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40 + Road Trip Activities for Kids

Are you looking for road trip ideas for toddlers, preschool, kindergarten and for kids?

I’ve got you covered!

I’ve compiled a list of over 40 ideas so that you can relax, have a smoother trip and it includes fun activities to do in the car or on the go (Road trip ideas for kids)!

Some of the ideas mentioned have been very helpful for myself and others.

Some have been very helpful for mamas all around the world.

A few of these road trip with kids’ ideas are from parents who have commented in a group I moderate about the methods that were helpful for them!

I have added them to this list as well and I hope this gives you an all around better set of ideas that are not just my own but ideas from other mamas who have found what they tried was super duper helpful too!

Related: Is it summer time for you? Here are over 70+ summer activities for kids and some will work for on the go too!

How do you make a long car ride fun?

I’ve compiled this list for ages 2-7.

It is a wide range of road trip with toddler ideas, fun road trip games for 3 and 4 year olds, and things to do on road trips with 5,6 and 7 year olds!

I hope you can find which category best suits you and your LO.

Some of these activities will also work with a differentiated set of ages while some won’t.

What can you do on a long car ride?

There are many fun ideas and kids activities you can bring forth for kids on a long car ride.

Some ideas are bringing coloring books, mess free water coloring books, busy bags, busy books..

I’ll be going through more things to do during a road trip below!

How do you make a road trip fun?

I always say a playlist of good music your family loves, snacks, and a wholesome set of activities by age will do wonders!

I’ll be sharing below some ideas that can make your road trip go smoothly for the family!

Do you have any other fun ideas you may have tried to make for the Best road trips with kids?

Related: Here is a free color match/fine motor printable you can take on the go!

What can kids do on a road trip?

Depending on your child’s age, there are many fun things for kids to do on a road trip.

Here is a list of fun things to do on road trips that can work for a differentiated set of ages with the same deck of cards.

Toddlers can play with a deck of cards.

Preschoolers can practice matching the 2’s with the 2’s and the 3’s with the 3’s with that same deck of cards. (on a tray. I’ll elaborate more on this below.)

5,6,7 year olds can play a game of go fish and other fun card games your LO can think of.

Road trip activities for 2 year olds

What are some travel activities for toddlers?

How do toddlers survive a long car ride?

Here are some tips and ideas on how to make the best of a long car ride with a toddler

I like to have on hand educational toddler apps on my phone/tablet as a side hand in case I need it.
But first and foremost, busy bags, busy bags, busy bags.. These are a wonderful set of pencil holders or crayon boxes to store small invitations to play (I’ll elaborate more on this below.)
Coloring books, Notepads, post it notes, Water wow books
Finger puppets
A deck of playing cards
A plastic tray! (I cannot stress this enough. It is a wonderful tool to use with invitation to play activities.) Think of an airplane tray where you eat your food on.
Painters tape for a fun fine motor activity, “remove the tape” from the plastic tray.
Snacks, snacks, snacks and more snacks. 😀
Toddler books (For a list of our favorites, check out this post right here.)
Stickers for sticking on a notepad or window stickers for sticking on the window.
Busy Book – Here is one that has a few pages that will work for toddlers as well!
Sing the daddy finger song together.

And, these are just some of the many ideas I’ll be sharing in this post.

I hope you find some of them helpful!

Next up: Long car rides with toddlers..

How should I bring my toddler on a road trip?

How do you keep a 2 year old entertained on a long road trip?

Here are some ideas on road trip essentials for kids:

If you are going on a road trip, make sure to have roadside assistance readily available in case of any emergency (flat tire, no gas..)
A comfortable and well placed car seat for your toddler.
When my oldest was smaller we used to have an organizer that strapped to the back of the drivers chair (For toddlers, strap this to the front of the back seats as toddlers should ride in a rear facing car seat.) These are great for storing their toys so they can easily grab them.
Choose any of the fun activities mentioned above for a road trip (some more ideas: games, flip books, CD’s for learning about the alphabet, fun songs they like to sing along to, I spy color games…)
Be sure to take extra stops and breaks as children shouldnt sit in a car seat for more than 2 hours at a time if they are 2 years old.
Take your trip around your toddlers nap time. This is so that they can take a nap when you are starting on your road trip.
Lastly, avoid taking your trip around any traffic or rush hour.

Related: Looking for an awesome busy book for on the go? Check it out here!

So, How do I entertain my 2 year old on a road trip?

These are just some ideas that can be helpful for entertaining your toddler on a road trip!

Of course, busy books, quiet books that contain matching games will be very helpful and we have a couple of amazing resources that can be well prepared for taking on a trip! 😀

And, they are great for siblings too!

2 year olds, 3 year olds and 4 year olds can have fun learning with some of the activities in our preschool learning binder.

All of the activities will work for preschoolers and some of the activities will work for toddlers.

Road trip activities for 3 year olds

How do I entertain my 3 year old on a road trip?

I myself have a 4 year old at the moment.

So, I know that some of the activities that work for toddlers will also work for her.

However, it may not hold on to her attention as long as they do with a toddler.

