Screen-Free Road Trips: My 5 tips
Going on a roadtrip can be an exciting adventure, but for many parents (my self included), keeping kids entertained without resorting to screens can be a challenge.
We recently went screen-free with our 5 year old son, and on of my biggest concerns was how the long drives would go without cartoons, as we would usually find something for him to watch if the drives were longer than 2 hours.
However I found that with a bit of preparation and creativity, it’s entirely possible to make a long car ride fun and screen-free. Here are five tried-and-true tips for ensuring your road trip is enjoyable for everyone.
1. Food
Snacks are a road trip essential.
I usually pack a lunch and snacks, that is what works for us because we find that the less we stop to stop and stretch our legs the better it is. (and I know this is usually the opposite of what many people experience)
Consider packing:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables: Apple slices, and grapes (cut in halves).
- Crackers: Easy to eat and satisfying.
- Sweets: We like to pack gummi bears and chocolate sandwich cookies – I would recommend to pack your child’s favorite snack.
- Lunch or mini sandwiches: Cut into fun shapes to make them more appealing.
Having a variety of snacks can prevent hunger-related crankiness and make the trip more pleasant.
2. Create a Travel Activity Bag
An activity bag filled with engaging items can be a lifesaver. Tailor the contents to your child’s interests and include:
- Coloring books and crayons: Choose books with their favorite characters or themes.. I definitely recommend buying a new coloring book as it feels like a present.
We have this, that holds paper, coloring pens inside and it is also a table (which can hold the paper in place) – So smart! - Stickers and sticker books or magnet books: Hours of creative fun.
- Books: Crosswords, word searches, and maze books are amazing! Nohr is currently loving mazes so we have a whole book only with mazes and he solves them with his finger and not a pen so that we can reuse it over and over.
We also love a good “Where’s Wally?” book.
- Small toys: Action figures, dolls, or cars.
Having a special bag just for the trip makes it feel like a treat and can keep kids entertained for hours.
3. Plan Interactive Games
Interactive games can make time fly. Here are a few classics:
- I Spy: Take turns spotting things outside the car window.
- 20 Questions: One person thinks of something, and the others ask yes-or-no questions to guess what it is.
- License Plate Game: See how many different country license plates you can spot. (or states, if you’re in the US)
- Storytelling: Take turns adding sentences to a made-up story.
- Car Bingo: Create bingo cards with common roadside sights.
We like to play “guess a person” where one person thinks of a person (or character) and then the others have to guess the person. The one thinking of a person is only allowed to answer yes or no. We are typically characters from Nohrs favorite audiobooks or shows.
4. Schedule Regular Breaks
As mentioned earlier: our travels works best if we don’t stop. But if your family’s trips works best with break then make sure to plan to:
- Stretch and Move: Let kids run around and expend some energy at rest stops or parks. (these can easily be found in Park4Night!)
- Explore Local Attractions: Find interesting spots along your route to visit.
- Have a Picnic: Enjoy a meal outside the car to break up the long ride.
These breaks can turn a long trip into a series of mini-adventures.
5. Prepare a Playlist of Audiobooks and Music
Audiobooks and music can be a great way to pass the time without screens. We usually listen to audiobooks of what he would have watched on the iPad, this is a big hit for us!
- Children’s Audiobooks: For small children I really like listening to “Storytime with Philip and Mommy!” on Spotify (these stories are in english and you can listen here) – for my Danish followers: Jeg bruger tit e-reolen – som er gratis – og mofibo til at lytte til historier. Vi er især glad for Disney historier som “Biler” og “Løvernes Garde”.
- Family-friendly Podcasts: Educational and entertaining options. This is a great way to answer some of all the question your little one asks! Lately Nohr has been wondering how Earth was created so we listen to science podcasts. Sometimes we listen to podcast about octopus and volcanos. We listen to our podcasts on Spotify, we only listen to our podcasts in Danish, so the list of podcasts we listen to is for Danish followers… Sorry!
The list (you can click the names to listen):
RadionauterneMininaut for de mindre
- Sing-Along Songs: Create a playlist of family favorites. We have a Playlist for Nohr called: Nohr 5 y/o with music that we love to jam to as well. Something that works for all of us.
Audiobooks and music can capture kids’ imaginations and make the time pass quickly.
