Top 10 Road Trip Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers.

 

       We live in such a beautiful area, that we make 2 - 6 hour road trips all year long. Last year we had to make a 12 hour trip, due to a family emergency. We debated for a long time if we should put our kids throw such a long drive, but what they got out of it was so worth the travels and we are so glad we did it.

Before I describe the activities, I want to remind you of a few things:

1. Mindset is everything! Road trips can get hard. Sometimes, everything can go wrong and a 3 hour trip can turn into 11 hours (just happened to us last week). I always tell my kiddos: "we are a team, we are here for each other, we help each other and work together"! Do not expect children to sit still for several hours. Schedule long stops to stretch and run around and short stops for poddy break. Remember to enjoy the ride and the time together, instead of looking at the clock.

2. Do yourself a favor and leave sugary snacks for when you arrived to your final destination. Get "especial snacks for the car", but without the extra sugar.

3. I want to emphasize that children (especially toddlers) have an extremely short attention span. It takes them about 15min (depending on the child) to enjoy an activity, then move to the next interesting thing.

Here are the top 10 road trip activities for toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy during long drives:

1. Colors, Crayons, Washable Markers and a Sketch Pad. I typically don't like giving markers to toddlers, they need to work on their fine motor skills and markers prevent them from pressing on the pencils. However, during a road trip, most rules are off :)

2. Stickers, stickers, stickers. You can never go wrong with stickers. Extra Tip #1: take them shopping and have them chose their own. Extra Tip #2: if you have a child that is still learning to peel them, peel the back of the stickers and get them as big as you can. Don't forget to get enough for the trip back.

3. Water Wow and Magic Markers. My children have loved their water wow since they were babies. I place a water wow into one pouch and a magic marker set in the other pouch and they switch and take turns using both.

4. Play-Doh, Kinetic Sand and/or Slime. We purchased car seat tables for our big road trip last year; but prior to that the kids used cookie sheets as tables and they worked great for shorter trips.

5. Calculators. These are perfect because children love to push buttons. My kiddos like to also use them as their "cellphones".

6. Mini Tablets.

8. Wallets. My toddler loves opening and closing the Velcro and getting his cards in and out of the wallet.

7. Your children miscellaneous favorites.

9. Magnet Tiles and Cookie Sheets.

10. Books. This is one of the reasons why I prefer car rides over plane rides. We can bring as many books and we want. The "Poke a Dot and any Flip/Flat books are always a hit.

Remember, these are not meant to put more stress in your life, but instead to help you out. If they don't work, get the screen out and focus on living the moment and the time you are spending together as a family! :)

Tinkering Hearts

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