If you were moving halfway across the country, in a minivan...

[Guest inoubliable]

what would you bring along to entertain kiddos? 

 

In March, we're leaving the East Coast for the Midwest!  :hurray:  We're planning on heading out with whatever fits in our minivan and a large Uhaul trailer. We've got our route planned out with stops every three hours or so. I'm doing as much advance planning as I can and now I'm wondering... what should I pack to entertain the kids? We don't have a portable DVD player or portable game systems. Books? I figured as much. Sketch pads and colored pencils? Yeah, probably. What else? 

 

Looking for some unique ideas, not too expensive. Ideally, I'd like the kids to use their small LL Bean totes while in the car. I'm thinking of packing entertainment stuff and snacks in those. 

Thoughts?

[*Lulu*]

Congratulations!

 

 

(We have a14 hour drive to the in-laws that DH insists in driving in one day. In car entertainment is key!)

 

Pipe cleaners are always a hit with our crew.

 

I would be tempted to make a special bingo board or scavenger hunt sheet based on the states you plan to drive through.

 

(I say tempted because it is the sort of thing I would think about and then not follow through on because I'd procrastinated too long!)

[Mandylubug]

We moved from GA to AZ and then back two years later. I really found the ability to watch movies a life saver. Maybe on a tablet, smart phone or laptop? I also never put on a movie till extreme boredom stepped in. We had lapdesks, coloring books, small toys like littlest pet shops, etc. We also stopped at every public rest stop or Love gas station if it had been a while to allow for snacks and stretching.

[dirty ethel rackham]

One of our favorites is audiobooks.  The trick is finding one that appeals to the whole family. 

[Prairie~Phlox]

Do you have a laptop? We always used that to play movies.

[Occasionally]

mp3 players for audiobooks, maybe Etch a Sketch? We have small whiteboards to use as lap desks (but I would never in a million years give the kids whiteboard markers in the car!) Between books, coloring and drawing, we've kept the kids pretty well entertained. On our last trip we packed the kids' scooters in an accessible place for when we stopped (at a grocery store for lunch fixings, etc.) One parent would shop, the other would supervise the kids in a remote corner of the parking lot. It was great for getting some of the jitters out.

 

Enjoy both the planning and the trip!

[gingersmom]

I would splurge on a DVD player. Audiobooks are good to.

 

My kids get car sick reading in the car.

[regentrude]

audiobooks

We have listened to dozens of hours of great audiobooks on long drives together as a family, and have wonderful memories of it.

Does your car have a CD player? Listening together and talking about the books was great, much nicer than everybody having their own player with headphones and listening to their own separate story

[LinRTX]

I'm not sure of the ages of your kids, but I was thinking -- pipe cleaners (or wiki sticks) that they could bend into shapes. Also when I have traveled with the kids when they were little, I would sometimes wrap the items as presents and let them anticipate getting something new halfway through the trip (or more often if necessary).

 

Linda

[Guest inoubliable]

Congratulations!

 

 

(We have a14 hour drive to the in-laws that DH insists in driving in one day. In car entertainment is key!)

 

Pipe cleaners are always a hit with our crew.

 

I would be tempted to make a special bingo board or scavenger hunt sheet based on the states you plan to drive through.

 

(I say tempted because it is the sort of thing I would think about and then not follow through on because I'd procrastinated too long!)

 

14 hours in one day?! Our longest stretch will be a 10 hour drive, the rest of the drive is broken up into 3 hours here, and 3 hours there. We're meeting up with a bunch of boardies along the way! 

 

Pipe cleaners - I can do that! And, yeah, special bingo boards or scavenger sheet? Um. No. LOL. I tried looking this kind of thing up on Pinterest (save me!) and there's NO way I'd be able to put together that kind of stuff. 

We moved from GA to AZ and then back two years later. I really found the ability to watch movies a life saver. Maybe on a tablet, smart phone or laptop? I also never put on a movie till extreme boredom stepped in. We had lapdesks, coloring books, small toys like littlest pet shops, etc. We also stopped at every public rest stop or Love gas station if it had been a while to allow for snacks and stretching.

No tablets here, but we do have a laptop to bring. Not sure the battery would hold out for an entire movie, though. Hmm. Are there laptop chargers that you plug into cars? I think I need to look into this.