She needs a bit more of a challenge and I’ve got some ideas and things to do on long car rides that can be helpful. 🙂

How do you entertain a 4 year old on a long car ride?

Here are some tips and ideas for keeping 3 and 4 year olds entertained on a long car ride trip:

Car activities for 4 year olds

Much like the tray I mentioned above, there is an actual kids car seat tray exclusive item they sell on amazon that is probably about the coolest product I’ve ever seen.
If your preschooler is still napping, plan your trip around nap time.
If you are leaving at night time, your preschooler will most likely sleep throughout most of the trip.
Busy bags, busy bags, busy bags.. Prepare some busy bags for fun kids activities on the road. (I’ll elaborate more on this below this post.)
Download educational games on the tablet/phone.
Also, download your child’s favorite movie or a set of tv shows they like watching.
Take a busy book on the go! Busy books are amazing on the go treasures.
Insert stickers, playdough, craft sticks, magnifying glass, a deck of playing cards into a pencil holder for a fun set of activities for your LO on the go. This is a type of busy bag! 🙂

Preschool Activity Binder Busy Book Printable (Great for on the go).

Preschool Activity Binder Busy Book Printable

How do I keep my 4 year old busy?

These are just some of many ideas that are so very helpful in keeping my LO and others entertained in a car ride or on the go.

I hope some of these road trips with kids ideas are helpful in keeping your 3 and 4 year olds busy when you’re on the go!

Car games for 6 year olds

How do I entertain my child on a long car ride?

On top of having a 4 year old, I also have a 7 year old! 🙂

5, 6 and 7 year olds can enjoy all that 4 year olds enjoy but on a completely different level and in a more advanced approach.

For example, with the deck of playing cards, they won’t just play with them.

They will actually use them to play a game of go fish or any other card game you can think of! 🙂

6 and 7 year olds can also explore the world around them once at a rest stop.

If you are stopping near a place that has many trees like Oregan or Washington, you can take a breath of fresh air and enjoy talking about the different things you see in this new state you are in.

Collecting small treasures and bringing them back to your home will allow for a fun spark of imagination and pretend play traveling around the world kids activity.

I am getting ahead of myself. 🙂

So, for now here are some ideas on how you can keep a 5, 6 or 7 year old entertained:

Educational games on their tablet.
Books, books and more books.
Coloring Books, notepads and markers, crayons and pencils/pens.
Snacks, snacks and more snacks.
A deck of cards, board games, mad libs..
I see something… and I spy games by looking out the window.
Puzzles, open ended toys, and toy figurines.
Music to sing along to together.
Movies, tv shows and educational shows.
Road trip games (road trip bingo, road trip card games, road trip uno.)
Pack lots of crayons, markers, gel pens..
Creative car games for car trips with kids

My Senses Activity Binder Free Printable (Great for on the go).

Senses Learning Activity Binder for Preschoolers and Kids

How do I entertain my kids on a long car ride?

Fun ideas for long road trips…

All in all, fun educational games on their tablet/ audiobooks, books, card games, coloring book and markers will do the trick!

I hope you enjoyed some of the ideas mentioned above for things to do on a road trip with 5,6 and 7 year olds !

Can you think of any other fun ideas that maybe you have tried and that was very helpful?

Leave me a comment below letting me know! Maybe it can be super duper helpful for other mamas too! 😀

Games to play in the car with family

What are some games to play in car with kids? What about games to play on car trips with family?

Board games
I spy
I see something..
Musical CD that everyone can sing along to.

Best road trip games

This post contains affiliate links.

Here are some ideas of the best road trip games for kids:

(Tap the images below to learn more.)

Travel Tray

Road games for kids

Games to play in the car with toddlers

Car games for preschoolers

Roadtrip games

Games for car rides

Games to play in the car for kids

Fun car ride games

Fun games for road trips

Road trip games for family

More Road Trip Games for Kids

Road trip activity ideas for Kids

Road trip games for family

Preschool roadtrip printables

Things to do on a long car trip..

If you haven’t checked out some of our printables, please do so!

Some of the activities will work amazing for on the go and to make your trip fun, such as the busy books, quiet books and some of the matching activities!

Enjoy!

Hope you have a beautiful and amazing road trip! 🙂

40 + Road Trip Activities for Kids

Are you looking for road trip ideas for toddlers, preschool, kindergarten and for kids?

I’ve got you covered!

I’ve compiled a list of over 40 ideas so that you can relax, have a smoother trip and it includes fun activities to do in the car or on the go (Road trip ideas for kids)!

Some of the ideas mentioned have been very helpful for myself and others.

Some have been very helpful for mamas all around the world.

A few of these road trip with kids’ ideas are from parents who have commented in a group I moderate about the methods that were helpful for them!

I have added them to this list as well and I hope this gives you an all around better set of ideas that are not just my own but ideas from other mamas who have found what they tried was super duper helpful too!

Related: Is it summer time for you? Here are over 70+ summer activities for kids and some will work for on the go too!

How do you make a long car ride fun?

I’ve compiled this list for ages 2-7.

