sure to pack in a small box to keep everything together.

Magnetic Puzzles – Pick up a few new puzzles and stick on adhesive magnetic dots to the back  and stick it on a cookie sheet.

Clipboard Coloring – Attach sheets from coloring books to a clipboard to allow your little one a better coloring experience on the go!

Lego Boxes – Can’t wait to see how these little lego boxes go – I got everything at the dollar store and the idea here .

Sticker Matching –  This could not be easier to make before you leave, just clip your sticker sheets to a clipboard with a crayon or colored pencil and let your little one practice fine motor skills +  development. Got the idea here .

Snack Boxes – Fill up tackle or craft boxes (I found for $3 at Michael’s) with various snacks. Not sure how our 3 year old will do with these and spilling so we may let her pick her snack from each section and put in a spill proof cup for eating.

Truck Spotting- Piper is really into looking out the window now that her car seat is turned around– though it may be better for 3-4 year olds and up – you could make a simplified version for younger kids. Idea found here .

Water Painting – Water Wow books from Melissa & Doug are a lifesaver as are their Paint With Water coloring pads – simply put a little bit of water in a cup in your child’s cupholder on their car seat and let them go to town (use a clip board)!

Window C lings – These won’t work for children sitting in the middle seat too well but older ones may enjoy sticking window clings to the windows.

Discovery Boxes – Every few hours give your child a new box or bag full of discovery items — this can be anything from kitchen utensils to small toys, the name of the game is offering them items they haven’t played with before or in a while.

Spools of ribbon or crepe paper  – This kept Piper busy during our last road trip, she enjoyed unrolling spools of ribbon, and then I would just roll them back up for her, over and over and over….

Play kids music – Have your child’s favorite tunes cued up — they almost always calm Piper down and she has fun singing along to familiar music.

Stickers- No-fail and always on hand. I cut up some new sticker strips and put them in a little coupon organizer I got at the Dollar Store to make them a bit more exciting for Piper.

Magnet or felt board – I’m hoping these entertain Piper… here is a great post on how to make a magnet board and here’s one for a felt board  – I’m going to make mine with cardboard in a smaller size.

New books – Head to the library before your trip to surprise your little one with plenty of new books!

Busy Wallet – I’m so excited to make this for Piper and give it to her during our trip, I read about it here . She loves to take my wallet out of my purse and pull it apart. I can’t wait to give her one to play with in the car!

Mini Post Its – We’ve used these on the airplane before with success — simply let your kid go to town with post it’s – sticking them on the back of the seat, a book or peeling ones off that you’ve stuck.

iPad – When all else fails I’m not above resorting to the iPad. We have two games we let her play in the car ( Fisher Price farm animals & shapes ) and we’ll also download some Pixar Shorts and episodes of Sesame Street. Piper’s usually not too interested in really watching long but it does help calm her down if she’s really upset.

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Road Trip Activities for Toddlers (That They Will Really Love!)

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Going on a road trip with a toddler can seem stressful. But it really can be an enjoyable experience if you’re prepared. And one of the best ways you can prepare is by bringing awesome toddler road trip activities!

On all the road trips we’ve been on with our toddlers (and there have been a lot), we’ve found that if our toddler has interesting activities to hold their attention, everyone has a better time.

And oftentimes, toddlers really aren’t as hard to entertain in the car as we think. I’ve found that road trips with my toddlers usually go much better than I think they will.

The trick is plan ahead and bring a variety of different activities that you can use to hold their attention. Toddlers don’t always have the longest attention spans, so you’ll be glad to have multiple activities you can switch between when they start losing interest in whatever they’re working on.

If you have a variety of ways to keep your toddler entertained during the drive, the whole trip will go much more smoothly. Trust me.

So read on for some awesome car activities that are sure to keep your toddler entertained on a road trip!

For more helpful travel items, see our ultimate list of toddler travel essentials !

Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

You’ll want to have plenty of great activities to keep your toddler entertained during your road trip. This is one area where I tend to overpack, but I’d much rather have too many activities than not have enough. And when you’re road tripping, usually you have the space for a few extra small activities (unlike flying).

Tip: It really helps to have a table of some sort for your child to work on their activities. We like this car seat travel tray . In a pinch, we’ve also used shallow, wide boxes for them to work on their activities and to keep everything contained.

Some of these road trip activities for toddlers do have small parts, so if your child is still in the stick-everything-in-the-mouth stage, skip those or do them with supervision.

Portable construction site

If you have a truck-loving toddler, consider making them a little construction site! Use mini trucks to move “rocks” (pom poms) from one place to another. This can entertain a toddler for a ridiculously long period of time, trust me…

These little working trucks are the perfect size to use with pom poms .

Pom pom fine motor activity

A great fine motor road trip activity is using tweezers to move pom poms from one container to another. For this activity, you can use the regular sized pom poms or the mini pom poms for a bit more of a challenge. 

When we were planning our most recent road trip, this activity was specifically requested, so obviously it was a hit with our kids!

DIY Car Track

For a creative DIY road trip activity, make your own car track! Bring along some of this road tape to create a little road on your child’s travel tray . Pack some small cars and let your child pretend to drive on a racecar or around a make-believe town.

You can also used mini sticky notes to draw houses, a fire station, a hotel, etc. Our son had a great time driving his cars all over his little “town”.

One of our favorite road trip activities for toddlers is listening to music. It’s is a nice way to pass the time while you’re driving and it’s also a good method for diffusing tension if emotions are rising.

Our kids love singing along to their favorite songs for long stretches of time. Some of the classics are Raffi songs and songs from their favorite movies (mostly Frozen and Moana over and over).

Magnets and cookie sheet

Bring a cookie sheet and some magnets and set your child loose! (The cheap dollar store cookie sheets are perfect for this activity.)

Alphabet and number magnets are great for kids learning their letters and numbers. Or you can cater it to your child’s interests with something like animal magnets or dinosaur magnets for some creative play.

Podcasts/audio books

Podcasts and audiobooks can be fun to listen to for the whole family, or you can give your child some headphones and let them listen independently. 

My son loves the Little Bedtime Stories podcast. The stories are fun and good for young kids, plus it’s ad free!

Cheerio bracelets

Combine food and activity by making Cheerio bracelets!

Give your child some Cheerios and have them string them onto a pipe cleaner . We love this activity activity because it’s great at keeping a toddler’s attention and it doubles as a snack!

Bring along some books or magazines and read to your toddler or let them look through the pictures. They might like looking through a book with pictures of where you’re going on your trip (or where you’ve been if you’re on your way home).

If your child is like mine, you can bring some of their favorites (mine are obsessed with the Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site books ) and they will know every word without your even having to read it to them!

Screen time

Screen time is probably one of the most popular road trip activities for toddlers. When you’re on a road trip, screen time can be a convenient way for your toddler to pass some time and it’s a nice break for the adults. 

Everyone has different ideas of how much screen time is right for road trips and you’ll have to find your own balance for what is best for your toddler. 

A road trip tradition that we love is having a family movie night while we’re driving. 

I make popcorn before we leave and then when we’re driving, we pass out the popcorn and treats and settle in to watch a movie. It’s a fun activity that we can all do together (even though the driver can’t see, the kids usually pick movies we’ve seen a million times anyway so they know what’s going on just by the sound). We usually plan it for later in the day when everyone is starting to get bored and tired of their car activities. 

If you have a budding artist, they might enjoy drawing for part of the car ride.

There are lots of options for drawing activities, depending on what your child prefers. You can go the traditional route by getting a toddler coloring book with crayons or colored pencils. Or you can choose to bring a boogie board or whiteboard for them to use to express their creativity.

This car seat tray has a built-in whiteboard, which makes it easy for your child to create art whenever their heart desires!

Puffy Sticker Activity Set

One of our favorite road trip activities for toddlers are these cute puffy sticker sets by Melissa and Doug.

Your child can use the detailed stickers to create a scene on the background provided. And they are reusable, so you can get multiple play experiences out of them. We’ve used our sets many times and the stickers are still sticky!

These puffy stickers are something that has really kept our toddlers’ focused attention while traveling. On a recent road trip I forgot to bring them and my son was so disappointed (luckily I didn’t make that mistake the next time!).

Water Wow! Water Activity Pad

Water Wow! books are a great, mess-free road trip activity for toddlers. As you color over each page with the water pen, a picture appears. As it dries, the picture disappears and it can be reused again and again.

This is one of our favorite toddler activities for travel by car, flights, or just as a quiet activity for appointments or church when we’re at home!

Create a book of photos for your child with pictures of noteworthy events, important people, and special memories from their life. Toddlers love looking at books where they are the star, with places and people they recognize.

For our toddlers, this is a sure way to capture and keep their attention!

This buckle toy is perfect for a kid who loves clipping and unclipping buckles. It has various colors and different kinds of buckles to keep their attention. There’s also a little pocket at the top where they can store some of their treasures.

When I bought this toy, I wondered how much use we would really get out of it, but my toddlers have been obsessed with their buckle toy during trips, both driving and flying.

Look and Find Books

Look and find books are a great way to keep a toddler busy. I’m always amazed at how long my toddlers can stay focused when they’re searching for items in a book.

Some of our favorite look and find books are the Very First Book of Things to Spot and 1001 Things to Spot on Vacation . The Very First Book of Things to Spot has cute and simple pictures (better for younger toddlers), while the 1001 Things to Spot book has much busier, more complex scenes.

Dimple fidget popper toy

Dimple fidget poppers are a fun way to keep your child engaged while you’re driving.

Our kids loved pushing the buttons in and out and I was surprised how long this activity kept them entertained. And it’s a great calming sensory activity for when children (or adults) are feeling agitated.

Some road trip activities for toddlers don’t have to involve any special gear. Another option for keeping a toddler entertained on a drive is to talk about what they see out the window (my kids get so excited whenever they see trucks while we’re driving) or play a game like I Spy.

Your toddler will love guessing the object you are thinking of, just make sure it’s not something you pass before they can guess what it is.

Wiki Stix are a non-messy way for toddlers to practice fine motor skills and express some creativity. The wax sticks can be bent and formed into various shapes, letters, and designs.

To make anything very elaborate a toddler will need a little help, but our toddlers have enjoyed just manipulating the sticks or squishing them into colorful balls. And they love it when we help them to make words or small objects (crude animals, flowers, etc).

Tell Stories

A fun way to pass the time while driving is to tell stories to your toddler. You can recap what you did on your trip or what you are going to do. Or you can make up stories about whatever interests your toddler.

One of our boys’ favorite things is when dad tells “truck stories”, which are just stories he makes up about trucks at a construction site.

On our most recent road trip, this was one of our toddler’s favorite ways to pass the time. He would say, “Tell truck stories, daddy!” and then listen with rapt attention to whatever story his dad made up.

For toddlers, snacks definitely count as a road trip activity. If they are starting to get whiny or are heading towards a meltdown, pull out a snack! I am constantly in awe of the power of a good snack to reset a toddler when they are starting to lose it.

And it’s just a nice way to keep your child occupied for a little while during the drive. Be sure to bring a snack catcher so that your toddler can feed themselves without accidentally dumping their snack all over the car.

For ideas of awesome road trip food and snacks, see this post .

Looking out the window

If your child is content sitting and looking out the window, let them! 

Often we’re so focused on keeping toddlers entertained that we don’t follow their cues and allow them downtime when they want it. 

My children can be entertained for hours just sitting and looking out the window when we’re driving. As long as they are content, I just leave them be. I don’t bring out activities for them until they ask for something to do. 

Final Thoughts

You really can have a great family road trip with a toddler along. We’ve made so many fun family memories on road trips with our young children.

But if you’re planning a long drive with a toddler, make sure you have some great road trip activities to keep them entertained. You’ll be glad you were prepared!

Other posts you might be interested:

How to Have a Successful Road Trip with a Toddler

50+ Road Trip Food Ideas- Easy Meals On the Go!

7 Essential Tips for Road Tripping with a Baby

Baby Travel Essentials (Everything You Need to Bring)

Related Posts:

The Best Car Activities for Toddlers: 30+ Fun Road Trip Ideas

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When you think of a long road trip with two or three year olds, what comes to mind? Whining, crying, temper tantrums? Trying to get out of their car seat? It doesn’t have to be that way, not if you have the right car activities for toddlers! If you’re taking a road trip with young children, it’s tempting to just stick them in front of a screen and call it a day. But as a mom of 4, I can tell you that if you plan a few activities to break up the screen time, everyone will be much happier!

And while a little bit of screen time isn’t bad, it really isn’t good for them for a 7, 8, 9, or however many hours-long car ride. When it comes down to it, you do what you gotta do to survive, but ideally, you can throw in some other activities with the screen time.

Fear not, because there are other ways to keep the kiddos occupied that don’t involve screens. Many of these activities are not only fun for toddlers, but also stimulate their brains and hone those fine motor skills, all while you’re on your way to grandmas!

Toddler car activities don’t have to be expensive, either. In fact, most of these things are free or inexpensive, the sort of things you can find at home or at the local dollar store.

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.

Family Road Trips With Toddlers: A Survival Guide

I have 4 kids right now, ages 10, 8, 8 (twins!), and 3. At one point, I had THREE TODDLERS and we have always traveled with them. My husband’s family lives 12 hours from us, and so it’s a long road trip that we have made every year, at least once.

I’ve picked up some tips and tricks along the way. I’m going to share a LOT of activities and ideas but please don’t try to cram in every activity on your road trip. Simply pick a few of your favorite ideas!

Traveling with tots is not the impossible feat you might think it is, but there are some very helpful ways to prepare! Having the right car activities for toddlers is a great thing, but there are some other tips and tricks to make it even easier.

I have a whole post on how to travel with kids overnight (and why I prefer it to traveling during the day!) but regardless of the time of day, here are several practical tips to keep in mind:

• Pack a VARIETY of activities! That’s what this whole post is about, after all!
• Pack snacks! Even a short road trip still needs some road trip food. Your toddler will look forward to it and it’s an effective way to break up the time and keep things from getting too boring!
• Pack an emergency bag: this includes extra clothes in case of accidents, a first aid kit, and a PUKE BUCKET or BARF BAG . I’m serious. We made this mistake on a road trip last year and let me tell you, not pleasant! I highly recommend these portable barf bags . They are affordable and easy to pack!
• Pack a travel potty if your toddlers are potty training or just recently became potty trained.
• Plan some toddler-friendly stops: especially if you’re on a long road trip, it helps to have some fun, family-friendly pit stop locations planned! It takes the edge off the boredom and lets them get some energy out! Googling local parks or free attractions is great, but sometimes even an empty parking lot is good in a pinch!
• Have a schedule : if your toddlers are used to a certain schedule during the day, try to stick to it on the road trip. Meal/snack time, nap time, quiet time, and playtime can all be incorporated during a long drive. Just don’t be surprised if the change in location throws things off a little bit! That’s okay!
• Introduce new things as you go: start with one toy or activity, and if your toddler starts to look bored, give them something new to do, or surprise them with a special snack, or anything to make the trip seem less monotonous!
• Break it up with screen time: of course it is okay to allow some screen time, in fact, it might be a good idea to let them take a break and watch a movie or an educational show, especially during a longer than 4-hour road trip!
• Tip to limit screen time: During long car rides with younger children, I try to hold off on screen time until after they took a nap. I also plan it strategically around stops, so if there’s an hour-long movie for them to watch, I’ll put it on an hour before we have a stop planned. This way, they won’t be too upset when it’s time to turn it off, because we’re about to get out of the car.
• Hotel Room Bag: If you’re stopping overnight, make sure to pack a hotel room back, with all of your overnight essentials! Don’t forget sound machines, night lights, and a few fidget toys or sensory toys to keep the kids entertained in the small room.

Related Content:

• Traveling With Kids
• Traveling With Kids Overnight
• Flying With Twins

Car Storage and Organization

Before we get too far into the post, I’m going to tell you how I organize our car. In the past, I’ve let the kids each pack a backpack with their activities, but then their backpacks are on the floor and their stuff gets everywhere. For our last trip, I ordered these car organizers that hook onto the backseat and it was a game changer!