 

One of our favorites is audiobooks.  The trick is finding one that appeals to the whole family. 

We've just been introduced to Audible! I have some stuff already but I've only got it downloaded to my phone so far. I guess it wouldn't matter if the phone's battery were being run down. I have a car charger for that. 

[Guest inoubliable]

mp3 players for audiobooks, maybe Etch a Sketch? We have small whiteboards to use as lap desks (but I would never in a million years give the kids whiteboard markers in the car!) Between books, coloring and drawing, we've kept the kids pretty well entertained. On our last trip we packed the kids' scooters in an accessible place for when we stopped (at a grocery store for lunch fixings, etc.) One parent would shop, the other would supervise the kids in a remote corner of the parking lot. It was great for getting some of the jitters out.

 

Enjoy both the planning and the trip!

 

 The scooters are a great idea. The kids are bringing their skateboards, so I'll just make sure those are accessible. Thanks!

I would splurge on a DVD player. Audiobooks are good to.

 

My kids get car sick reading in the car.

 

I'll start looking now for a DVD player. The last time I looked at those, years ago, they were over $100. That's just not going to happen.

audiobooks

We have listened to dozens of hours of great audiobooks on long drives together as a family, and have wonderful memories of it.

Does your car have a CD player? Listening together and talking about the books was great, much nicer than everybody having their own player with headphones and listening to their own separate story

Yep - we've got a CD player! I've got to look into making a few CDs now.

[Um_2_4]

Can't recall ages/boy/girl???

tic tac toe games

magnetic games (I often find cheap ones at dollar tree, then you wouldn't care if it got lost ,etc)

hot wheels

stickers and blank booklets (can make your own with construction paper,staples and duct tape) for making stories (I always found drawing hard while driving?? maybe that is just me LOL)

a ball for rest stops

 

 

 

 

[Guest inoubliable]

Can't recall ages/boy/girl???

tic tac toe games

magnetic games (I often find cheap ones at dollar tree, then you wouldn't care if it got lost ,etc)

hot wheels

stickers and blank booklets (can make your own with construction paper,staples and duct tape) for making stories (I always found drawing hard while driving?? maybe that is just me LOL)

a ball for rest stops

 I guess that info would have been helpful. LOL. 

All boys - 13, will be 9, and 6. 

 

I'm liking the idea of blank booklets to draw in. They do have lapdesks that they use for school. I could pack those into the van. 

[Occasionally]

Mad Libs have been a big hit, too.

[Catwoman]

You can get car chargers for any of your electronics (I usually find they are cheapest on Amazon or in the little gadget section of Marshall's or TJMaxx,) and the portable DVD players often go on sale for around 50 bucks. You might even find one at Goodwill or something right after Christmas, because a lot of people donate their old stuff that still works when they get the latest-and-greatest as gifts. The same thing goes for slightly older generation handheld gaming systems.

 

Congratulations on your move!!! Have you found a place to live yet?

[Guest inoubliable]

Mad Libs have been a big hit, too.

 

Oh gosh, yes. I can't believe I didn't think of that. I remember plenty of vacations as a kid, passing the time in the car with Mad Libs with my siblings. I'll put that on the list.

You can get car chargers for any of your electronics (I usually find they are cheapest on Amazon or in the little gadget section of Marshall's or TJMaxx,) and the portable DVD players often go on sale for around 50 bucks. You might even find one at Goodwill or something right after Christmas, because a lot of people donate their old stuff that still works when they get the latest-and-greatest as gifts. The same thing goes for slightly older generation handheld gaming systems.

 

Congratulations on your move!!! Have you found a place to live yet?

Excellent idea - I'll starting checking those places out in the next couple of weeks. 

 

:D There are a couple of places that we're looking at but nothing will be started (application-wise) until February. A friend has been keeping an eye out for nice rentals for us, too. Next month, DH formally requests the transfer and on 1 Feb I tell this jerk-landlord that I'm giving him my month's notice! 

I. Cannot. Wait. 

Just keeping our fingers crossed that the timeline works out like it should and nothing gets held up. 

[lavender's green]

I haven't done that sort of thing as a parent, but I did plenty of cross-country driving trips as a kid.

