Going on a road trip can be a lot of fun but it can be stressful when you add a toddler to the mix. I love having fun toddler road trip activities to help keep my daughter occupied when we go on long car rides. These range from simple games to pulling out an electronic device as a last resort.
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I will be heading to Disney World next year and we plan on driving to save money. That means 8 hours in the car with a four year old! I’m starting to plan for our trip as well as for the actual driving part to the theme parks.
I am so excited and I know we will have a blast but I also want to make sure that I am prepared to handle a toddler on a long road trip. I am loving the travel trays so that she can keep everything within reach.
I love that these activities are affordable and can easily be used on a plane or even when you go out to eat and need help keeping your little one busy until the food comes out.
Color Wonder: I absolutely love the Crayola color wonder products! My daughter can be a bit messy with crayons so this is perfect for us. The markers only show up on the special paper so you don’t have to worry about the back seat being covered in marker.
They come in full coloring books or smaller packs. You can find your child’s favorite characters like Disney Princesses, Paw Patrol, Mickey Mouse, The Avengers, and more.
Audio Books: If you can’t take listening to another Disney song in the car, I completely understand! I like being able to listen to audio books in the car and there are some great ones for young kids to enjoy.
It’s great if you have more than one child in the car and you all want to still be engaged and enjoy the trip together. You can guess what will happen next and ask them what they think of the story.
I like using Amazon’s Audible service to find some great audio books. When you first sign up, you will get a 30 day free membership to see how you like it. It even comes with 2 free audio books, even if you cancel after the free trial!
Magnetic Travel Games: I really like the magnetic travel games because you don’t have to worry about the game pieces sliding all over the board. These are great for the kids to play together and there are a bunch of games to choose from: tic tac toe, matching, checkers, and hangman.
Word Building Travel Kit: This is such a cute idea and so easy to make! You can find the full tutorial at I Heart Crafty Things. Just grab some magnetic letters, popsicle sticks, and a tin lunch box and you are good to go!
It’s a great way for them to learn while in the car!
Magnetic Easel: This is one of my favorites because it has everything all together. This magnetic easel is the perfect traveling kit. It comes with a dry erase board/ chalk board, and magnetic farm pieces.
The kids can make their own farm scenes, draw, spell, play games, and more!
Reusable Sticker Pads: What kid doesn’t love stickers? These sticker pads keep my daughter busy for hours. She loves making scenes with all of the different stickers. My favorite ones are the Melissa & Doug pads. They have some really cute themes.
Leapfrog Leapreader: If your child is learning to read, the Leapfrog Leapreader or Tag is a great activity. You don’t have to be in the backseat reading to them, the Leapreader can read it to them and help them recognize the words.
Window Clings: These are fun for kids to stick onto car and plane windows during a long trip. They are mess free and very inexpensive. You can find window clings online or even at the dollar store.
AquaDoodle: My daughter had one of these and loved it! AquaDoodles are another great way to help kids be creative without the mess. You just add water to the pen and it only shows up on the pad.
Amazon Fire: I try to do everything above before I pull out a tablet but sometimes you just have to let them have it to prevent a meltdown.
I personally like the Amazon Fire because it is inexpensive and great for kids to watch movies or play games on. It is less than $40 so it isn’t a huge deal if it gets broken. My daughter has had hers for about 6 months now and it has held up really well. I do recommend getting a case for it!
I try to only let her play educational games on her tablet and I highly recommend the ABCMouse.com. She loves it and is learning math, reading, shapes, science, and more! You can actually get a free month trial to see if your child would benefit from it as well.
Another idea is to use some old school car games that we used to play. You remember the license plate game, I spy, and more. You can find a full list of game ideas to help you remember.
I think these toddler road trip activities will really help your next trip be more relaxing for everyone in the car. Let us know what you do to keep the little ones busy on your road trips!
You may also want to check out my other posts:
How to Actually Enjoy a Vacation with Kids
How to Save on Attractions and Sightseeing
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