They come in a 2-pack, so I had one in the back with Josie and Margo (8-year-old twins) and one in the 2nd row with Theo and Beckham (10 and 3). Theo is a huge help with Beckham, giving him the toys he requests, setting up his headphones, etc.

We also used this car seat organizer to keep our snacks in. Each kid had a ziplock bag with their snacks in it and we refilled it from this container.

Foolproof Toddler Car Activities

I’m sure this goes without saying, but as always, use discretion with which of these are appropriate for your toddler (especially if they involve smaller pieces). Every toddler is a little different and depending on their age and development means that different toys and activities will be better for them.

These are all great travel toys that I’ve used for many years. As my kids get older, I’ve updated this post each year, so now this is really just a big post full not just the best travel toys for toddlers, but the best travel toys for all of my kids!

Travel Tray for Toddler Car Activities

These travel trays look AMAZING. My kids are constantly dropping things in the car and asking for me to retrieve them for them. These trays would prevent things from falling to the floor!

If you don’t mind investing a little bit of money into your car activities for toddlers, a travel tray is a great way to pack everything in one place and let the little ones entertain themselves. There are compartments on the sides for books and snacks, and sometimes even a stand for a tablet.

I like this one a lot for a long car ride because it has a dry-erase board and activities!

We recently used this on a 22 hour road trip from Rhode Island to Florida and it was great. We used it for our 3-year-old, Beckham. It was the perfect tray to help him with his snacks, and he used the road tape and some toy cars to play with. It’s also perfect for coloring, but Beckham didn’t want to color.

Encourage independent play with toys that are easy to play with and easy to clean!

Toy cars travel easily and don’t need a flat surface to be entertaining. However, you can enhance the play experience by creating a road on a travel tray or cookie sheet with this road tape . They are the perfect toy for little hands and the toy that Beckham prefers the most.

Did you know young kids have better reading comprehension by listening to books than reading them? Obviously, most toddlers can’t read yet, but audio books are still a perfect way to stimulate their brains and their ears! 

You can get free audiobooks from the library or snag a free 30-day subscription to Audible and download new books right onto your phone! And if you already have Audible, then you’re ahead of the game.

Pro tip: If you have a DVD player in your car, play a DVD over the stereo without turning the screen on and BOOM: audiobook. We do this with Daniel Tiger DVDs all the time!

Yoto Player

Beckham got a Yoto Mini (currently out of stock everywhere so I am linking the full-sized one) for Christmas and it was such a good investment. Our older 3 kids love to read and they all have kindles, so they can read for hours in the car. When they are reading, we set Beckham up with his Yoto and headphones and he happily listened to books! They are the perfect screen-free activity for long trips.

Physical Books

Space may be limited on a long car ride, but that doesn’t mean you can’t let them pack a few of their favorite books to flip through on the drive! It’s great if you have some interactive books they can engage with, too, or if your older kids are willing and able to read to them!

My 3 big kids (10, 8, 8) love to read and they all have the kids Kindles. The kids kindle is actually a regular, adult kindle, BUT it comes with a case, ad-free, and a year of kindle kids unlimited. Kindle kids unlimited is basically like Netflix, but for e-books. I had my kids download dozens of books before we left, and if they ran out, I simply connected their kindles to the hotspot on my phone so they could download more.

Here are some of our favorite books lists:

• The Best Children’s Books For Twins (About Twins!)
• The Best Spring Books for Toddlers
• The Best Fall Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
• The Best Christmas Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers

I purchased these on one of our recent road trips and they were a huge hit with my kids! They made little people and my son even made glasses to match his sisters. I loved that they were using their imaginations to create things in a non-messy way. I made sure to pack them away in our box of travel items so that they are still fresh and exciting the next time we travel.

Buy them here: Wikki Stix

Magnetic Cookie Sheet

I’ve seen this idea before and it’s brilliant! Put some magnets on a cookie sheet and let them play with it like they would fridge magnets! I love using these vehicle magnets or gear magnets!

Play kid-friendly music

Entertain your toddlers with a little car-bound singing and dancing to their favorite tunes – children’s music, movie soundtracks, or light pop music are all good options.

Road Trip Games: Play “I Spy” 

This is probably easier for older toddlers and preschoolers but you can still call your toddler’s attention to neat things out the window, like big trucks or mountains! My toddlers were always upset when the big trucks left until we made a big deal out of waving “bye-bye” to it.

Road Trip Games: Play “Simon Says”

If “I Spy” is a little too advanced for your younger toddlers, then a fun game of “Simon Says” may be an easier way to keep them entertained.

Road Trip Games: Scavenger Hunts

My kids had so much fun with this scavenger hunt game on our most recent family vacation. Not only was it fun on the drive, but they enjoyed it while we were driving around Florida as well!

No-Mess coloring books

If your child loves to color but you love keeping your car marker-free, then no-mess coloring books are a real lifesaver on road trips! I absolutely LOVE THESE.

Here’s another no-mess coloring book option that I’ve recommended before and have heard others recommend: Melissa and Doug’s Water Wow books, designed for on-the-go! Just fill the pen with water and let them go to town with no inky mess. These are hands down one of the best toddler travel toys out there.

Portable Travel Games

These are an absolutely perfect travel toy for older siblings and they’re also perfect to keep in your bag for a long wait at an appointment or a restaurant. It comes with hangman, connect5, tic-tac-toe, dots & boxes, and categories. My older kids loved playing this, and my husband and I were able to play hangman with them from the front seat.

Magnetic Drawing Board

One of our favorite toys is another mess-free drawing option: magnetic drawing boards .

Wooden Matching Game

This wooden matching game can be played with a single player, so it works for a kid sitting alone in a row, but can also be played with multiple players. It is for ages 3-6 and while this isn’t a toy that we have owned, it looks like a great road trip toy.

Magnetic Dot Art

Let me tell you a funny story about this magnetic dot art toy . We traveled to Ohio in November, and my 3-year-old refused to play with ANYTHING. Everything bored him. Fast forward to our 23 hour road trip a short 3 months later, and I didn’t pack him many toys because I’d learned my lesson.

Guess who whined for something to play with the ENTIRE RIDE? You guessed it. While I had packed him a few things, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep him occupied for the ride there and back. So, I headed to Target and purchased like the only travel toy I could find. And this is it and it was a huge hit with all of my kids!

Tetris Stax

This Tetris is a fun 1 player game that my oldest got in his stocking. It’s the perfect size for a stocking stuffer! It’s for ages 8+ but it’s pretty hard and my 8-year-olds have difficulty with it! Because of this, it does occupy my 10-year-old for quite some time!

OK, hear me out! The age on this is 4-9, but my kids ages 3-10 LOVED THIS!! It is so much fun, but it is a tiny bit messy for a car ride. If you’re like me, you’ll take a little bit of mess that can be easily cleaned up, if it means happy kids on along journeys.

While toddlers cannot do this alone, they can do it if they have an older sibling to help. Theo was able to help Beckham with this activity and it was a huge hit for everyone!

Super Sliding Puzzle

This is one we don’t own, but I’ve been eying it for a little bit. I especially think my 10-year-old would like it! He loves puzzles and this looks really fun, although it is a bit on the pricey side.

3D Mind Puzzle

This 3D puzzle is for ages 3-8 and it looks like a blast! I know that my big kids would love this as much as my 3-year-old, and it’s on my list to purchase as a surprise for our next road trip.

Light Up Pop It Game

What kid doesn’t love pop its? And a pop it game that lights up is an amazing idea. This if or ages 5+ and is one of the best toys for older kids.

Sticky notes

Another creative idea that’s cheap if not free if you have lots of these lying around: sticky notes! Toddlers can go to town sticking them all over the car without consequence… I mean, you do have to clean up a bunch of sticky notes eventually, but it’s a small price to pay.

Rainbow Scratch Pads

There are many different sets of these rainbow scratch pads, and they are one of my kids all-time favorite activities and are perfect for long trips. They do leave a bit of a mess because of the scratch aspect, but nothing a little wet wipe or vacuum can’t take care of.

Magnetic puzzles

This is similar to the magnetic cookie sheet idea above, except that you stick magnets onto the back of puzzle pieces instead. These are a wonderful option for a long car trip.

Here are two options: magnetic farm puzzle or these magnetic animal puzzles .

Magnetic Play Scene

I just purchased this magnetic play scene as a Valentine’s Day present for our toddler, knowing that we have 2 trips coming up (both by air and by car!) and this looks like fun activity for a long trip.

It comes with a magnetic puzzle, a play scene, and a dry-erase pad with some markers.

I’m super excited about it, AND the fact that it is all self-contained!

Here are some other adorable options for magnetic play scenes. These are truly some of the best road trip activities for toddlers!

Here are a few more really fun ones that I found. Please note that some of these are for a three year old and up due to choking hazards. And, depending on your kids ages, some of these magnetic play scenes can be something that the whole family can enjoy.

Magnetic Dress Up Studio

Dress up the girl with magnetic clothes, jewerly, and accessories!

Magnetic Funny Faces

This is like a magnetic Mr. Potato Head. I am tempted to grab this for our next trip because it looks so fun!

Busy bags and busy boxes

A “busy bag” or “busy box” refers to pre-packed activities designed to keep kids’ hands and brains busy, but that leaves it pretty open-ended, right? Check out this post to learn more about how to put a good busy bag together!

However, I do like the idea of using a metal lunch box because you can stick magnets to it, maximizing the number of activities available!

Much like the sticky notes mentioned above, stickers are a great option for toddler entertainment.

A big sticker book with lots of different animals and shapes is always a win!

This obviously depends on the toddler and whether or not they can handle the temptation of plastering the car window with stickers.

Out of my 4 kids, I would trust 2 of them with stickers in the car at this age.

Reusable Sticker Books

Another option if your toddler loves stickers, and you can’t quite trust them with real stickers, is to invest in some reusable stickers like these ones here.

And when I say reusable, I mean, you can wash them and reuse them! They don’t actually have a sticky back and come with a scene to place them on.

I seriously LOVE these sticker pads and they entertain my toddler at home for quite a bit of time. They are a really good option for both younger and older children.

This sticker pad with the roads and rails is also super cute! I am leaning towards the vehicles because my toddlers have always loved vehicles, but they are also availabe in dinosaur , animal , around the town , and fairy tale themes.

And finally, I haven’t tried these, but I have heard great things about these puffy stickers ! There are so many options for reusable sticker pads, and I promise you, they are such an easy way to get hours of entertainment.

Many of these portable ideas benefit from a plastic tupperware container of some sort for easy travel and storage – a mini art kit of crayons and colored pencils is no exception!

Glow Sticks or Glow Bracelets

If you know you’ll be driving as it gets dark, glow sticks are a fun way to shake things up and give them something exciting to play with!

I’ve seen travel kits on Pinterest with normal-sized legos, but personally, I think that’s a little risky… maybe it could work for older toddlers and preschoolers, but for younger kids, I’d use big legos like these!

Edible necklaces and bracelets

String cheerios, Fruit Loops, or another ring-shaped snack food into necklaces and bracelets for a fun snack that keeps their hands busy… and might just minimize the number of cheerios that get all over the backseat!

“Presents”

Break up the monotony of a long car ride with unplanned snacks and activities, given as “presents.” You can even wrap them up for even more fun! Even if it’s a little toy or trinket they already have, the thrill of the unexpected is sure to delight them!

No, seriously: plain old masking or washi tape (so it’s easy to get off of surfaces) works wonders as a car activity for toddlers. They have a ball tearing off pieces and sticking them to things. You may not need to spend a dime on this, but here’s a pack of colored masking tape just in case!

Popsicle stick velcro puzzle

Stick pieces of velcro to the ends of colored popsicle sticks for a simple DIY activity that toddlers can use to make shapes. Alternatively, stick magnets to the ends and use on the cookie sheet from above!

Easter eggs

Whether it’s spring time or not, you can make an easy game out of empty Easter Eggs: fill them with trinkets or snacks, or draw dots on one half with the corresponding number on the other so toddlers can practice number matching!

Another craft supply you might just have on hand that toddlers love: pom poms! Much like pipe cleaners, you can cut holes out of a cardboard box or container and let them have fun poking them through. Just make sure they don’t decide to put them in their mouth.

Matching card games

Practice numbers, letters, pattern recognition, and more with some simple matching card games designed with toddlers in mind!

Pool noodle stacking

Here’s another busy bag idea that could translate well to a road trip, especially if you have a travel tray: cut a pool noodle or two into disks and create a stacking game. This can be color matching, number matching, or just for the fun of stacking something and knocking it over.

Stuffed animals

A favorite stuffed animal, blanket, or lovey is always a good call when it comes to keeping toddlers occupied on long road trips. They can provide some entertainment as well as comfort from home.

Travel Felt Board

Felt boards like this travel set are a great activity for road trips because they’re quiet, reusable, and fun. They are similar to reusable sticker pads and magnetic boards, where the felt will stick to the board and not fall to the ground.

Toddlers can let their imaginations run free and you don’t have to worry about messy clean-up.

Calculators or Old Cell Phones

Seriously, something with buttons that your toddler can press and play with will keep them entertained for hours. Pick up a cheap calculator from the local dollar store or donate an old flip phone and you will not be disappointed with the result!

Car Activities for Toddlers: Final Thoughts

I hope this has given you some fun ideas to entertain your toddler on your next family road trip.

Don’t forget some healthy snacks (and some fun treats!), some good entertainment, and of course, a little bit of screen time.

It is absolutely possible to have a fun, relatively stress-free travel experience with little kids along for the ride. The key is to keep them entertained because if they’re bored, you WILL hear about it.

However, there are definitely more car activities for toddlers out there than the ones I’ve suggested here. If there are any not on this list that you think are also foolproof, feel free to let me know in the comments! Until then, happy travels!

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Best Activities for 15-Month-Olds

Medical review policy, latest update:, what skills is your child developing at 15 months, social and emotional skills, language and communication skills, cognitive skills, gross and fine motor skills , best activities for 15-month-olds, catch and pop the bubbles, play toddler picasso, scoop and clean, read me a story, paint with water.

Developmentally-friendly activities don't have to be complicated. Chances are, you and your toddler are doing some of these things (or variations of them) already! So keep up the interactive play and encourage your cutie to continue exploring her world.

Go to Your Toddler's Month

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18 Toddler Road Trip Essentials

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Table of Contents

ROAD TRIP ESSENTIAL FOR A TODDLER

If you are thinking of going on a family road trip, I say go for it. Traveling with a toddler isn’t always easy, but it doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

We have driven to or through 12 states, recording more than 8,000 miles with our toddler.

Most of that time has been pleasant, but a few hours of our trips have been downright miserable. Although it isn’t fun while it is happening, we’ve learned from our mistakes.

You have to keep in mind, it’s all about the experience. Ultimately, “it doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.” That is one of our favorite road trip quotes .

Here are the toddler road trip essentials you need to make your next road trip more manageable and stress-free.

Disclosure: “Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. Click  here  for the full disclosure statement.”

TODDLER ROAD TRIP GEAR

If you are planning to take a long road trip with a toddler, having the right toddler road trip gear is essential.

Although some of these things are no-brainers, a few of them fall through the cracks.

Here is our list of toddler road trip essentials that you’ll need before hitting the road.

Car Seat Travel Tray

I don’t know why these haven’t been around for decades; they are so awesome.  Car seat travel trays  will keep your little one entertained while on your road trip.

The different pockets make it easy to organize everything you need. There is a place for everything, and most importantly, nothing will end up on the floor. 

Related Post: Best Car Seat Travel Tray

Lusso Gear Kids Travel Tray Price

Comfortable Car Seat 

A comfortable car seat is essential when traveling with a toddler. Imagine being strapped into a 5-point harness for hours at a time. Wouldn’t you want to be in a comfortable seat? If so, that’s how your toddler feels.

Before we started traveling full-time we used the Symphony Elite car seat because it could grow with our toddler and was very comfortable. He would sit in that car seat for hours without crying.

