Looking for some kid-friendly boredom busters for your next trip?
Kids like to travel but can become fidgety when the trip takes too long. This can happen in the car, on a train or bus or in the air. That’s why it’s a good idea to give them something to do to occupy their time and restless minds.
I have some ideas for boredom busters your family can use that will keep your kids (and you) entertained. Some of the activities I recommend are even educational (bonus!). I hope that you and your kids enjoy them.
Boredom Busters for Kids
Play free or inexpensive games and activities.
There are lots of activities you can do that require little or no supplies. In fact, some require only the mind. I have some ideas listed below suitable for various age ranges.
- 20 questions
- Trivia questions
- Find license plates that spell a word.
- Find license plates with prime numbers.
- Find license plates where the first two numbers add up to the last like “224” or do the reverse with subtraction.
- List the license plates you find by state.
- Find something that begins with an ____ (letter).
- Find something that has a right angle. (Then do acute and obtuse angles.)
- Find a license plate or road sign that has a certain letter or number.
- Find things that are a certain shape. (Can include 3 dimensional shapes.)
- Find a certain type of plant, animal, landmark, building, or vehicle.
- What shapes do you see in the clouds?
- Find something that is ____ (color).
- Play Name That Tune with recordings you bring along.
Some of these activities can be used to reinforce foreign language learning. For example, you could ask the kids, “Find something that is azul (blue).”
Ask thinking questions.
Ask your kids questions that will get them thinking. Try to incorporate knowledge they have learned over the past year. Some possibilities include:
- Based on that road sign, how long will it take to get to ____ if we are going ____mph?
- Based on that road sign, how far is it between ____ and ____? (Fill in city names.)
- Can you predict what the weather might be like based on the clouds and other weather conditions you see?
- What do you think this area looked like during the time of the ____? (Choose a historical period)
- Which Native Americans lived in this part of the country? How did they live?
- What types of plants and animals live in this biome?
Get surprise toys for the trip.
Stockpile some small toy purchases and unveil them during long trips. They will keep your children occupied while traveling. For the younger ones, choose toys that can be tethered to your child’s seat so that you aren’t constantly retrieving them from the floor.
Make travel kits.
Start with a hanging organizer. You can find them at Walmart, your local dollar store, or on Amazon. Fill the pockets with age-appropriate items that will keep them entertained such as crayons, pencils, construction paper, drawing paper, printables, coloring books and games. Attach each one to the back of the seat in front of each child for easy access.
Bring books.
Older kids can practice reading with a good book. For younger ones, choose interactive volumes that have fuzzy pages, pop-up pictures and sounds. You may need to read aloud these books to them.
Listen to audiobooks.
Bring along recordings of children’s books. If you want to reinforce reading skills, bring along the books as well so that your kids can follow along.
With a little bit of advanced planning, your imagination, and this post, you can provide your kids with plenty of boredom busters for your next trip.
What kinds of boredom busters for kids do YOU use for travel? Let me know in the comment section.
Many blessings,
