A guide to keeping kids amused in the car

Children can be testing at times – but perhaps never more so than on a long car journey. Here’s how to provide them with enough in-car activities so that your vehicle remains a place of peace.

That’s entertainment
Pull out all the stops when it comes to trying to keep the kids amused in the car. If you bring any kind of electronic device for them, don’t forget the charger and headphones.

Games: There are many games that are perfect for long journeys, such as ‘Spot the yellow cars’. ‘I spy’ is another gem, as is taking it in turns to say one line of a made up story. You can scour the internet for more game ideas, so you have a stash of them that you can call upon when required. 

Music: Bring some nursery rhymes for little ones to sing along to in the car. Teens love to zone out to their own tunes – but make sure they bring their own MP3 player and headphones, unless you like listening to JLS and Justin Bieber! 

Books and magazines: Books of all sorts are handy for keeping kids amused, and magazines are especially good for teens. If you bring colouring books, don’t forget the pencils and crayons. Some kids get car sick if they read on a journey; if that’s the case, bring some audiobooks. 

Films/TV: A good film or favourite TV show can be utterly engrossing, whatever your age, so bring a portable DVD player or laptop and something for your kids to watch that you know they’ll like. 

Electronic games: If your children have portable games consoles, bring them along with a selection of games, but monitor their usage. Playing for too long isn’t good for the eyes and can also bring on car sickness. 

Map: Bring a spare map for the children and get them to spot landmarks along the way. It’ll really help their map reading skills, and when they ask, “Are we nearly there yet?” you can get them to check their map. 

Fill up on fodder
Healthy mess-free snacks include fruit – though preferably those without pips, peel, stones or cores – and vegetable sticks with dips. Or you could take oatcakes, pita bread, breadsticks and rice cakes with dips and spreads, such as hummus or peanut butter.

Small children and toddlers love mini sausages and cheeses, or packets of dried fruit. Sticks of yoghurt are fairly fuss-free, too.

You could also consider taking a few sweets or chocolate – it’s not the best option, but it might ease the pain of a long car journey. Plus, you can even play, ‘Who can make their sweet last the longest?’

Don’t forget to take drinks, too, but only bring beverages in plastic bottles or flasks with screw-top lids. Water is the best thirst quencher, but not all children like it. Instead, try fruit juice, smoothies, low-sugar fruit drinks or prepare some diluted cordial. Avoid caffeine-filled, sugary drinks if you’d like the kids to sleep on the journey!

Making a flask of a hot drink might seem like a good idea, but pour out a cuppa and one sharp brake could mean a lapful of coffee.

Break time
Stop off at a scenic spot or service station and it’ll give the children a chance to run off some energy and stretch their legs. Fresh air will also revive tired drivers, and of course it’ll give everyone the chance to nip to the loo.

You could also stop at a place of interest along the way, such as a castle. It’s a nice way to break up a journey and if you give yourself an extra hour, you won’t be pushed for time. Look up local tourist attractions online, and try to schedule your stop for lunch time so you can get out of the car for a picnic.

Keeping the kids amused will certainly take the stress out of your journey – and so does knowing you have adequate Sainsbury’s Bank car insurance cover.

Author Bio:
Tara Nathanson writes for Sainsbury’s Money Matters Blog on a range of topics including car insurance, car safety and other motoring topics. In her spare time she likes going to the cinema and doing yoga and Zumba classes, and at weekends she likes hanging out with her six-year-old son.

This post is protected under copyright. SusankMann 2009 – 2014