So, if you plan on taking a road trip with your toddler, check if their car seat is comfortable for this.

Note: If you have a lightweight car seat (with less cushion), consider stopping more frequently to give your toddler a break.

Symphony Elite All-in-One Car Seat Price

Car Sunshade

Until recently, I’ve never had to think about a car sunshade because I had tinted windows. After seeling our car, I realized a car sunshade is essential when traveling with kids .

There is nothing fun about the sun beating down on you. If your car does not have tinted windows, you should invest in a car sunshade for your little one(s).

Car Sun Shade Price

Insulated Cooler Bag

Insulated cooler bags have been a part of our lives since our son was born. We needed to keep his breastmilk cold after I pumped while traveling.

Now that our baby is no longer a baby, we use the cooler for his snacks. He LOVES to eat, so we like to have food packed and ready before starting a road trip with our toddler.

This cooler bag is leakproof and can hold up to 50 pounds, that’s more than enough to hold our toddler while on a road trip. The cooler is also collapsible so, it doesn’t take up much space in your trunk.

Insulated Cooler Bag Price

First Aid Kit

No products found.

A first aid kit is one of those things that you know you need, but somehow always forget to buy.

I know my wife has been telling me for over six months to get a first aid kit, and I say okay, but somehow I always forget to buy it.

If anyone is interested, I purchased this first aid kit for our move to Mexico. I am sure we’ll have this kit for years, which is perfect because that’ll be the next time I will remember to buy another one.

Laundry Bag (For Dirty Clothes)

When traveling on a road trip with a toddler, you will have a lot of dirty clothes.

Our son goes through at least two shirts a day, almost every day because he loves to take dirt baths outside. Since we know, he will likely be dirty before his first nap we always pack a laundry bag .

Packing a laundry bag allows us to keep dirty clothes separated from clean clothes. Trust me, getting dressed will be a lot easier if you separate; your clothes.

When you return home, you can throw the clothes from the laundry bag into the washer without having to unpack other items.

This tip is for all of my procrastinators because I love packing for vacation, but hate unpacking when returning from vacation.

Travel Laundry Bag Price

Portable Diaper Changing Pad

I used to think portable diaper changing pads weren’t needed and were a ploy to get you to buy more baby stuff you don’t need, I was wrong.

Our portable changing pad has been a lifesaver ever since our toddler has decided he no longer likes getting his diaper changed.

Not only is it cleaner than using the changing table in the restroom, but it is also less risky.

The surface is waterproof, so it is easy to clean with wipes. The large pockets give you enough storage; for extra diapers and wipes. There is a padded cushion; to keep your little one comfortable.

Related Post: Best Travel Potty for Toddlers

Portable Diaper Changing Pad Price

Diaper Changing Story

While at the airport, I was changing our son in the restroom. I turned around for less than ten seconds to grab more wipes because there was a lot more poop than expected, and by the time I turned back, he was about to jump off the changing table.

It felt like everything was in slow motion because I caught him mid-jump, and he thought it was hilarious.

From that moment on, we have been using a portable diaper pad, closer to the ground.

Related Post: Best Travel Backpacks for Toddlers & Older Kids

Toddler Road Trip Snack Essentials

There is nothing our kid loves more than eating. Our lives revolve around making sure he has snacks, and that he eats on time. If his food isn’t ready, we know an epic tantrum is coming.

His temper tantrums are the reason snacks are number one on our road trip packing list.

Stainless Steel Insulated No-Spill Sippy Cup

We love our son’s no-spill sippy cup. We do not go anywhere without his cup.

It has made our lives so much easier because he can no longer pour out his water. The latest improvement is the stainless steel insulated sippy cup .

This cup can keep drinks cooler, compared to other cups for up to 15 hours. It is a win/win scenario for everyone, cold drinks with no mess.

Stainless Steel Insulated No-Spill Sippy Cup Price

Snack Catcher with Lid

If you haven’t noticed, we love Munchkin brand products. They are the only brand that our son hasn’t conquered in terms of making a mess.

The snack catcher with a lid is our go-to for snack time. This cup is designed to keep snacks inside the bowl and requires them to take out a few at a time.

The lid helps keep the snacks fresh, so they are exposed to air and become stale.

Snack Catcher with Lid Price

Toddler Snack Bowls

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Reusable Food Pouch

If you aren’t using reusable snack pouches , you are missing out on savings. We buy jars of yogurt, apple sauce, puree, and sometimes ice cream to fill these pouches.

It is a lot cheaper to buy the larger containers and fill the pouches than it is to buy them individually.

Not only are you saving money, but you are helping the environment by producing less waste.

All you have to do is fill them, clean them, and store them for next time. We’ve been using these since our son was nine months and do not plan on stopping anytime soon.

Note: You can prefill the pouches and put them in the freezer for a few days. Take them out the night before your road trip, and give them to your toddler. They will love them.

Tip: This is also how we get him to eat veggies if he’s being too picky. We blend apple sauce with some veggies and he doesn’t taste the difference. 

Reusable Food Pouch Price

Flipping Holder

We recently discovered the  flipping holder ,  and it has been a game-changer. Our son loves making a mess, so we needed something to hold his pouches, so he’d stop making a mess.

The flipping holder lets him hold his pouches without spilling them everywhere. They not only work on snack pouches but they can also be used for juice boxes or Capri Sun.

Flipping Holder Price

Related Post: 50 Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

Reusable Storage Bags

We are making an effort to use more eco-friendly, sustainable products. To cut down on our waste as a family on the move, we switched to  reusable storage bags.  

As we all know, traveling with a toddler means you always need to be prepared with snacks . Whatever snacks we need to pack for the little one, we use these storage bags.

Related Post: 20 Toddler Travel Essentials

Reusable Storage Bags Price

TODDLER ROAD TRIP ENTERTAINMENT

Our #1 tip when traveling with a toddler is, have a lot of road trip entertainment or activities. Toddlers are little balls of energy, so sitting in a car seat or booster seat for several hours isn’t appealing.

To keep them from getting frustrated, you must have a lot of different activities to keep them entertained.

Car rides aren’t fun for them, so creating road trip games , packing toys, and having different entertainment is an easy way to keep the tantrums, frustration, and boredom at bay.

Related Post: 20 Screen-Free & Fun Toys for Toddlers for Long Road Trips 

Kids Fire HD Tablet

Before tablets came about, I remember our van having a tv with VHS for us to watch movies during long road trips. Thanks to advancements in technology, tablets for kids have made traveling with a toddler easier.

We download learning sing-along shows, movies, and music for our toddler to watch and listen to throughout the road trip.

To keep his screen time at a minimum, we only allow him to watch his tablet in one-hour increments.

If he watches a show for one hour, he then has to play with toys, draw, or color for at least an hour. This way, we keep him engaged, and he is not spending hours on his tablet.

A single charge can last up to 12 hours, so the tablet can be used for a few days before needing to be charged.

Amazon Fire Tablet Price

Related Post: Best Tablets for Toddlers

Toddler Headphones

Headphones keep me from going insane as a parent.

I can only listen to the same song so many times before I feel like my ears are going to start bleeding.

Toddler’s headphones will keep you sane you need them if you plan on taking a road trip with a toddler.

The headphones we use are Bluetooth but have a wire included, just in case the battery dies.

We purchased these headphones because they are more durable compared to other brands.

Our baby Hulk has broken three pairs of headphones (snapped by the earphone), and so far, these have held up.

Related Post: Best Headphones for Toddlers

iClever BTH02 Toddler Headphones Price

LeapFrog Builders

We do not go anywhere without toys. Recently, our son has gotten into blocks. Since he has been excited about stacking, we purchased the LeapFrog Builders , and they are amazing.

The blocks are large enough for a toddler and easy to connect and pull apart. The best thing is, the blocks help him learn.

There is an interactive cube that helps them learn numbers, fruits, shapes, animals, and people.

These blocks aren’t just for boys; these blocks are for toddlers of any age to help them learn and grow. I just purchased two sets for our big move to Mexico next week.

Related Posts: Toys to Keep Toddlers Busy on a Road Trip

LeapFrog Blocks Price

Coolplay Alphabet Water Cards

One of our favorite mess-free activities for our son is the  coolplay alphabet water cards.  

I like that these cards are attached, so it’s less likely they’ll get lost. Plus, he can’t draw on the walls, doors, or floor.

They don’t use ink, just water, so they are safer than other markers. Each card is double-sided with letters on the front and words on the back, to help your toddler learn the alphabet, then transition to reading.

Coolplay Alphabet Water Cards Price

Related Post: The 25 Best Travel Toys for Toddlers

Double-Sided Busy Boards

Busy boards are one of my favorite toys for toddlers. They help them learn hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, fine motor skills, and getting dressed.

This  double-sided busy board  is perfect for toddlers learning how to tie their shoes, button their shirts, and zip up their jackets.

This learning toy also comes with a travel bag for your little one to carry.

Double-Sided Busy Boards Price

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Best Beach Gear for Toddlers

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Tips for Road Tripping with a Baby ( 0 – 12 Months) – A Complete Guide for First-Time Parents

Who says you cannot travel with a baby? Yes, it is different, but it is totally doable! One of the best ways to start traveling as a new family is by going on a road trip with a baby.

After one year of road trips with our son, we have learned a lot. From short 2-hour road trips to a 2-week long road trip – we have experienced the best and the worst parts of road tripping with a baby. 

Through personal tried and true experience, I have created this guide of “How to Road Trip with a Baby” to help new parents navigate their way as easily as possible. My guide includes product recommendations, expectations at different months of age, and 12 essential tips for road tripping with a baby.  

Full disclaimer: I am not a children’s practitioner, nurse, or expert. This guide and tips are purely from personal experience and fellow traveling parents. If you have any medical or health concerns, please seek advice from your pediatrician. 

Furthermore, This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on the link you will have the option to purchase a product at no extra cost to you, but I would receive a small commission. I want to thank everyone for following and supporting us on all of “Our Sweet Adventures.” 

Table of Contents

12 Essential Tips for Road Tripping with a Baby

First and foremost, EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT!

Yes, I believe my guide can help first-time parents navigate their way to a successful road trip with a baby. However, what has worked for other parents and us, may not always work for you. Some tips may work, some may not – you will not know until you hit the road and go through trial and error.

We have found these 12 essential tips to be the most helpful during our road trips with a baby. Whether you are taking a road trip with a newborn, a 12-month-old, or any age in between – these tips can be helpful for any stage.

The Trifecta Checklist

Of all the tips for road tripping with a baby, this one is KEY! We call it the “trifecta checklist.” So what does that mean? Sleep, diaper, food.

If our son was crying, the first thing that helped us was to check for a diaper, see if he was hungry, and find out the last time he slept.

Nine times out of ten (especially before our son was 6-months-old), he would cry for one of those three reasons. He would immediately stop crying once we figured out if he needed a diaper change, a bottle, or sleep.

Moreover, the “trifecta checklist” is a great tip for traveling with a baby , period.

Plan For Several Stops

This brings me to my next tip – you will need to plan for several stops when road tripping with a baby. This is important and inevitable. Depending on your baby and their stage in life, you may need to plan a stop every 1 -3 hours.

Why? Because you need to give your baby breaks. The best way to take breaks is by incorporating fun activities, tours, or stops at cute little towns. As a family who loves to hike, we plan our stops around hiking places.

You also want to be prepared to carve out a couple of hours on your road trip for diaper changes, breastfeeding, and walks. Honestly, these stops are so healthy because a nice break is beneficial for both the parents and child when the baby gets fussy.

Plan for Itinerary Changes

With that said, you can also expect to change your itinerary. Going on a road trip with a baby is not always easy. You may get behind schedule. That is OKAY!

I recommend setting a goal for Plan A, knowing you most likely will end up with Plan B. This could mean taking an activity (or two) out of the day, going to a drive-thru instead of dining inside, taking the highway instead of a more scenic route, etc.

If planning road trips is daunting for you. Do not worry! There are awesome apps for road tripping planning that can help you.

Find Patience!

I am probably one of the most impatient people in the universe, but I had to find the patience to succeed when road tripping with a baby.

As you may have already gathered from my previous tips, a typical 2-hour road trip may take up to 4 hours. So take deep breaths, and remember it’s about the journey and the memories you create with your family. It is not a race to the finish line or, in this case, the destination.

Once you can find patience, your road trip with a baby will be so much more enjoyable.

Plan Driving Around Naps

If possible, plan the driving around your baby’s sleep schedule. We always try our best to drive 30 minutes before our son’s scheduled nap.

If you do not already keep track of your baby’s sleep schedule, now would be the time to start. Our favorite baby app is Huckleberry because it keeps track of sleep, feedings, medicine, and more.

Another tip for road tripping with a baby and their naps – pack a swaddle blanket with patterns and keep it in the car. We use swaddle blankets for three things. Of course, we use it to wrap our son, but we also use it for two road trip tips.

We place the swaddle blanket over the car seat to help provide more shade and a quiet space for our son to sleep while on the road. We also use it to keep our son calm and engaged by looking at the patterns. He would always stare and try to touch the patterns on the swaddle blanket.

Be Prepared to Pack MORE Than Ever!

My goodness, I think we had a full-sized suitcase packed to the top just for our son. From the 2 – 3 clothes per day to diapers, baby wipes, towels, and everything else – our son had more stuff than the two of us combined.

Not to mention, the car seat, the stroller, the pack-n-play… everything will quickly add up. So if you are renting a vehicle for the road trip, I suggest an SUV.

Pack the Car with Easy Access 

What is a road trip without snacks, right? I think this tip works for any road trip – make the snack bag easily accessible. More importantly, when road tripping with a baby, you want to make sure all the essentials are also easily accessible.

Whether that means a cooler with baby bottles, a bag of toys, or a diaper bag, you want to make sure you can easily reach these items.

Pack Extra Batteries

Today, so many of the best ways to keep a baby happy and calm require batteries. Therefore, you do not want to forget to pack extra batteries.

Before your road trip, check all electronics that require batteries and either replace them with new batteries or pack extra batteries for them.

Stretch and Massage Baby

Just like adults, a baby’s body and muscles will get stiff and sore after sitting in a car seat for long periods of time. So it is recommended to massage and stretch your baby when you take breaks or at night in your accommodations.

The benefits of massaging and stretching your baby are significant. It can help calm a fussy baby, ease tummy troubles, boost muscle development, and most importantly, soothe babies to sleep.

Baby Wipes are like Gold 

One of the most important things I have learned as a parent is that baby wipes are gold! We use baby wipes for EVERYTHING!

We use baby wipes to change diapers, clean spills in the car, wipe dirty hands, clean hard surfaces or utensils, and more. With that said, at least two stacks of baby wipes are essential when road tripping with a baby.

New Toys or Rotate Toys

Something we learned from the Montesorri Method is rotating toys. We do this at home and find it useful for road tripping with a baby.

Before a road trip, we will remove a few of our son’s favorite toys. Then when we are on the road trip, we reintroduce the toys (one at a time) so that the toys are “new,” exciting, and engaging. Of course, you can also buy new toys for a road trip.

It is essential to give the baby only one toy to focus on at a time. This way, when they get bored with one toy, there is a new one to play with because, let’s be honest, babies LOVE NEW things!

Music Matters!

Okay, this tip is from personal experience. I am not sure of any scientific research to prove this works, but it does for us – and I hope it does for you too.

During my pregnancy, I listened to this one trance album that I found calming and peaceful while I worked. Adam read that the music I listened to during pregnancy is what the baby would find relaxing after birth. It turns out it worked at least 80% of the time for us.

On our road trips, we would listen to this one trance album on repeat until our son was fast asleep. I swear it made our son calm and fall asleep almost every time.

Now, fast forward to when our son was 9 – 12 months old – things changed. Children’s music that we listened to at home helped our son stay calm during road trips. It was not music to our ears like our favorite trance album, but it kept our son happy, relaxed, and quiet – and that IS music to our ears.

