How to Survive a Road Trip with Kids | DIY Traveling Kits

Alternatively titled: “How to not lose your mind while traveling with your children”.

We are currently preparing to hit the road for our yearly summer vacation, and though I can’t give you a 100% guarantee that these tips will save your sanity, I thought I would share a few of the things I’ll be doing to keep my four year old and two year old entertained during our lengthy road trip…

DIY Travel Kits

I picked up a few of these small containers at Target for $2.99 each.  There were larger ones that I thought about getting, but I liked the size of these ones for my kids.  They are just big enough to use as a surface, and to hold some fun items that will hopefully entertain them for more than 10 minutes.

I bought each child a small notebook to use for stickers and coloring, along with a couple of sticker pads, and some washable crayons (thank the Lord for washable crayons!). For Ella, who can be a little unpredictable, I picked up some Crayola Color Magic stickers and markers… if you aren’t familiar with this line, it is a total game changer, as the markers only work on the “magic” paper (or stickers in this case).  This way, she can color to her heart’s content, and I don’t have to worry about our minivan getting tagged with toddler grafitti.

I added a small toy for each child too.  For Ella, one of those blind bags that seem to be all the rage these days, and for Max a small lego kit.  I know what you’re thinking… “legos in the car???”, but Max is pretty good with stuff like this, and I’m thinking that he can use the plastic container as a place to dump the legos while he assembles them.

These are just some ideas, but these “kits” can totally be tailored to whatever your kids are into. I just really liked the idea of gifting each child a little box of goodies to kick off the road trip.

Books

This is kind of no-brainer, but I always like to pack a few books when we’re about to embark on a long drive.  These Where’s Waldo books keep my kids entertained for long periods of time, which is always a win.

 

Snacks

It goes without saying that kids love snacks.  There are few situations where a snack doesn’t work to bribe my kids to sit still and be quiet for a few minutes, so you better believe I always stock a bag full of goodies whenever we travel. Granola bars, Pirates Booty, Goldfish crackers, and fruit snacks are a few of our favorites.

 

When all else fails…

I try my best to limit screen time, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.  When your 3.5 hours into a trip, and about to lose your mind, throwing a movie on the tablet seems to ease the pain.

Do you have any tips for traveling with kids?  I always like to hear what other parents do, and definitely appreciate any ideas you guys can share before we take off!