The suitcases are packed, the luggage rack is loaded, and the cooler is full of snacks for the road…you’re off! And then it happens. “Are we there yet????” And the first bouts of whining and fighting break out in the backseat. You need some entertainment, FAST! Don’t worry – we’ve got your back with today’s road trip activities for kids!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Plastic clips/clothespins/chip clips; paper; pens/markers/crayons; Craft Lace (best for game #1 because the clips slide across it more easily); yarn or other string is fine for game #2; printable match-up pictures.
WHAT TO DO:
1- The Car Ride Slide – Kids and parents can send drawings and notes flying from the passenger seat to the back seat and back again with this fun activity! Whoever is in the passenger seat holds one end of the Craft Lace and the child in the backseat takes the other end. Place the clip on the Craft Lace so that it will slide across the string. The child squeezes the clip with those Super Fingers to secure his note and then lifts his end of the string, sending his note gliding across the car to mom or dad in the front seat!
*We found that heavier plastic clips work best for this because they slide faster!
2- Back Seat Picture Match-Up – Print off the game pictures and cut them out. Then, cut each picture in half along the gray line down the middle. String your yarn or craft lace from one side of the back seat to the other so it’s hanging in front of the kids like a clothesline. Kids have to match up the corresponding pictures, clipping them next to each other on the string to complete the face or animal! Use cup holders to keep clothespins and pictures handy!
3- Road Trip Hide the Clip – Here’s and fun and easy one. This is just a simple game of hide and seek. One person is the “hider” and everyone in the car closes their eyes (except the driver, of course :). The hider finds a clever place in the car to fasten the clip (e.g. on someone’s clothes or a shoelace, on a pillow or blanket, on an air conditioning vent). Everyone else opens their eyes and tries to find it! Whoever finds the clip first gets to be the “hider”!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Fine motor skills, visual motor integration, visual perception, social skills, cognitive skills