So , music that is familiar with the baby at home will most certainly help put the baby at ease during road trips. You can also use a portable sound machine or play white noise from the car speakers.

How to Feed a Baby on a Road Trip

Whether you breastfeed your baby, bottle feed your baby, or are in the stage of providing snacks/solid foods – here are a few simple tips for feeding a baby on a road trip.

Breastfeeding a Baby on a Road Trip

First and foremost, do not breastfeed your baby in a moving car. This is very dangerous in the event of a car accident. Therefore, allow extra time to stop the vehicle and breastfeed your baby. If possible, utilize this time for restroom breaks, to get gas, food, etc.

If you pump, pack a breast pump car charger , breastmilk storage bags , spare parts, and a cooler to store pumped breastmilk. Moreover, continue to practice good nursing hygiene and habits as if you were at home.

Bottle Feeding a Baby on a Road Trip

Whether it’s breastmilk or formula, you want to pack a cooler to bottle feed your baby on the road.

Make sure you pack enough bottled water and formula powder (if you use formula). To help with space, I recommend pouring a small amount of water into the baby bottles and adding the formula when needed.

Furthermore, a formula dispenser can come in handy in the car. Then store a large container of formula in a suitcase.

Feeding Snacks to a Baby on a Road Trip

Once your baby can eat solid foods and/or pureed food, it can make feeding on the road a lot easier. I recommend packing snacks/food that your baby is familiar with, will enjoy, and is easy to eat on the go.

A few snacks that are easy to eat on the road are the squeezable veggie and fruit pouches , yogurt pouches , and Cheerios.

How to Change a Baby on a Road Trip

Honestly, sometimes there is no easy or right way to change a baby on the road. Through trial and error, find what works best for you!

For us, we have stopped at gas stations, rest stops, and have even needed to pull over on the side of the road to change our son. If a changing table in a bathroom is not available, we utilize our car. Moreover, a travel changing mat has been the key to our success because we can use it on any hard surface.

What to Pack for a Road Trip with a Baby

Believe me when I say you will probably pack your entire nursery when you road trip with a baby. Babies need soooo much! So do not feel like you packed “too much” because you will probably use everything.

Here are a few essential items to pack when road tripping with a baby.

• A car seat, obviously
• Pack n Play for sleeping
• Stroller (if you find you will need/use it)
• Plenty of diapers (if you run out, you can always buy more at a store)
• Plenty of baby wipes (again, if you run out, you can always buy more at a store)
• Portable changing mat
• First aid kit
• Baby Tyenol and Benadryl (approved by your pediatrician)
• 3 sets of clothes per day
• Swaddle blankets and/or sleep sacks
• Batteries for any toys
• Portable white noise machine
• Baby bottles
• Travel sterlizing bags for bottles
• Bottle soap and brushes
• Travel high chair

How Long Can You Go on a Road Trip with a Baby?

There is no exact number of hours that you can road trip with a baby, but it is highly recommended to give your baby plenty of breaks. Just like adults, our bodies can only take sitting in a car for so long. So imagine how a baby feels.

From personal experience, when our son was 2 – 4 months old, we could only go on 3-hour road trips. From 5 to 12 months old, we have only been able to drive up 8 hours a day. When we would drive 8 hours, the day would get divided into several stops at different cities. So really, it was two, 4-hour drives in one day and even then we had to break that up at times.

To figure out what is best for you and your family, I would practice around your city first, especially if you have been nesting for the first few weeks/months. Start with a short 30 minute to one-hour drive.

Then gradually work towards a 2 – 3 hour day trip. Eventually, you will learn your baby’s road trip habits to plan for a weekend getaway with a 4-5 hour road trip.

Road Trip with a Baby ( 1 – 4 Months)

The first few months of going on a road trip with a baby are the easiest and the toughest because everyone is still learning their roles. On one hand, a baby sleeps the most at this stage, so driving through naps is easier. On the other hand, this might be the most challenging stage because, as first-time parents, we are all just trying to survive, right?

Moreover, I recommend waiting at least two weeks before going on a road trip with a baby because the first few weeks as a parent are the hardest!

Additionally, I went with my pediatrician’s recommendation and waited for our son to receive his vaccines at 2 months before we traveled outside of our city. I would always consult with your pediatrician and do what is best for you and your family.

After we figured out the amount of time we could drive without stopping, this was the easiest and best time to road trip with a baby. Our son would sleep for the majority of the time. We would engage him with black and white toys and books when he wasn’t sleeping.

Here are a few products that I highly recommend for road tripping with a baby between 1 – 4 months old.

Road Trip with a Baby ( 5 – 8 Months)

At this stage in life, if your baby is becoming mobile, independent, and napping less – road tripping with a baby might become a little more complicated. Mainly because you may need to help entertain your baby.

In our experience, once our son became mobile and napped less, we had to entertain him more on road trips. It would require one person to always sit in the backseat to play with him. It also meant stopping more frequently to keep him active and happy.

Furthermore, rotating toys will become essential during this stage because of the developmental leaps. A baby will want to be constantly engaged and challenged. At 5 months, a baby should also start seeing colors well.

Therefore, I recommend these colorful toys for road tripping with a baby between 5 – 8 months old.

Road Trip with a Baby ( 9 – 12 Months)

Road tripping with a baby at 9 – 12 months old may or may not be the most challenging time. It could be the hardest if your baby is mobile, enjoys being active, and just doesn’t like car rides – period. If you’ve been road tripping with your baby for several months, it might just go as smoothly as one could hope.

For us, it was hard, but not that bad. Our son had grown used to traveling and taking road trips. So he would be okay for 3 – 4 hours at a time. Granted, we made an epic 2-week road trip through West Texas and New Mexico. Therefore, we had plenty of overnight stays in fun towns such as Fort Davis and San Angelo with fun activities to keep everyone entertained.

The best way to road trip with a baby between 9 – 12 months old is to keep the baby active and entertained by exciting roadside attractions and pit stop destinations. Let your baby be mobile, and your road trip just might be the most enjoyable family vacation you could ever imagine!

We mostly entertained our son with activities at different destinations along our journey, but here are a few products that I also recommend for road tripping with a baby between 9 – 12 months old.

And that’s a wrap! I hope you have found my guide on road tripping with a baby helpful and insightful. Like all parents, I wish I had all the answers, but my knowledge and experience are all I have. I hope it is enough to help you and your family have successful road trips for many years to come!

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Friday 15th of December 2023

Mind blowing article! I have a 1+ years old baby boy.So this blog will be very helpful for us and every guide is very important for newly parents. Thanks for sharing.

oursweetadventures

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

Aww thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad to hear you found my guide helpful! :)

Katherine Hurt

Sunday 19th of March 2023

Since my baby is 8 months old and we live in San Diego, I appreciate all of your advice. We are preparing to drive to San Francisco so that our baby can meet the family. Many people advised us to travel after the baby has gone to sleep. Then I came across your essay, which has been a huge assistance to us with all of our issues. Many thanks

Aww thank you. I’m glad my post has been helpful to you. I know some say to drive at night when the baby is sleeping, but that never appealed to us. And every baby is different! If you can, I would try a day trip to get some experience. We now have twin babies and the same has applied with them. We drive an hourish before nap and they are out for at least 2 hrs. And have learned that they really can’t do more than 5 hours without getting out of the car for a break. If you have questions, feel free to ask.

Tuesday 7th of June 2022

Thank you for all the tips; my baby is 9 months we live in San Diego and are planning to drive to San Francisco so our baby can meet the family. A lot of people told us drive at night when the baby is sleeping. Then I found your article and help us a lot with all our concerns. Thank you

Wednesday 8th of June 2022

Hi Emma, thank you for your comment. That makes me so happy to hear you found my guide helpful. I hope my tips help you for your family road trip!

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How to Entertain a Toddler on a Road Trip 20 Brilliant Ways

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Road Trip Activities with Little Kids

Exactly how to entertain a toddler on a road trip with crafty DIY toddler road trip toys and tons of printable road trip activities for two year olds. These are a collection of brilliant ways to entertain kids on a road trip, from toddler through school-aged.

This post contains affiliate links to items I love and know you will too! Please read full disclosure here.

Are you planning to entertain a toddler on a road trip this summer?

Traveling with kids can be tough. They get wiggly, antsy, bored, hungry, you name it. It’s rough for a kid to sit still for any extended length of time.

When summer or holidays roll around many of us chose to venture on a road trip with a two-year-old on up. It might be a choice, or it might be something you need to do to see family. Whatever the reason, this collection of brilliant ways to entertain kids on a road trip will be a huge help whether you are entertaining a toddler or even a school aged kid. (I have both!)

This summer I foresee a lot of us taking the plunge and choosing to road trip with a toddler. We’ve been pent up inside for a year. We’re all ready to get outside, explore, and let our hair down! So it’s the perfect time to learn all about how to entertain little kids in the car.

How long can this list entertain toddlers in the car?

My family spontaneously just moved over 1,000 miles to be near family that needed us. We drove this with a toddler who used to have anxiety attacks as a baby in the car, had never driven over 30 minutes, and had never left her hometown.

We also did this trip towing all our worldly belongings behind us in a trailer (which means you typically are traveling at 55 miles an hour). This made our drivetime over 22 hours.

I was terrified that the trip would go horrible. That hours would be spent screaming or crying. Maybe that it’d take weeks to drive the 1,000 + mile trip!

So I set off to Google and Pinterest for Ways to Entertain a Toddler in the Car

My oldest and I spent hours creating each child their own personal folder full of car game printables, coloring pages, old-school game printables (tic-tac-toe and the like), and more!

We spent days creating handfuls of DIY felt boards, miniature boxes of toys, and building them each their own special car toy bag. And boy did it pay off!

We were able to travel 5 days 4-5 hours each day, with almost no tears! Once again, that is with a toddler that has never driven over 30 minutes because it would turn into a frustrating tearful disaster!

I want to help all moms learn how to entertain a toddler on a road trip!

I’ll share with you all the links, printables, DIYs and any other ideas that were really helpful for making this huge trip go smoothly for us. Most are toddler road trip toys and activities but some are life saving parent hacks for long road trips with kids.

How to Entertain a Toddler on a Road Trip: Activities and Hacks

1. make epic snack coolers.

When driving with a toddler long distances, if the drive is going well, you really don’t want to extend the breaks longer than you need to. I was constantly reminding the girls they already had snacks.

However when they reached in and kept pulling out new things even after 4 days of driving it was quite a treat. They each even got their own flavor of those tiny squeeze bottles (like Mios), for when they wanted something special or sweet to drink without the mess of soda or milk.

Our snack coolers included:

• mini meat sticks
• roasted seaweed
• fruit snacks
• granola bars
• boxed raisins
• jar of green olives
• Mio water enhancer

Nothing required refrigeration, but it was special for them each to have their own lunchbox. (Oh and there was an additional little candy lunchbox too, for when we really needed to keep driving!)

When all else is failing for keeping kids entertained on a road trip… SNACKS!

2. 25 Printable Road Trip Games Free

FROM: The Joys of Boys

We got a 3 ring binder and dividers for each kid and filled each section with something new. One was for awesome road trip printables like these. Scavenger hunts went over best for both my toddler and my 7 year old.

3. Restaurant Eye Spy

FROM: 3 Boys and a Dog

4. Old School Games and Scavenger Hunts

FROM: Trip Savvy

We printed a bunch of old school games that filled another tab in each road trip binder and were a huge success to entertain my little kids on a road trip. We could have easily drawn tic tac toe and hangman, but printing them made it more of a novelty.

5. Printable Car Games for Kids

From: Landeelu

This is a great selection of road trip printables to entertain kids on long drives in the car. Most are geared at older kids, but a couple I even got included in my toddler’s road trip activity book.

6. M&M’s Getting to Know You Game

PRINT THE M&M GAME NOW— FOR FREE!

This game we pulled out when the day was getting long and it was time for some candy and creativity to keep the kids entertained. Each color of M&M matches with a question to ask your kids. I love question games with my kids. It’s so fun to see how their little minds work.

You can either hand them the candies one at a time along with the question that matches the color, or allow them each a bag to announce each color themselves.

7. Would You Rather (Toddler & Kid Versions)

From: Vigor It Out

Whenever we have downtime that is dragging on I spark up a game of Would You Rather. The sillier the better. These are two amazing free printable lists of Would You Rather with a toddler and more extensive version for older kids.

8. 38 Things to do with Kids in the Car #Roadtrip

FROM: Mom Generations

Great list of ideas! Mainly for entertaining older kids in the car.

9. 12 Awesome Toddler Road Trip Games

FROM: Playful Notes

All these are perfect games for toddlers! They are so simple, but I’d have never thought of most of them!

10. Cookie Sheet Activity Tray

FROM: Burlap and Denim

I absolutely loved this amazingly creative upcycle! When road tripping it is beyond easy for the car to become an epic disaster within minutes! When on a road trip with kids this is such a handy way to keep snacks and papers in one place.

Plus you can pick up magnet souvenirs at each stop and add to the board! (We painted ours as it was old and stained. It was a great craft!)

11. Muffin Tin Hold-Everything Tray

After creating a cookie sheet activity tray inspired by #11 I had this awesome idea for my toddler! I upcycled a muffin tin (that we creatively painted of course) into her own activity tray which doubled as  a snack holder. It was perfect for a 2 year old because it was able to hold everything in place and actually wedged perfectly between the armrests of her car seat.

Fill multiple muffin spots with multiple snacks, or different craft supplies, or use as a toy holder. This hack was essential for keeping her things from falling all over the place!

12. Car Seat Activity Tray

13. felt chains busy bag and more.

FROM: Testy Yet Trying

Creating busy bags with felt is a wonderful way to entertain toddlers on a road trip because the pieces sort of stick together. This felt chain was the least messy of all the activity bags and was even enjoyed by my 7 year old!

14. Mini Light Table

FROM: A Little Pinch of Perfect

15. Velcro Sticks Activity Bag

FROM: Tip Garden

16. Themed Felt Activity Board Bags

FROM: The Hawkins Family

These felt activity boards are brilliance. We made tons of different sets including Mr. Potato Head, design your own dinner plate, design your own butterfly, and more.

17. State Flower Coloring Page

FROM: Kids Activities Woo

Included in our epic Road Trip Binders one of the tabs was for coloring pages! We included coloring pages for each state we were driving through as well as any movies that the kids were into.

18. Altoids Clay Tin

The muffin tin hold everything tray from #13 was wonderful for setting the altoids tin on. The clay all stayed on the tray. It also sticks to it very well for when tiny hands are sculpting.

19. The A B C Game

This was a really amazing idea that my mom had to help keep the girls entertained. We made a list of each letter in the alphabet and their challenge was to fill in something they saw on their trip for each letter. THEN they got paid $.50 for each one at the end of the trip! You could make the money increments anything that fits your family (or get the grandparents in on the deal like we did!)

Nothing motivates kids more than snacks and money.

20. BONUS: 14 Ways to Entertain Kids in a Hotel Room

From: Coffee and Carpool

Once you arrive at your hotel for the night your master list of toddler entertainment isn’t over! I adore this list of ways to keep the fun times going in a hotel which can get a bit boring at times once you’ve gone swimming and run the halls.

I made a list of all the items mentioned in this post and ravaged the Dollar Tree! Bringing out balloons, glowsticks, and more each night was a treat the girls really looked forward to.

A Couple More Tips that Helped Our Travels with Kids go Smooth

• Having a brand new little toy that was a total surprise for each girl once we got on the road in the mornings.
• Purchasing a dozen new DVDs to watch on the drive. Old favorites we didn’t yet own and some brand new ones.

• Booking hotels along the way because sometimes with a toddler you have an idea of how far you’d like to get, but it doesn’t always happen.

How Got 11% Cash Back on all Our Hotel Rooms!

We use this website called Top Cash Back. Have you heard of it? You sign up once and make purchases through the links on their site for your favorite retailers that you already shop at anyways.

Each retailer offers a different amount of cash back! It is that simple.