It is a wide range of road trip with toddler ideas, fun road trip games for 3 and 4 year olds, and things to do on road trips with 5,6 and 7 year olds!

I hope you can find which category best suits you and your LO.

Some of these activities will also work with a differentiated set of ages while some won’t.

What can you do on a long car ride?

There are many fun ideas and kids activities you can bring forth for kids on a long car ride.

Some ideas are bringing coloring books, mess free water coloring books, busy bags, busy books..

I’ll be going through more things to do during a road trip below!

How do you make a road trip fun?

I always say a playlist of good music your family loves, snacks, and a wholesome set of activities by age will do wonders!

I’ll be sharing below some ideas that can make your road trip go smoothly for the family!

Do you have any other fun ideas you may have tried to make for the Best road trips with kids?

Related: Here is a free color match/fine motor printable you can take on the go!

What can kids do on a road trip?

Depending on your child’s age, there are many fun things for kids to do on a road trip.

Here is a list of fun things to do on road trips that can work for a differentiated set of ages with the same deck of cards.

Toddlers can play with a deck of cards.

Preschoolers can practice matching the 2’s with the 2’s and the 3’s with the 3’s with that same deck of cards. (on a tray. I’ll elaborate more on this below.)

5,6,7 year olds can play a game of go fish and other fun card games your LO can think of.

Road trip activities for 2 year olds

What are some travel activities for toddlers?

How do toddlers survive a long car ride?

Here are some tips and ideas on how to make the best of a long car ride with a toddler

I like to have on hand educational toddler apps on my phone/tablet as a side hand in case I need it.

But first and foremost, busy bags, busy bags, busy bags.. These are a wonderful set of pencil holders or crayon boxes to store small invitations to play (I’ll elaborate more on this below.)

Coloring books, Notepads, post it notes, Water wow books

Finger puppets

A deck of playing cards

A plastic tray! (I cannot stress this enough. It is a wonderful tool to use with invitation to play activities.) Think of an airplane tray where you eat your food on.

Painters tape for a fun fine motor activity, “remove the tape” from the plastic tray.

Snacks, snacks, snacks and more snacks. 😀

Toddler books (For a list of our favorites, check out this post right here.)

Stickers for sticking on a notepad or window stickers for sticking on the window.

Busy Book – Here is one that has a few pages that will work for toddlers as well!

Sing the daddy finger song together.

And, these are just some of the many ideas I’ll be sharing in this post.

I hope you find some of them helpful!

Next up: Long car rides with toddlers..

How should I bring my toddler on a road trip?

How do you keep a 2 year old entertained on a long road trip?

Here are some ideas on road trip essentials for kids:

If you are going on a road trip, make sure to have roadside assistance readily available in case of any emergency (flat tire, no gas..)

A comfortable and well placed car seat for your toddler.

When my oldest was smaller we used to have an organizer that strapped to the back of the drivers chair (For toddlers, strap this to the front of the back seats as toddlers should ride in a rear facing car seat.) These are great for storing their toys so they can easily grab them.

Choose any of the fun activities mentioned above for a road trip (some more ideas: games, flip books, CD’s for learning about the alphabet, fun songs they like to sing along to, I spy color games…)

Be sure to take extra stops and breaks as children shouldnt sit in a car seat for more than 2 hours at a time if they are 2 years old.

Take your trip around your toddlers nap time. This is so that they can take a nap when you are starting on your road trip.

Lastly, avoid taking your trip around any traffic or rush hour.

Related: Looking for an awesome busy book for on the go? Check it out here!

So, How do I entertain my 2 year old on a road trip?

These are just some ideas that can be helpful for entertaining your toddler on a road trip!

Of course, busy books, quiet books that contain matching games will be very helpful and we have a couple of amazing resources that can be well prepared for taking on a trip! 😀

And, they are great for siblings too!

2 year olds, 3 year olds and 4 year olds can have fun learning with some of the activities in our preschool learning binder.

All of the activities will work for preschoolers and some of the activities will work for toddlers.

Road trip activities for 3 year olds

How do I entertain my 3 year old on a road trip?

I myself have a 4 year old at the moment.

So, I know that some of the activities that work for toddlers will also work for her.

However, it may not hold on to her attention as long as they do with a toddler.

She needs a bit more of a challenge and I’ve got some ideas and things to do on long car rides that can be helpful. 🙂

How do you entertain a 4 year old on a long car ride?

Here are some tips and ideas for keeping 3 and 4 year olds entertained on a long car ride trip:

Car activities for 4 year olds

Much like the tray I mentioned above, there is an actual kids car seat tray exclusive item they sell on amazon that is probably about the coolest product I’ve ever seen.

If your preschooler is still napping, plan your trip around nap time.

If you are leaving at night time, your preschooler will most likely sleep throughout most of the trip.

Busy bags, busy bags, busy bags.. Prepare some busy bags for fun kids activities on the road. (I’ll elaborate more on this below this post.)

Download educational games on the tablet/phone.

Also, download your child’s favorite movie or a set of tv shows they like watching.