How To Keep The Grandkids Engaged On The Road
Grandparents are going on a road trip with grandchildren on a sunny day. Photo Credit: Wavebreak Media Ltd
You’ve been planning this trip for the last year and the time has finally come to hit the road. A six-hour road trip has you feeling stressed about how to keep the grandkids engaged on the road. You know it will take more than a sing-along and name games to make the trip fun and everyone happy.
We have searched the internet to find great ideas to make a road trip with the grandkids just that – GRAND!
- “While You Were Sleeping” – If someone falls asleep, everyone else in the car can use that time to concoct a story to tell when that person wakes up. You can also assign points to the best storytellers and award more points if the person who fell asleep believes the story. (Buzz Feed)
- Card Games – There are some card games kids can play, and there are also card activity books available for them to learn new games. In addition to a regular deck of cards, trivia cards might also be a fun way to pass the time. (Kids Health)
- “21 Questions” – One person picks a person, place, or thing and everyone else gets 21 questions to ask to figure out what that person is thinking about. If there are multiple individuals in the car, whoever guesses first can be rewarded by starting the next round. (Buzz Feed)
- The Theme Song Game – One person, hums the theme song for a TV show and everyone else tries to guess it as fast as they can. (Parents.com)
Keeping kids engaged on a train, bus or automobile is easy with these tips. Photo credit: Aleksei Ivanov
- “Did You Hear That” – Much like “While You Were Sleeping,” you try to convince the other people in the car that an event took place. It can be based on a celebrity or something in pop culture or based on someone you both know. You can award points to the storyteller if no one guesses that they aren’t telling the truth, or you can award points to whoever can guess the storyteller isn’t telling the truth. (Buzz Feed) Either way, someone wins in this game.
- License Plate Game – Write down the name of a state every time you see a car with its license plate with the goal of finding one from each state. (Mini Time) Add bonus points if you know the capital of the state.
- “The Singing Game” – One person starts singing a lyric from one song, and then another joins in with a connecting word to start another song. The game goes on until someone cannot connect the lyrics from one song to the lyrics from another. (Buzz Feed)
- Pack small or squishy athletic toys that don’t take up a lot of space and bring them out to play when taking breaks at rest stops. This will help keep healthy circulation flowing and help kids burn off energy. (How Stuff Works)
Toys are a must when traveling. Photo credit: Evgeniy Kalinovskiy
- “The Movie Game” – Similar to “The Singing Game,” one person names an actor and a particular role of theirs, then the next person must name another actor in that movie and a character of theirs from a different film. The game goes on until someone cannot think of another actor. (Buzz Feed)
- Colored Cars – At the beginning of the trip, everyone picks an unusual car color. Every time that color is spotted, the person who chose it gets the point. You can also make a rule so that people can steal points if they spot another person’s color choice first. (Bustle)
- “Fortunately / Unfortunately” – One person makes a positive statement starting with “fortunately,” and another person follows up by spinning it negatively, starting with “unfortunately,” and the game continues back and forth. (Buzz Feed)
- The Radio Game – Scroll through the radio and let a few seconds of whatever song is playing play so that everyone can hear it. Then turn the sound off and whoever guesses which song it is first – wins.
- “The Alphabet Categories” – Pick a category such as band names, foods, or animals, and try to name one that starts with each letter of the alphabet in order. (Buzz Feed)
- There are many apps and games that can be downloaded to tablets and smartphones. Add them before leaving.
- Set a time limit for solitary games and activities. Part of the fun of a road trip is doing things together.
- Lunch time can be a fun time for planning. It’s a great time to plan your next activities and tally points.
- Bring small prizes for the winners of individual games. A grand prize can be given when you reach your destination. You can find small, inexpensive prizes at $1 stores. Prizes can be snacks, coloring books, sunglasses, stickers. There are also websites which offer activity sheets you can print and share during the ride.
Make lifelong memories during road trips with fun activities. Your grandkids will want to share the details for a long, long time. And, so will you.
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