Top Cash Back offers discounts on multiple websites for booking hotels but Travelocity offered the highest cash back rate at 11% at that time so we made all our bookings through them on the road. They also partner with Hotels.com and Expedia.com so check out which is currently offering the best deal as they sometimes change. It couldn’t be easier and I love saving money on what I’m going to be doing anyways.

Sign up for Top Cash Back before your trip so you’re all set for big savings! 

What activities have been the biggest help for you when planning a road trip for your toddler? If you try using this list I’d love for you to come back and let me know what worked best for you!

More Fun for Kids From Vigor it Out:

• The 18 Most Fun Ways to Stay Cool This Summer
• 5 DIY Bath Paint Recipes to End Bath time Struggles
• 5 Epic Crafts with $4 from the Dollar Tree

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Thanks for these tips! I absolutely love all the printables. I plan on making some felt bags for my toddler for our upcoming vacation. I also love the cookie sheet tip!

Thanks so much for gathering all these great ideas!

You’re welcome I’m glad you enjoyed them! We are STILL using the cookie sheet to keep my toddler entertained in the car a year later!

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30 Screen-Free Road Trip Ideas for Kids

Summertime means vacations, road trips, and the inevitable chorus of “are we there yet?” Indeed, spending long car rides with kids can be hard and children, especially younger ones, often tend to get bored quickly. This can lead to children spending a lot of time in front of a screen, which is not ideal for anyone on a road trip. Children will not remember the drive day adventures if they are playing tablet games or watching a movie. Road trips with kids can be wonderful opportunities for children to explore new activities, see and learn new things, and play time-tested road trip games. Today, Sara Lesire , St. Louis based civil engineer, outdoor-loving, mom of two, makes road-tripping with children a breeze with these 30 screen-free road trip ideas for kids!

{This post contains affiliate links.}

Screen-free road trip ideas for kids

Our family has been taking long road trips since our kids were babies. We rarely have to resort to screen time to keep them entertained and happy during our drives. Our kids don’t own tablets so I have had to get creative over the years on new ideas for those annual 14+ hour each way drives.  If you are looking for ideas on how to get your kids’ eyes off the screens without the whining, here are some great screen-free road trip ideas for all ages. 

Invest in a travel tray

First, while this is not exactly an activity, it does help make traveling with kids easier! We have been using travel trays in the car for several years now. They provide a flat surface for activities while the raised edge helps keep items from rolling off. They can use the surface for coloring, drawing, or any other hands-on activities. There is even a cup holder and pockets for storage. While they have a flat surface, the edges of the trays are soft and padded for safety in the event of a crash. They are also perfect for meals and snacks on the go.

Road trip surprise boxes

1. The surprise box! Each and every road trip, my kids always look forward to seeing what is in their “surprise box.” The boxes are just lunchboxes I found at a garage sale. Each long trip I fill them with inexpensive trinkets and toys from garage sales, Dollar Tree, or things I find on clearance. This is always a hit, because the contents are new to my kids, making each item or activity that much more exciting. I also add in some snacks and special sweet treats.

If you want to extend the suspense or use it as a reward for good behavior, you could try making multiple small surprise bags to be opened at certain times or at each road trip stop. Ideas of things to include are Legos, Hotwheels cars, fidget toys, small dolls, small stuffed animals, stickers, crayons, notebooks, travel games, fruit snacks, applesauce pouches, or coloring books. Dollar Tree is an amazing resource for budget-friendly goodies. 

Keep little hands busy

There are so many great interactive and no mess activities available to pack along. Do a little browsing in your house and online to prepare some of the following activities. 

2. Fine motor control games : Use an empty can with a lid such as oatmeal or a whipped topping container. Cut in some holes in the lid just large enough for kids to push pom poms through.

3. Pipe cleaners: These are so simple but so much fun for kids. See what shapes they can make with them or what sort of creation they can make by bending them in different ways. 

4. Fidget toys: Any kid (or adult) that loves popping packing bubbles will enjoy popper toys . 

6. Window art: For kids that have a window seat, inexpensive window clings from the dollar store offer a creative way to stay entertained while making an artistic impression. 

7. Magnetic toys: Our kids enjoy the challenge of making different shapes using a magnetic tangram set or making funny faces with this fun kit . You can also grab a cheap dollar store cookie sheet and bring along alphabet magnets or magnetic tiles that you probably already have around the house. 

10. Toy tubes: These toy tubes and pipes were huge hits for my kids when they were toddler and preschool ages. The pieces are larger too, which helps avoid them getting lost in the car. 

11. Mess-free coloring: Crayola’s Color Wonder markers have been in use in our house for years. They only color on the special paper for no messes!

12. No mess drawing: This simple LCD drawing tablet has been a favorite of our kids.  Easy to draw and it erases with just the press of a button. 

13. Lego box: Use double-sided sticky tabs to stick a lego baseplate into the bottom of a dollar store tray or plastic box. Add in a variety of lego bricks for a traveling box of creative fun. If you are worried about losing parts of a set, Dollar Tree sells lego sets and baseplates for an inexpensive version. 

14. Make a sensory I-spy game: Fill a plastic bottle or Ziploc bag with rice. Add in several small toys, tape closed the container, and let kids shake the container to search for the treasures. 

15. Etch-a-Sketch drawing:  This is a hit with most kids, especially preschool age and up. Twisting those knobs to create a drawing is a challenge and children love seeing what they can create (even if the results are often staircases).

Let them follow along

16. Map fun! Print out a map of your travel plans or pick up a state paper map and let them follow along on the route. Mark off your stops with a star to give them an idea of how far there is to go. Both my kids absolutely love looking at maps. Add in a toy car for some pretend driving fun. 

Make a road trip binder

17. Create a road trip binder full of printables! There are so many amazing and free road trip game printables out there created by graphic snazzy parents. I like to put a group of them together in a binder for each child. The pockets of the binder are great for adding in crayons or markers. Pro Tip: If you want to avoid the expected lost markers, try taping string around the crayons and markers and then taping it to the binder.

Some of the blank pages I leave tucked in the binder pockets to be used for any sort of coloring or drawing. But, others I put in clear, protective sleeves to be used multiple times with a dry erase marker. If you are reading this at midnight the night before a long road trip and need something quick, a clipboard instead of a binder also works great too to keep the pages together.

Below is a list of free printables for kids of all ages. 

Preschool/Elementary Ages

• Tot Schooling has this super cute printable pack with dot pages, I-spy games, travel bingo, and more. 
• This travel-themed drawing prompts from Picklebums are so fun. 
• Playdough to Plato has another road trip pack with multiple games and activities. 
• Paper Trail has a selection of different I-Spy games with different themes. My daughter loves these hidden picture games.  
• Crayola has a huge selection of coloring pages and activities to print while Wood Jr. has tons of printables included themed mazes .  

Older Elementary/Tweens

• Carla Schauer Studio’s Travel Scavenger Hunt for Tweens is perfect for the older kids to keep their eyes away from the screens and out the windows. 
• Krazy Dad has printable mazes for all ages. Choose the right difficulty level to keep kids challenged. 
• 3 Boys and a Dog has these unique restaurant sign I-Spy games . 
• A Suburban Mom has the best license plate game I’ve seen. It has actual pictures of what each state’s plate actually looks like. 
• I love Sunny Day Family’s printable Vacation Journal . Kids can keep a record of the places they have been. If you want a ready-made version, this kid’s travel journal looks adorable. 

Let them capture the moment

18. Take pictures! My kids have loved being able to take photos of both the journey and the destination. And now that almost everyone has a smartphone, you can often find cheap point-and-shoot cameras at garage sales or local swap pages. My kids have been loving these child cameras that are just the right size for little hands. They often will spend part of the ride reviewing their past shots on the camera. 

Play car games

There are so many great games that the whole family can enjoy together. Most of these ideas can be adapted for a variety of ages. Even better, most of them require no prep. 

19. Counting game : Pick an item to keep track of and then count them together. For example, count the number of red cars or the number of barns, train crossings, or speed limit signs. 

20. Car hide and seek: Take some small objects or print out some pictures of animals, cars, etc. and hide them around the car but in viewing sight. Tell kids to look around and find them.

21. Ask questions: Have everyone take turn asking a question such as everyone’s favorite ice cream, or a place they want to visit someday. If you need some ideas, check out these cute printable conversation starters . You can also buy this ready-made Table Talk list of questions for kids. 

22. Travel scattergories: Take turns picking a topic such as animals, fruits, ice cream flavors, etc. Try to name as many as you can in each category that starts with a certain letter. 

23. Would you rather: Older kids many enjoy Landeelu’s printable Would You Rather game plus a list of road trip games for tweens and teens. 

24. That’s different: Take turns pointing out something you see out the window that is out of the ordinary. It could be a crazy sign, a fun-colored car, or a unique landmark. 

25. When I go: The first person starts off with “When I go to (destination name) I am bringing a (an object, the sillier the better.) Then the next person repeats the phrase and adds on another item. For example: When I go to Florida, I am bringing a flamingo, a picnic basket, an umbrella, and a guitar. See how long you can keep it going. 

26. Guess the animal: One person thinks of an animal and everyone else takes turns asking questions to try and figure out which animal it is. This is similar to 20 questions, but we never set a question limit. Model asking broad questions first, such as does it walk on four legs or does it have fur, before moving onto the more direct questions, like is it a fish or is it a hippo. 

27. Mad Libs: Mad Libs are sure to bring a laugh to everyone in the car. You can find versions online to print or buy a whole book for endless smiles. 

28. Travel games: Magnetic and travel-sized versions of classic games like Bingo and Fishing can be fun for multiple kids. I’ve already added these super adorable chicken shuffle and woodland animal strategy games to my kid’s wish lists. 

29. Read or listen to books! Hit up your local library before your trip for some new reads for the car. I like to search garage sales, thrift stores, and local book shops for some new-to-them books to help the miles fly by. Another great option is Audiobooks! This way the whole family can enjoy listening to the books together.

Make a game out of it by having an informal book review when the books are finished. Ask the kids what their favorite book of the day was and why. Extend the conversation to ask what they would do if they were the main character in the story or which character they liked the most and why. 

Plan kid-friendly stops

30. Make the stops fun! One final easy way to keep kids from becoming restless on long trips is to break up the journey with some fun stops. I like to use the GoWhee or Roadtrippers apps to look up fun destinations along the route. Or you can just search for “best playgrounds near city/town” to find a good spot for a break.

If you travel often, I highly recommend the Next Exit travel book . It lists all the gas stations and restaurants at each exit along the entire U.S. interstate system. It also lists amenities and locations of all rest areas so you can see which rest areas have playgrounds. 

If you’re traveling in/around either the St. Louis, MO area or the Bentonville, Arkansas area, be sure to check out our Get Out Guides for all kinds of fun OUTDOOR things to do in these cities! 

What are your favorite ways to keep kids busy and happy while traveling?

About the author.

Sara has been married to her high school sweetheart for 17 years and together they have two children. Sara spent many childhood hours outside on her grandparents’ farm and strives for her kids to have similar carefree kid adventures. Based in the St. Louis area, she loves to share on her blog and social media all the scenic and fun places to explore around the St. Louis area and beyond. Hiking is the most popular activity for her whole family followed by hitting up the best local playgrounds. Photography is also a passion of Sara’s and she continues to be amazed at the natural beauty and wonder of God’s creation. When she is not hitting the trail, Sara works as a civil engineer.

You can find more from Sara online in the following locations: Instagram: @midwestnomadfamily Facebook: Midwest Nomad Family RWMC posts: Sara Lesire

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You are absolutely right that long car rides with kids will be absolutely tough and I know it firsthand because we really often have such trips. To tell the truth, we always try to distract our children and dilute this time on the road with some games, but, unfortunately, we are already out of ideas. I’m so glad that I came across your article because it is so helpful in our situation and it can make our road trip easier many times. The surprise box is an absolutely brilliant and original idea which can interest any child. It could even arouse my interest. Also, it is so cool that you can use it for different purposes. When my children be naughty on this trip, I will certainly present this box to them as a reward for their good behavior. I really like the idea of fine motor control games because in this case you can combine usefulness with pleasure, developing your brain, that is important.

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The Best Activities for Your 15-Month-Old Toddler (50 Ideas)

Are you wondering, ‘How do I entertain my 15 month old?’ As a mom of two, and a former childminder, I know exactly how you feel! These are my best activities for your 15-month-old Toddler to keep them entertained and encourage their development at the same time!

All of my ideas are both fun for your toddler, and great for their learning and development too.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read  the full disclosure  for more information.

To make it easier for you, I have split this long list of fun activities for your 15-month-old toddler into sections, based on the skills they will learn whilst doing the activities.

These activities have all been tried and tested by 15 month old toddlers and have been thoroughly enjoyed!

I hope you enjoy them too!

The Best Activities for Your 15-month-old Toddler To Do Outside

Time outside in the fresh air is so good for your toddler’s development. Fresh air and exercise help them grow and develop into a strong and healthy kid.

These fun activities for your 15 -month-old toddler embrace the great outdoors and provide loads of opportunities for learning and development outside in nature.

1. Exploring the Forest Together

Your toddler has just started walking and will likely be keen to practice this skill.

Exploring new areas where there are lots of interesting things to look at, touch, smell, and hear is a great opportunity for learning.

It’s also just a whole heap of fun for them (and hopefully you too!)

2. Mud Kitchen

Playing in the mud kitchen in the garden has kept my kids, and the little ones I childminded, busy for hours during the summer months. However, even in the winter months they were keen to play with it. It’s so versatile and so great for sparking off some imaginative play.

If you’re interested in buying a mud kitchen, this one, from Amazon, is my top pick, or if you can manage a spot of DIY you can make one fairly easily from old pallets.

Your mud kitchen accessories don’t have to cost the earth either. I have found most of ours cheaply or completely free – Read how here!

3. Imaginative Play with Loose Parts

The idea of this is to provide objects that your little one can use creatively in their play.

Items that have more than one purpose are perfect for this. Childcare facilities where I live, often do this by providing old car tyres, pieces of wood, rope, old plastic crates, taupin, old kettles, old computer keyboards, and baking trays for the kids to play with.

Obviously with young toddlers this requires very close supervision, but the idea is that they can make cars, forts, houses, anything they want! They can bake, or create, or play house. The possibilities are open and endless.

It’s great for beginning to teach creative thinking and innovation.

If you’ve not heard of loose parts play before and you would like to learn more, take a look at Frugal Loose Parts Garden Play You Can Try Right Now .

4. Playing with Ride-on Toys

Toddlers, in general, just love playing on ride-on-toys like tractors, cars and these scuttlebugs from Amazon. These are great for your little one’s gross motor skills development.

5. Water Play in the Garden

Water Play is such a an easy and cheap activity to do with your 15 month old toddler. The possibilities are endless. If you need some inspiration, check out my ideas for Low-Prep Toddler Water Play.

6. Paddling Pool Play

In the Summer, a Paddling Pool, like this one from Amazon . is a fantastic activity for your 15 month old. Just be sure to remember to sunscreen them up!

If your budget can’t stretch to a paddling pool, try filling a big tub of water up and popping a few bath toys or plastic cups and bowls in it. They’ll have just as much fun climbing in and out of that!

7. Obstacle Course

Creating a simple obstacle course around your home or garden, with objects you already own, is a great spur-of-the-moment activity to do with your toddler. They love getting involved helping to set it up too!

8. Playing with Sand

Playing with sand is another fab activity for a 15 month old Toddler.

Whether it’s exploring a beach or digging for ‘treasure’ in the sandpit in the garden, sand play is always a winner!

If you’ve not already got one, I would really recommend getting one with a lid, like this sandpit from Amazon , to avoid any unwanted ‘treasure’ being buried there by the neighbourhood cats!

9. Visiting the Playpark

If you don’t already go to the playpark with your little one, this is a great age to start taking them. There is so much opportunity for them to practice their gross motor skills, and just have lots of fun trying new things.

10. Sidewalk Chalking

Probably one of the simplest activities on this list, side-walk chalking helps develop fine motor skills, and creativity, as well as learning about colors.

These fun ones from Crayola, on Amazon, are bright and vibrant. They are also anti-roll, so they’re not going to be rolling down your drive onto the road all the time!

11. Blowing (& Chasing ) Bubbles

Bubbles are a classic childhood joy, right? In fact, they are not just limited to childhood. I have to admit, I’m rather partial to playing with them myself every so often!

12. Ball Games

There are so many things you can do with a ball!

Throwing and passing together, target practice, a spot of football. You can mix it up a bit each time, with different games and different-sized balls. This is all great for your little ones’ development.

You could even consider getting your toddler a ball pit, like this one I bought from Amazon for my daughter’s Christmas present when she was 2.

13. Beanbag Games

Beanbag games are fantastic for hand-eye coordination, and throwing practice. Encourage your toddler to throw the beanbags into a washing basket or toy box from different distances. You can count as they throw them in, or talk about the different colours of the beanbags to begin to introduce these concepts.

Beanbags are also great for practicing balancing, if you demonstrate to your toddler how to balance one on their head whilst walking. You can find more games to practice balance, in my post on Walking on the Line (A Montessori Activity).

Imaginative Play Ideas that Encourage a Toddler’s Curiosity

Imaginative play is so good for our toddlers.

It encourages them to put themselves in another’s shoes, allows them to try out new ideas, and encourages their speech.

14. Looking after Babies

Playing with dolls is a brilliant activity for any child, regardless of gender. Not only is it a fun and engaging role play activity, but it also teaches empathy and caring skills. The world could always do with more of those!

15. Play Kitchen

My daughter absolutely loves her play kitchen. She has gotten years of play out of it, as it’s so versatile. We got it for her as a Christmas present when she was just a toddler and she still plays with it now as a 5 year old!

If you’re considering investing in a Play Kitchen for your Toddler, I recommend this one, from Amazon , as it’s big enough to grow with your little one.

16. Playing Doctors

My kids have always loved playing doctors and 15 months is a great age to begin these types of role-play games.

17. Dressing-Up

Dressing up is such fun at any age, but as your toddler starts to become more independent this may prove more and more popular! It’s great practice for learning life skills like dressing themselves, zips, buttons, and laces as they grow too.

You can buy dressing up clothes or you can simply give them a box with some of your things in and they’ll be just as happy. A few big t-shirts, hats, scarves, beaded necklaces, and shoes, and they’ll be off exploring!

* Close supervision is obviously needed with some of these items.

18. Playing Builders

Playing at being builders is another great activity for young Toddlers.

A cute little Builders set like this one, from Amazon , is great for that. It’s one of very few builders sets that says it’s safe for little ones under the age of 3 years. This is a brilliant toy for developing your toddlers fine motor skills through play.

19. Building a Fort

Building a fort is a classic childhood memory that every kid should have!

Use fallen branches to do this outside, or chairs and blankets inside. Simple, yet oh-so-fun!

20. Cars, Trucks and Train Tracks

Playing with small cars, trucks, tractors, and trains is great for developing fine motor skills in your little one.

I have found that interesting sets, like this fun and colourful Vtech train set, from Amazon , are great for inspiring imagination and creativity too.

However, there are small parts here, so you would need to supervise closely and if you toddler enjoys exploring toys with their mouth still, I’d wait a bit before introducing this, just to be safe!

21. Zoo Small-world Play

Playing with Zoo animals or Safari animals is another fun activity for Toddlers of this age.

A fun Zoo Floor Rug, like this one from Amazon , can really help to get their imaginations flowing when they’re playing with their zoo animals.

22. Dolls Small-world Play

Playing with small dolls is not only great for your toddlers imagination, but also their social and language skills too.

I love this cute little dolls house, from Amazon , because it looks so adorable and it’s practical. A lot of dolls houses are recommended for ages 3+ but this one is just the perfect size for a 15 month old toddler to play with.

Fun Activities to Develop Your Toddlers Fine Motor Skills

23. drawing pictures.

At 15 months old their drawing may look more like scribbles, but it is the beginning or drawing and writing. The more practice and encouragement they have, the better they will get at this skill.

To make this more interesting, consider providing different coloured paper and pens or crayons to draw with.

Both my own kids and the toddlers I childminded really enjoyed using a cool water mat, similar to this one from Amazon to draw. I loved it because it was mess free!

24. Lift-the-Flap Books

You might not think that looking at books is a fine motor skill, but learning to turn the pages of thick cardboard page books is a great fine motor skill activity for toddlers.

Provide lots of interesting and colourful board books for your toddler to look at and they’ll be practicing their page turning skills just like that, and developing an interest in books at the same time.

I have found that providing lift-the-flap books really helps with this too. However, don’t get those flimsy cardboard flaps for them to lift. They’ll just end up torn off. Trust me!

The books you want are these lift-the-flap books, from Amazon, that use felt flaps. They are strong! I used them with my toddlers when I was childminding and they never got broken, despite being read hundreds of times a day!

25. Building Towers

Building towers is a fun activity that you can do with your child, or they can do independently.

This can be varied by building towers with different items like; different sized blocks, board books, kitchen tupperware, cereal boxes, or even pebbles at a beach!

26. Sensory Play that involves tipping and pouring

Pouring is such a good skill to begin learning at this age.

It’s amazing how long pouring water from one container to another will keep a toddler entertained!

I found my Tuff Tray, from Amazon , came in super useful for these kinds of activities as it caught most of the spills.

27. Helping to Hang up the Laundry

This may seem really simple, but little kids absolutely love helping you with housework!

If you have a clothes airer, let them help you hang up the laundry (even if you have to secretly rehang some of it afterwards!)

Alternatively you could hang a piece of string from one chair to another and give them some pegs to hang up their dolls clothes. (Close supervision is needed here though as little kids should never be left alone with string, in case it gets around their necks.)

28. Baking Sensory Bin

We love a good sensory bin at our house!

A baking sensory bin is ideal for practicing fine motor skills. Simply get a tub and fill it with rice, or cloud dough or play dough. Then add a mixing bowl and spoon, some teaspoons and cupcake cases and something fun to decorate the cupcakes with.

For decorations, I sometimes use pom poms, sequins, or flowers. I try to mix it up a bit depending on the seasons too. Below is an example, where I have set up a Christmas baking station. Whilst I do make Sensory bins, I personally prefer using my Tuff Tray, from Amazon, for sensory activities as it’s just easier.

29. Arts and Crafts Collage

Picking up those little pom poms, bits of paper, buttons, or easy-peel stickers is great for practicing their fine motor skills, as well as their creativity.

My little ones also really enjoyed junk modelling , where they stick bit and pieces of old cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, and odds and ends together to make models. Then they paint and decorate their creations.

If you’re looking for some more ideas to encourage the development of fine motor skills, you may like, Fine Motor Skills Tuff Tray Ideas for Preschoolers .

Indoor Gross Motor Skills Ideas To Entertain Your Toddler on a Rainy Day

30. indoor obstacle course.

This is such fun and so quick and easy to set up. They can help you too!

Just set their toys up so they can go around some, over some, under a chair maybe, across a blanket, and then have a ball to throw in a tub at the end. A great way to use up some energy when you can’t get outside.

31. The Floor is Lava!

My kids LOVE this game, and I taught it to the little ones I childminded. The idea is just to stay off the floor, so you can only go on the sofa, chairs, cushions on the floor or bits of paper on the floor.

A fun way to practice balance.

32. Musical Bumps or Musical Statues

Who says it has to be a party to play a fun party game? We love a good game of musical bumps in our house!

This is great for teaching your 15 month old toddler to follow simple instructions, and to listen carefully. It’s also great for using up energy when you’re stuck in the house all day with an energetic toddler!

33. Dance Party

Whether you put on a Zumba DVD and encourage them to join you, or just play some music and dance freestyle, this is brilliant for building confidence, doing exercise, and just having fun together.

34. Throwing Challenges

Another easy activity for indoors is throwing a small ball or beanbag into a laundry basket. You can vary what (soft) items they throw, the distance to throw from, or even the size of the box they throw it into.

35. Toddler Yoga

Yoga is great for exercise and breathing. Teaching your toddler ways to unwind and de-stress is important, even at this young age.

There are tons of great YouTube videos out there with little yoga routines you and your little one can try together. They may just watch you at first, but gradually over time, they are likely to want to join you if it looks like fun!

Interesting Sensory Activities for a 15-month-old Toddler

From my experience, I know that most 15 month-old toddlers absolutely LOVE sensory play activities.

If you’re not sure where to begin, or are short on time, then stick with some quick and easy sensory play ideas to start with.

36. Finger Painting

This was always very popular with the toddlers I childminded.

They loved getting stuck in there making handprints, painting with their fingers, and just smushing the paint round and round the paper!

If you’d like some more in-depth suggestions, check out these 10+ Painting with Toddlers ideas.

37. Messy Farm Animal Play

Farm play is usually a winner with toddlers of this age.

When I childminded, the 15 month old toddlers I cared for loved it when I got out some Messy Farm Play Activities, like these , for them to do.

These types of activities are easy to set up. They just require a few farm animals and perhaps a tractor or two. Then you can choose whether to use cereal and taste-safe ‘mud’, or real mud and grass as the sensory elements.

These Messy Farm Animal Play ideas give you lots of options, depending on whether you want to do sensory play indoors or outdoors.

Since we have already mentioned water play activities earlier in this post, I thought I’d not write it a second time, although it is a great sensory activity!

Ice is similarly an interesting sensory activity to entertain your 15 month old toddler whilst helping them learn and develop.

There are multiple ways you can make this activity fun and varied.

You can have toy arctic animals playing on the ice as it melts. You could freeze pom poms, plastic figures, or toys in tor flowers in the ice and give your toddler some warm water and a spoon to chip away at the ice with. This is a great STEM (science, maths, technology, science) activity for your toddler, as well as being a fine motor skill and sensory activity.

Be very wary if your toddler is prone to putting things in their mouth though, and close supervision is required at all times.

39. Playdough

Playdough, like this set from Amazon , is a brilliant sensory activity for toddlers, although supervision is of course needed to avoid it ending up in their mouth!

40. Moon Sand

This is a fun sensory experience, and I was able to easily make this myself by adding conditioner to cornflour slowly whilst mixing and squishing it in, until I had the right consistency. You want it to be crumbly like sand, but also be able to hold its shape when pressed together or used in a jelly mould to make shapes by your toddler.

I used mine to make this Christmas Sensory Bin , but you could also add food colouring to make different colours of sand and use it for any season!

41. Baking Cookies

Baking cookies together is always a winner! Little kids generally love baking and taste-testing along the way!

Mixing with their hands, kneading dough, and rolling it out all helps with their fine motor skills, as well as being a fun sensory activity.

Simple Activities to Get Your Toddler Talking

42. reading stories to your toddler.

Reading short stories together is a fantastic activity to do with your 15 month old Toddler.

Take them along to your local library, if you can, and get them involved in choosing books that suit their interests. Making reading part of your your daily routine has a whole heap of benefits for your child as they grow.

43. Singing with your Toddler

Singing helps with speech.

Sing nursery rhymes, or just any songs you like. Encourage them to join in with you, but don’t worry if they choose not to. Just hearing you sing will benefit them so much.

If you don’t know many nursery rhymes, consider joining a local Toddler Singing Group, or pick up one of these fab nursery rhyme books.

I sing to my kids in the car, while I make their lunch, and while I’m brushing their teeth. When they were littler, I use to sing to them while I changed their nappies, and at bath time too. There are so many opportunities. If you’re wondering how to fit singing into your daily routine, take a look at these ideas.

44. Making Music

Most Toddlers love making (loud) music!

Making music together provides lots of opportunities to talk about concepts such as, loud and quiet and big and small, hard and soft. A great way to help grow your toddlers vocabulary.

You can make your own instruments, like using pots, pans, and wooden spoons for drums, or you can buy a musical instrument set, like this one from Amazon.

When kids are excited about what they are doing they will want to communicate that with you. Talk about how you think they are feeling, or how you are feeling while you play.

You may also like : 7 Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Talk

Vital Toddler Activities to Build Social Skills

45. play groups / toddler group / mums and toddlers.

Whatever it’s called where you live, these groups were so helpful for me when I first became a mom, and they have been so good for helping my kids make friends and learn social skills before beginning formal education. If you don’t already attend a local toddler group, it is definitely something I would recommend.

46. Singing and Signing Toddler Groups

These are great social activities to do with your toddler. They help to build their confidence and get them comfortable being part of a group activity. They are also fab for improving communication skills.

47. Games that involve Taking Turns

Taking turns is such a vital social skill and something all our toddlers could do with some practice at. They can actually practice this social skill with you.

I did this by creating fun challenges, like stepping from one piece of paper to another on the floor to get across the room. We each had a turn to do the challenge.

48. Activities that involve Sharing – Colouring

Colouring is such a simple activity you can do with your toddler to practice sharing.

Have a small pot of pens or crayons in the middle of the table and practice swapping crayons with each other periodically.

This may seem simple but it is the building blocks of sharing.

49. Going Shopping Together

Whether you’re taking them for the weekly food shop, or just popping into the chemist to pick up a prescription, it’s all a great opportunity to learn social skills.

They practice queuing and waiting their turn, using their indoor voices, not pushing if someone is in their way, using please and thank you when buying things, and keeping the environment tidy (i.e not pulling things off the shelves!)

50. Playdates

Playdates are another simple, yet effective way to teach social skills. They also have the added bonus of some adult company for you!

Independent Play Activities for Toddlers

Independent play as an important skill for our toddlers to learn and, to be honest, we moms sometimes need a break to sit down and have a cuppa!

Whilst these activities do require supervision, as does anything with a toddler, they can all be played independently by your toddler whilst you get on with a job, or grab a coffee, in close proximity.

How Can I Teach My Toddler to Play Independently?

Some toddlers pick up independent play quicker than others, and that’s ok. We all have our strengths.

Thankfully, independent play is an easy thing to teach your little one.

It just requires some practice.

Make sure that the activities you are offering are new and interesting for them.

Begin by sitting down with them and playing together. Model how to play with the toys on your own.

For example, I might sit down with a toddler who was playing with playdoh, and pick up a piece myself and start squishing it or using a utensil to cut it. I might mix two colours together or use my hand to make an imprint.

Whilst I played, I would be smiling and having fun. Perhaps I would even talk to myself whilst I did it. The little one would then usually follow my lead.

Once they are playing side-by-side with you, then you can slowly move away a little and sit near by somewhere to begin with.

Once they can manage that, I would then set them up with an activity to do while I did a chore, like the dishes, for example. This eases them in gently.

Preferences and Time Frames for Independent Play

Different kids will take different amounts of time to get the hang of it, but in time it will come.

It’s also worth trying different activities.

My daughter, for example, will play independently much longer with sensory activities, like water play, than anything else, whilst my son will play longer with imaginative small-world play activities.

Personal preference and personality definitely play a role in it.

When they do start to get engaged in their play try not to interrupt them, unless absolutely necessary.

The Top Activities for Your 15-month-old Toddler’s Development

I hope you and your toddler have enjoyed these activities as much as I did with my kids when they were little.

If you have any more ideas you want to add, just leave me a comment down below.

• If you have concerns that your toddler is behind in their development, it’s worth talking to your Paediatrician or Health Visitor. They can carry out an assessment and advise you.

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PS PK K 1 2 3 48 Comments

Road Trip Activities for Kids Ages 2-8

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We are planning a very long drive this week.  We’re hitting the road before sunup and driving until way past bedtime.  As a survival strategy I’ve prepared a giant set of road trip activities for kids.

(This post contains affiliate links. Click here to see my full disclosure policy.)

In just a short while our family is going to be taking a road trip.

A very loooong road trip.

As in, start driving at 3 AM and reach our destination after 10 PM.   With five kids ages 7 and under.

And no, we don’t have a DVD player in our van.

This may sound a little crazy, but seriously?  Putting all seven of us in a hotel room with a baby still waking up every two hours sounds a whole lot crazier.  So I’ve been working at a creating and collecting a variety of activities to keep my crew busy for our big adventure.

I have seen some amazing DIY lapboards on Pinterest.  But I don’t sew beyond buttons.  I don’t do well with wood, foam, or stretching fabric.  I don’t even cut a straight line.  So this is my version of a DIY lap board.

Find a cheap magnetic baking tray (tip – they’re not all magnetic; check first).  This 9 x 13 tray cost 99 cents.   Then get some markers or crayons and hot glue magnet strips to them (even adhesive strips can use that extra glue).

Anything to keep my toddler from dropping a marker every five seconds.

The sketchpad was from the dollar bin at Target.

Books on CD

Our number one activity on long car rides is reading.  Thankfully, my Seven and Five can read on their own. But my Four in particular does not have patience for long trips, and he’s not ready to read independently.  I’ll read aloud periodically, but it’s not something I want to do for ten hours!  That’s where books on CD come in.  I borrow them from the library, store them in my CD holder , and reserve multiple copies of each book so each of the big kids can follow along.

I also referred to my Best Picture Books for Kids Pinterest board and found a huge stack of new-to-us books to take along.  (The hard part has been keeping my kids from reading them before the big trip!

Road Trip Printables

I searched high and low for free road trip printables. These were the best I could find because not only are they from talented bloggers,  they’re also easy to download and print.

The beautiful road trip drawing prompts (empty road and truck) are from Picklebums.

The lovely hand-drawn BINGO games are from Housing a Forest.

The simple and colorful Road Trip BINGO is from This Reading Mama.

For children who can read, Interstate BINGO is another fun printable from This Reading Mama.  My Five and Seven will enjoy this one.

The Car Scavenger Hunt is from a giant set of road trip printables from 123Homeschool4Me.

Sticker Scenes

This reusable sticker pad from Melissa and Dog is totally awesome as is.  But I wanted to find a way to make it work in the car. The scenes are too large for laps, and definitely for our little trays.  So I decided to cut each scene in half and cut the stickers into sections.  Then each child can have part of a scene and a set of stickers to play with.  The scenes won’t be as striking as they would be with the full sheets, but you can’ t be choosy when you’ve got seven people jammed into a seven-passenger van.

Conversation Cards

These are 100 conversation starters in the form of “would you rather” questions. I love these!  Would you rather have a pet chicken or a pet elephant? Would you rather lounge  in a pool of marshmallows or M & M’s?  Learn more and get your free printable cards (or simply a list of questions) in this post .

Drawing Prompts

This Complete the Picture drawing pad from Melissa and Doug  is brilliant.  It’s definitely too advanced for my Two and probably my Four. But I think it’s something my older two kids, ages five and seven, will really enjoy.  I had to trim the pages to fit them into the small baking sheets.

Beginning Sounds Coloring Pages

I don’t do a lot of worksheets with my preschool boys, but a car trip is the perfect time to pull some out.  I created this set of 26 coloring pages.  They simply need to color the pictures on each letter that begin with that letter.  You can get the free printable in this post .

Magnetic Matching Activities

I created these simple matching activities for my Two.  He loves this sort of thing, and it will give him something to do when he’s starting to get antsy.  Since there are magnets on the back of each piece to keep him from spilling them, I’m hoping that this will be easy and fun. This does take some time to assemble, but I think it will be worth it.  See the tutorial and get the free printables in this post.

Color by Number Addition Pages

My Seven asked for color by number pages.  I wanted to create something that would challenge her as well as give her something she enjoys, so I put addition facts on these fairy tale characters.  You can get the set of ten free pages by visiting this post .

Magnetic Pattern Block Activities

We already have pattern blocks, but for this trip I bought a magnetic set of blocks  so the kids can use them on their baking sheets.  I found the large pattern block activities at PreKinders.  I printed a transportation , snowflake , and animals set.  The kids can each set a paper on their board and cover it with the magnetic blocks.  I also printed the small set of designs from Kelly’s Kindergarten and bound them with a ring . (You will need to shrink her designs before printing them if you want them small.)  My older kids can recreate these pictures on their boards.

Snacks, Snacks… and More Snacks

And what would a long car ride be without snacks?  We don’t usually have prepackaged snacks at our house, but I’m making this trip an exception.  I’m packing mini chocolate chip cookies , honey graham sticks , crispy cheddar crackers , granola bars ,  and bunny snacks .  I’m also packing some dry cereal (a rare treat – our kids have plain yogurt with just a sprinkle of cereal for breakfast), string cheese, snap peas, and baby carrots.  Plus a brand new water jug  filled with ice water.

We’re ready for our trip!

After I pack the suitcases, of course…

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48 comments.

August 10, 2018 at 7:54 am

Thank you so much for your great roundup of ideas! We are traveling in Canada through Ontario and Quebec, to see sights in New Brunswick and P.E.I. I’m looking forward to using your ideas on our trip! Blessings! 🙂

August 13, 2018 at 9:08 am

You’re welcome!

September 9, 2017 at 3:01 pm

Just stumbled on this site and am delighted. I’d like to offer an alternative idea for your travel activity tray which offers built in storage. 1) Buy a roasting tin and a baking sheet that fits on the top of the roasting tin. 2) Attach magnetic strips around the top of the roasting tin, and on the bottom of the baking sheet. The sheet needs to exactly cover the roasting tin. 3) Place either a magnetic sheet, or magnetic strips on inside base of roasting tin. 4) Magnetic sheet to fit base of baking sheet (if big enough you can ignore stage 2) You can now add magnetic strips to crayons, organza bags from Poundland/Dollar store, toys. These things can be safely stored in roasting tin. The combined roasting tin/baking sheet are now a storage/lap tray. Little items can be stored in the organza bags or magnetized to stay in the storage area or to be used on the tray. You could also spray paint the roasting tin/baking sheet, drill small holes at one end and using whatever you choose can be hung from the seat in front. For very young children safely secure small magnets in small stuffies, these can be stored in the roasting tin and then stuck on to the baking sheet.

October 5, 2017 at 12:56 pm

What a cool idea, Lucy! Thanks so much for sharing it!

October 5, 2016 at 9:03 am

I love these ideas! We are planning to drive to Disney in February with another family. The thought of four little girls ages two and five on a 20 + hour car ride is terrifying the parents.

Anna Geiger

October 7, 2016 at 5:24 pm

Yes, I get it! 20 hours is a long time. Snacks will be your best friend. 🙂 In December we are planning a road trip to Texas with all six kids. I think it’s about 15-20 hours… I’ll have to pull out some of these to use again!

December 22, 2015 at 6:39 pm

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful ideas and resources. I’m now actually looking forward to our upcoming road trip with our 2 and 4 year old boys (plus an infant, but she won’t be participating in the activities :)).

January 1, 2016 at 5:54 pm

You’re very welcome, Cassy! I hope you have/had a great trip!

December 14, 2015 at 9:22 pm

Thank you so much!!!!! I got a 17 hour car trip coming up and didn’t want to go out and buy a ton of things for my preschooler to do. Yes we are breaking the trip up but he is not a great car rider so this is exactly what we need.

December 19, 2015 at 3:46 pm

I hope you have a wonderful trip, Cora!

Stephanie H

March 11, 2015 at 10:00 pm

Thank you for the wonderful ideas and printables. We are ready to venture out on a 15 hour drive for Spring Break with a 7 and 2 year old. Thanks to your post my “Activity Box” is complete and I have something checked off my to do list! THANK YOU!

March 20, 2015 at 6:35 am

Yay! I hope you have (had) a wonderful trip!

January 9, 2015 at 11:02 am

Man, you are so creative!!! Thank You sooo much for this!! We’re leaving in less than a month, this is doable!!

January 12, 2015 at 4:30 pm

Way to go for getting started ahead of time, Jennifer! I hope you have a great time and as peaceful a car ride as possible. 🙂

December 28, 2014 at 5:58 am

I am probably the first dad in here. This is really cool stuff. Thanks for sharing all this. I am printing away as I speak

December 28, 2014 at 2:42 pm

Not quite the first, but maybe the second. 🙂 I hope you have a great (and somewhat quiet) trip, Nick!

July 24, 2014 at 5:15 am

I loved your Tip Me Tuesday link. {thanks girl!} Would you like Tip Junkie to feature your blog post to over 200,000 creative women? If you upload this blog post into your Tip Junkie craft room using at least 2 images, 2 steps, and blog post URL then I can easily feature it in my RSS feed, home page, and all my social networks instantly. {squealing with delight} ~ Laurie {a.k.a. the Tip Junkie} http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/how-to-add-a-craft-room-project-on-tip-junkie/

July 24, 2014 at 5:19 am

Yes, yes, yes, Laurie, of course! Thank you!! I will head over to do that right away. I was just thinking yesterday I was going to send you a note to thank you for your Mom Blog to Money Blog course. I completed it this summer and learned so much, just in time to apply everything I learned to a site redesign coming next week. Excited! Thank you!!

July 14, 2014 at 8:57 pm

Thanks so much for these! I’m traveling 16 hrs with a 4, 2.5 & 10 month old so looking for some activities to keep us all sane

July 17, 2014 at 8:02 am

That’s a long trip, Ali – been there! I hope it goes well for you and that you have a nice peaceful trip. 🙂

July 9, 2014 at 10:02 pm

Thankyou so much, this is exactly what i was looking for to amuse my kids on our next trip!! Thankyou so much for sharing!

July 17, 2014 at 8:01 am

You’re welcome, Steph! I hope you have/had a peaceful ride :).

June 20, 2014 at 12:01 pm

These are some AWESOME suggestions. I’m planning a vacation for July and we’ll be traveling roughly 13 hours in a car with a 2 and a 5 year old. Thanks so much for sharing!

July 9, 2014 at 5:32 am

You’re welcome, Brandy! I hope your kids stay content on your long trip!

May 28, 2014 at 8:17 pm

This post couldn’t have come at a better time for my family. In the next month, we are taking 3 16 hour road trips. I have a 1 year old, a 2 year old, and a 4 year old and we will definitely be using some of your ideas! Thank you so much for all your hard work. We are planning on driving from 9pm until we get there!

June 1, 2014 at 7:53 pm

Good for you for driving through the night! We are probably a little older than you, as that’s pretty hard for us. On our way to our destination we ended up getting the kids up at 4:30 AM with the plan that they would go back to sleep for a few hours. Nope! Not sure if leaving even earlier is a good or bad idea..

little island studios

May 28, 2014 at 11:17 am

Great Ideas! We traveling and always looking for ideas…love to bring magnetic fun!

June 1, 2014 at 7:52 pm

Love your recent post about Virginia Beach… my home town!

May 28, 2014 at 9:16 am

My family is flying from SC to WA this summer. My daughters are 7 and 6, but the 6 yo is more like a 4 yo. The color pages will be WONDERFUL for them to do on the planes and at grandma and grandpa’s house when they claim to be “bored”. Thanks a lot for these wonderful resources.

June 1, 2014 at 7:51 pm

You’re very welcome, Christine! We are currently enjoying our vacation, and the pages we did not do in the car (mainly the Melissa and Doug activities) have been great to fill some time at our destination.

May 27, 2014 at 2:24 pm

Can’t wait til you get here!

May 27, 2014 at 7:48 am

I love this!! We regularly make a 9-10 hour car journey to see family and am always looking for ideas to keep my pre-schoolers entertained (without having to reach for dropped bottles or toys every few minutes!) Thank you.

June 1, 2014 at 7:50 pm

You’re very welcome! I hope your kids enjoy a few of these ideas. As it turned out, my kids were happiest with the coloring pages, books on CD, and drawing pads. They did a little bit with the magnetic shapes and of course loved the snacks most of all. 🙂

October 25, 2018 at 8:03 pm

Thats great! ??

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50 Fun Road Trip Activities for Kids to Keep Busy

I f your family is planning on hitting the road this fall or holiday season here are 50 fun road trip activities for kids to keep busy. 

Family road trips are fun any time of year and many families, including ours here at Two Kids and a Coupon love to hit the road in the fall and during the holidays for some fun new adventure.

If your family will be hitting the highway sometime soon, chances are you're looking for some fun activities to keep your kids busy. 

Photo by Kampus Production via Pexels

 From books to music, games to i-spy adventures , there are lots of ways to keep young kids as well as teens and tweens busy when you're traveling. Here are some of our favorite road trip activities for kids to keep everyone entertained.

This master list includes links to some fun how to's as well as some inexpensive items (and where to get them) to keep everyone busy and engaged for the miles to come.

We've also included some of the fun projects and printables from here at Two Kids and a Coupon that your family can take on the go.

Have a fun activity that is missing from this list? Leave a comment below and we'll be sure to add it in. 

Photo by JAGMEET SiNGH via Pexels

50 Fun Road Trip Activities for Kids

Coloring - Coloring is an easy and affordable way to keep kids busy when you're traveling.

Inexpensive coloring books or free printable coloring pages can keep both little and big kids busy.

Pack crayons, pens or c olored pencils and for tweens or teens, choose more complicated designs or adult coloring books to keep them challenged. 

Tic-Tac-Toe - Who doesn’t enjoy a good game of tic-tac-toe? Let the kids play together in the backseat to see who will win the most times! We love these magnetic tic-tac-toe games for taking on the road. 

Photo by RODNAE Productions via Pexels

I Spy - Get everyone involved in a fun game of I Spy, where you can try to guess what your children have spotted while passing through different areas on the road trip.

Pick out road side attractions, businesses, street signs and more. Want a paper version that you can keep in your vehicle? Don't miss our printable i-spy games or these fun I spy books . 

Word Puzzles - Pick up a few crossword puzzle books or word search books or print some of these puzzles at home before leaving for the road trip. They’ll test your family’s knowledge while keeping them occupied and entertained for miles. Don't miss all of the fun and free printables we have here on Two Kids and a Coupon! 

Drawing - Supply the kids with blank sheets of paper, or a sketch pad, pencils and coloring utensils and see what they can create. You never know what types of masterpieces they might draw.

  Doodle Board - Purchase fun doodle boards for the kids and let them go to town. These boards are entertaining and less messy. They are also great to play games like hangman and tic-tac-toe on the go. 

Play-Doh - If you have plastic trays for your children to place over their laps, why not let them play with Play-Doh ? It will keep them busy while they create different shapes and objects using their clay. Be sure to check out our favorite homemade Play-doh recipe . 

Sticker Art - Provide the kids with blank sheets of paper and a bunch of different stickers. Let them get creative while making sticker art. These paint by sticker books are another fun way to create art on the go. 

Silly Putty -  Silly putty is another fun product to let the children use. It’s a sensory activity that can engage the senses and entertain themselves for miles. 

Photo by Tim Mossholder via Pexels

Make Beaded Bracelets - When you have older children, making beaded bracelets is a lot of fun. Be sure to supply the beads and string so that they can create their jewelry and a small organizer can help them keep their supplies organized and tidy on the go.

Educational Apps - If you don’t mind your children using electronics and having some screentime, you can let the kids play on their phone, iPad or tablet. There are lots of age-appropriate and educational games available to keep kids of all ages busy.

  Twenty Questions - Play a good ol’ game of twenty questions! Come up with a list of questions before you even head out on the road trip.

Checkers - Pull out a game of checkers to play with the children. If you have the space for it, you can have a lot of fun and magnetic checkers games can be easy and affordable entertainment. 

Card Games - If you have a deck of cards, enjoy playing assorted card games with the family. You can play Speed, Go Fish, and much more.

Photo by Neil Ryan Famoso Saraña via Pexels

  Audio Books - Put an interesting and engaging audiobook in the car for your children to listen to. This is a great way to learn about new topics. Don't have any audio books? See if you can check some out from your local library or get 2 free audio books here . 

Simon Says -  You can’t go wrong with an old-fashioned game of Simon Says. It will have everyone in the car laughing! You may have to get creative since everyone is strapped into the seat belts, but it can make the game even more fun and challenging. 

  Magnetic Face Book - For a fun and silly activity, supply your younger kids with a magnet face book . The book is magnetic and allows children to create different faces using colorful, fun magnets.

Blow Bubbles - Grab mini bottles of bubbles and let the kids see who can blow the biggest ones. If you don't want the kids blowing bubbles in your car, have them blow them out the window, or when you stop at rest stops to stretch your legs. 

  Sensory Board - Make or buy sensory boards for each child. These boards are perfect for younger children and can improve their fine motor skills.

  Printable Worksheets - Find fun printable worksheets for the kids to do. You can find plenty of free options that are entertaining and full of unique activities including our rocket counting worksheets , alphabet coloring pages and more free printables . 

  Color by Number - Make coloring more of a challenge with color by number books. These books will help your children follow rules while creating colorful masterpieces.

Sticker by Number - In addition to color by number books, you can find sticker by number books that are just as fun for younger children.

Seek and Find Books - Look for some fun seek and find books and let your children go to town with them. These books will keep them searching for different items for hours.

  Read Books - Reading is always a great activity on the go for quiet time and one of our favorite road trip activities for kids. A great book or two is a must for road trips. Need something new for your kids to read? Hit the local library or check out where to get free books for kids . 

  Magnetic Letter Board - A  magnetic letter board encourages children to spell words and sentences. It’s a great activity for younger children who are still learning how to spell various words and you can have them practice their spelling list from school or other words. 

  Play School - Let the kids take turns being the teacher while playing school on the road trip! It’s a silly and fun activity that the children under 10 will like because they get to be in control for a bit.

Photo by Gustavo Fring via Pexels

  Snack Fun - While it’s not necessarily a big activity, providing the kids with fun snacks to eat and enjoy is a great way to keep them entertained for at least 30 minutes.

Busy Bags - Make busy bags for the kids to play with that include different items, including buttons, pipe cleaners, and other simple items. They can get creative with these interesting items and stay busy!

  Sing-Along Songs - Put on some sing-along songs and have the time of your life with the kids. Sing with the songs for lots of laughs and good times.

Movies - Use a portable DVD player to play a movie that the children can watch and enjoy when they’re on the road.

  Hand Games - Show your children how to play different hand games like you did when you were a child.

Action Figures - Pull out the action figures for the road trip. Kids can use their creative side and imagination to create different scenarios while playing with the figures.

  Barbie Dolls - The same thing goes for Barbies! Let your kids play with action figures and Barbies in the car to keep themselves entertained.

  License Plate Search Game - Enjoy the license plate game. Ask your kid if they can find a license plate with a specific state on it! The game keeps them looking until they find it.

Travel Bingo - Play games of travel bingo in the car. You can print the cards out online so that you don’t even have to buy them at the store. We have lots of free printable bingo games here on Two Kids and a Coupon including Halloween bingo , Thanksgiving Bingo , Christmas Bingo , Alphabet Bingo and more. 

  Paper Plate Crafts - Give the kids paper plates and markers and encourage them to create a mask. They can hold the face up when they’re done, using it like a mask.

Play Hangman - Who can go wrong with a good game of hangman? You can use a dry-erase board to play hangman in the car with the kids or try these fun travel hangman games . 

  Sign Search - Play a sign search game where the kids will look for specific signs, such as stop signs, one-way signs, and more.

Photo by Muhammad-taha Ibrahim

  Create Silly Songs - Ask the children to help you create silly songs to sing throughout the journey. It’s a lot of fun!

Play with Felt - Bring some felt supplies and let your children play with them. They can even create different things out of felt.

  Connect Four - Consider bringing the game of Connect Four for the ride. It’s a fun game that requires quick thinking! Place it on a tray or cookie sheet to help keep the discs contained when emptying out the board for the next game or check out these travel Connect Four games for the road. 

Guess Who? - If you have the space for it, a game of Guess Who can keep your older children entertained. We love this travel version of Guess Who . 

Color Rocks  - Rather than painting rocks and making a mess in the car, supply the kids with markers or paint pens and rocks to color them. Have them leave their artwork behind at rest stops and other locations along your travels for others to find and pick up more rocks every time you stop to decorate more. 

Photo by Wendy Wei via Pexels

  Photo Scavenger Hunt - Do your kids have phones or cameras? Give them a photo scavenger hunt list of things to photograph and have them search for the items during your travels. 

Fidget Toys -  Want to keep the kid's hands and minds busy? One of the favorite things we ever packed for a road trip was a bag of assorted fidget toys . The kids spun, popped and played for hours. 

  Sticker Letters - Have the kids practice spelling skills and create words and phrases using sticker letters to see what types of silly things they can come up with in the car.

  Printable Road Trip Games  - Find and print some easy road trip games that will keep the entire family entertained while out on the road. Don't miss our fun road trip word scramble and road trip word search !  

Photo by Breno Cardoso via Pexels

Binoculars - Let the kids use binoculars to see what they can find, such as birds lingering on tree branches. These are also handy to use when visiting attractions or attending events on your travels. 

Nail Painting - If you don’t mind the smell, older kids might enjoy painting their nails on a road trip. Have them bring a small tray or a cookie sheet to help keep things confined and prevent spills. 

Gel Pen Designs - Don’t forget about gel pens ! Let the kids doodle with them to create bright and sparkly designs! Have them use sketch pads or sketch pads to create fun designs and color them in. 

Keeping kids busy when you're on the road can keep them entertained and make the miles go faster. Not every activity has to be on electronics and this time can be a great time for kids to get creative and be unplugged. 

Disclosure: This author may receive commission through recommended links in this content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and love of saving money are completely and totally our own. 

Road Trip Activities for Kids Age 9-12 years

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Family Road Trip Activities For Kids

Are you planning a family road trip with kids and wondering what road trip activities for kids to bring along? Everyone is excited to go on a vacation, but taking a road trip with kids can be daunting for parents. From the dreaded “I’m so BORED” or “are we nearly there yet?” to “I’m hungry” or “I feel sick.” There is a lot to consider if you want to simplify your road trip with kids . Packing a selection of car activities for kids will help keep your children busy as you travel, relieve their boredom, and keep your sanity intact.

When traveling with kids the journey should include activities such as craft or activity sets, sticker books, workbooks, printable road trip games, toys, travel games, coloring, books (including audiobooks and podcasts), music, screen time, followed by snacks, then rinse and repeat!

In this post, we share our favorite road trip activities for kids age 9-12 . Don’t leave home without these non-mess essential travel activities for your kids.

If you have children of various ages you can read our posts about the 10 Must-Have Travel Toys for Baby , or must-have Essential Toddler Travel Toys , or the Best Travel Activities for Kids Age 4-8 . We also have a Guide to the Top 25 Travel Gifts for Kids of all ages who love to travel, as well as lots of Non-Toy Gift Ideas for Kids that are suitable for travel.

What are the Essential Car Activities for Kids?

When taking a road trip with children plan to bring a few special surprises to keep up your sleeves such as a new activity or toy your child has not seen before. And don’t forget to bring the most important item of all – road trip snacks for kids . 

Over lots of years and the many thousands of miles we have traveled with our children, there are certain items we won’t leave home without .

Essential travel activities for kids include:

• Craft or Activity Sets
• Sticker Books or Workbooks
• Printable Road Trip Games for Kids
• Travel Games
• Coloring Books and Crayons or Markers
• Books at your child’s appropriate reading level
• Audiobooks and Podcasts
• Music and Songs
• Family Road Trip Movies
• iPad, Tablet or Device with Headphones, charger, and travel case

📌 Pin it for later 📌

Non-screen Road Trip Activities for Kids

​We try our best to avoid too much screen time . We find our children cannot handle unlimited amounts of technology time and they will become angry and frustrated if we do not limit the amount of time they spend on a screen. With this being said you will find that the majority of travel activities that we recommend are non-screen options.

We prefer to start with non-screen activities first to help pass as much time as possible and then use limited technology time later in the trip as a reward. Otherwise, we find that if we allow our children to pick screen time as their first activity then it’s very difficult to break that cycle and get them off the screen without a fight!

Every family can choose what is best for you and your children, but we find the journey goes better with limited amounts of screen time. 

What are the Best Road Trip Activities for Kids Age 9-12?

Here are our favorite road trip activities for kids age 9-12 years. This includes essential no-mess car activities for kids that can easily be packed in the car or a BE Family Travel Tray . These road trip activities are great options to entertain your tween while traveling.

Taboo Kids Vs. Parents Family Game is an excellent game for kids to challenge parents. The hilarious kids vs. parents game is a fun twist on the classic Taboo game. It includes a kids’ deck and an adult deck of cards. The kids’ deck features familiar Guess words and only 2 forbidden words. Get teammates to say the Guess word on the card without saying the forbidden words. Say a forbidden word shown on the card and opponents will squeak the squeaker and the other team gets the point. Race against the one-minute timer in this fun and fast-paced family game. This is a great way to entertain the whole family on a road trip with kids.

100 PICS Riddles Travel Game

The 100 PICS Riddles Travel Game is for kids who love a challenge. Kids can entertain and bamboozle themselves and others with these family-friendly brain teasers! Can be played alone but friends and family usually want a guess too! This handy travel activity fits neatly into your pocket or bag. Ideal for playing in cars, restaurants, planes, and trains. The 100 PICS flashcard games help improve vocabulary, spelling, and memory.

Friendship Bracelet Maker Kit

The IQKidz Friendship Bracelet Maker Kit keeps the threads separated and organized, and includes the braiding loom with movable pegs to hold the bracelet in place, along with step by step directions. This arts & crafts kit makes it fun and easy to create friendship bracelets alone, with siblings, or with friends. Comes in a portable fashion storage box for storage and while on the go. Kids can get crafty and create awesome bracelets while traveling in the car or on vacation. This is one of the most creative road trip activities for kids and ideal for 8 to 12-year-olds.

Toy Storage Bag and Play Mat

The Creative QT Mini SlideAway Toy Storage Bag and Play Mat means now you can say “YES” to bringing toys along! No ordinary toy bag, the patent-pending Creative QT Mini SlideAway stops the spread of kid clutter and keeps it contained while you’re out and about. Pour toys or art supplies right onto the integrated tabletop play mat, and let little imaginations run wild. Toys slide away for storage with a quick pull of the handles and a little shake. The Mini SlideAway is perfect for building bricks, crayons, toy cars, snacks and is a great way to store car activities for kids.

Kodak Printomatic Instant Camera

Kodak Printomatic Instant Camera is a 10-megapixel, point-and-shoot that offers a combination of a powerful 10MP sensor with a wide angle f/2 lens that instantly and automatically prints hi quality color or black and white photos directly from the camera body. Just point and shoot making it the ideal all-in-one solution for capturing and sharing vibrant prints instantaneously wherever your child travels. The KODAK Printomatic Instant Camera All-in-Bundle is available with Zink Paper, Deluxe Case, Photo Album, 7 Unique Sticker Sets, Markers, Scissors, Border Stickers and so much more. This creative kit provides exciting road trip activities for kids who love to travel and is another artistic way for kids to document their family adventures.

Polaroid Originals OneStep

Polaroid Originals OneStep 2 VF – Summer Blue is a blast from the past! It will bring back lots of happy childhood memories as you reminisce and remember the fun you had with this as a child. It is easy to use: just point and shoot. Kids can compose their shot, press the red button and magic will appear! An instant print camera is a great way for kids to capture their vacation memories. You child can on a family road trip documenting their adventures in a Travel Journal for Kids .

Popular Activity Books for Kids

Road Trip Activity Books for Kids are a great way to entertain your tween as you travel. Here are some of the most popular travel activity book options.

Leather Travel Journal Daily Notebook

This Leather Travel Journal Daily Notebook is 6.3″ x 9.3″ so it works perfectly for your older child as a leather travel journal and diary, sketchbook, photo album, daily notepad, and so on. A handmade leather journal is a special keepsake for your child’s thoughts, plans, and ideas, durable for travel or outdoor adventure, and good for storage. The set includes a handmade leather journal, bookmark, and high-grade kraft packing, and is the perfect size suitable for most bags to take it anywhere. This is another road trip activity to help occupy your child’s time in the car as you travel.

Sudoku for Kids

Sudoku for Kids for Kids 8-12 years is a book that contains 200 sudokus with solutions. This helps kids to improve their memory and logic while having fun and helping to pass the time on a family road trip.

All You Need Is a Pencil

When headed on vacation All You Need is a Pencil – The Stuck in a Car, Plane, or Train Activity Book . Unfortunately, it usually begins with the family stuck in the car. And the kids yelling “I’m bored”. Fortunately, with these quizzes, puzzles, games, and doodles, the fun doesn’t have to wait, even if you do. And you can do them anywhere—no electricity needed—with just a pencil. Fill in travel quotes, writing in the name of anyone who says one of the phrases on the page—like “I have to go to the bathroom” or “I think we’re lost.” Play gomoku, a two-person game that’s similar to tic-tac-toe. Plan the ultimate vacation—a week anywhere in the world. Draw creepy critters, try tongue-tripping-twisters, and unscramble anagrams. It’s all so entertaining that no one will ask the dreaded question: Are we there yet?

Would You Rather for Kids!

• Would you rather  Pet a baby lion  or  Pet a baby elephant
• Or would you rather  Eat Dinner in a hot air balloon  or  Eat breakfast inside a castle
• Would you rather Be friends with Spiderman or  Be friends with Batman
• Would you rather  Have a swimming pool  or  Have a big trampoline
• And much, much more.

This is the perfect book for travel games for kids in your car while on long car rides! Would you rather books for kids are the best form of entertainment so you can keep your children occupied while they have fun pondering the silly and fun questions to themselves! Inside you will find 200 ‘Would You Rather’ questions ready to go, some of them include…

Maze Activity Book for Kids 8-12

Fun and Challenging Mazes for Kids 8-12: An Amazing Maze Activity Book for Kids is packed with mazes to entertain, stimulate, and challenge your kids. Jumpstart your child’s learning with this maze activity book for kids 8-12. These mazes can help improve fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, and visual perceptual skills. Various types, themes, and shapes ensure your child won’t get bored which makes these the perfect road trip activities for kids. This big book of mazes includes mazes in a variety of difficulty levels from simpler to more advanced. This maze book is educational, entertaining, and sure to get kids thinking!

Survive Your Road Trip With These Activities For Kids

As tempting as it may be to push through and keep driving to your destination, it is important to take regular breaks . Every few hours throughout the road trip allow your children (and you) the opportunity to stretch, move around, and visit the bathroom. Make sure stops have plenty of space for kids to run around for 20 minutes or more before getting back in the car.

Plan your family road trip to include some attractions along your route. You can use these as incentives to help your kids ride just a little bit longer. Fun pitstops that kids enjoy include:

• Parks and Playgrounds
• Picnic spots
• Walkable downtowns
• National Parks
• Historical sites
• Scenic overlooks

The more you travel with children the easier it will become. Being prepared with these road trip activities for kids will give you the confidence to adventure in the car while making the journey more bearable for you and your children.

And remember, let’s BE Family so you can enjoy the journey.

Until next time, 💖 Ruth

For more about family travel check out these posts: What Are The Best Family Road Trip Movies? Audiobooks For Family Road Trips Simplify A Road Trip With Kids The Best Travel Activities For Kids Age 4-8

BE Family Products Inc., or (BE Family Travel) participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Using any of the links on this website does NOT cost you anything but does help us continue to create content on this blog. Thank you so much for your support and for partnering with us. Let’s BE Family.

Ruth Hutchins grew up in England and now lives in North Carolina with her husband, Doug, and their two young daughters. They always loved to travel, but once having children everything changed because family travel is more complicated. Traveling with a baby may feel overwhelming to new parents. Travel with a toddler can really test your patience, and traveling with kids can lead to utter chaos. However, travel with your little ones doesn’t have to be that stressful or exhausting. On the BE Family Travel blog Ruth shares her parenting wins, and even epic failures about traveling with kids. She provides resources to help you feel empowered to plan a family vacation and travel with your children.

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