 

Audiobooks were a huge hit, especially since it kept the driver entertained as well.  Harry Potter was great.  Or sometimes Mom would read out loud.

 

Disposable cameras were fun.  Do they even make those anymore?

 

I don't know how many days you'll be on the road, but our parents would give each of us a small gift first thing in the morning.  I can't actually remember what the gifts were!  Other than one day they got us all cheap aerosol perfume and it must have driven them insane with the smell!   Knick-knacks and puzzles would be good.  Target has little things like that as you first walk in.  We did this when we traveled when my oldest was 2, and he liked the dinosaurs and noise makers and little bouncy balls.

 

The license plate game is more fun than you'd think it would be.  Another goes like this: A, my name is Anna and my husband's name is Al.  We come from Alabama and we sell Apples.  But you take turns and go through the alphabet, replacing each of those A words with something new that begins with the next letter.  This was a huge, huge hit with my cousins!

 

You could also give them small change for spotting slightly unusual things.  Like, a nickel for a deer and a quarter for a buffalo.

[Χά�ων]

Audio books! I know it has already been said, but I am saying it again!

[Erica in OR]

Portable DVD players have been huge for us and so worth it. We'll typically rent DVDs from Redboxes along the way, because they're so cheap and you can return them at any Redbox.

 

Erica in OR

[Guest inoubliable]

Portable DVD players have been huge for us and so worth it. We'll typically rent DVDs from Redboxes along the way, because they're so cheap and you can return them at any Redbox.

 

Erica in OR

 

Oh. My. 

That's a fantastic idea. I was thinking I'd have to have a few of our own DVDs floating about loose in the van. I like *this* idea so much more! Thanks!

[MooCow]

You could also have the boys do a "souvenir" journal as you travel. Postcards and the free maps at rest stops are great for this.

[Χά�ων]

Road atlas! Seriously. Many happy hours have been spent staring at one.

 

 

[Upward Journey]

We've done the across the country thing 6 times.

 

Audiobooks are a life saver.

Compact thinking games that can be played by one person - Antivirus, Rush Hour, Hoppers etc.

Madlibs

Books to just read

The book "Do You Doodle?" was a hit.

iPods/ipad

Individually bagged snacks

 

And rotating the seating arrangement if possible. For us that meant each day someone else got to ride with dad in the moving truck and someone else got to sit up front with mom.

 

Our longest day ever (not a move so no rotating of seats because we were all in one vehicle) was from Lake Charles, LA to Las Cruses, NM. I didn't even think it was possible to get across TX in one day before that!

[LucyStoner]

What, you mean you aren't biking it, lugging it all in little bike trailers?  You carbon maniac, you!  I really don't know if we can still be board buddies.  

 

Anyone not seeing this remark in the full jest intended needs to call their doctor for a prescription of...something.  

 

ETA:  I vote audiobooks.  Audiobooks all the way.  

[Guest inoubliable]

What, you mean you aren't biking it, lugging it all in little bike trailers?  You carbon maniac, you!  I really don't know if we can still be board buddies.  

 

 

 

If anything, I'm scandalous. :D

 

 

Okay, okay. Audiobooks. Now I just need to figure out how to download from Audible.

[Cinder]

Yep, audiobooks! And Mad Libs. And word search books--you can get those at the dollar store. Mine like mints and gum with their snacks.

 

A long time ago some friends who had far more experience traveling with kids recommended using the rest stops for bathroom and running around, then going through the drive thru and eating in the car. Even if you're bringing your own lunch this strategy of running around outside then eating in the car works well for the kids.

[bettyandbob]

Mad Libs and audio books got us through serious drives. 

[Catwoman]

What, you mean you aren't biking it, lugging it all in little bike trailers?  You carbon maniac, you!  I really don't know if we can still be board buddies.  

 

Anyone not seeing this remark in the full jest intended needs to call their doctor for a prescription of...something.  

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Prairie~Phlox]

You can get a power inverter pretty cheap and plug stuff in. 

[Dory]

audiobooks, books they haven't read yet, washable window markers, a thing of pipe cleaners (can entertain for hours making odd things and they are large enough it's easy cleanup), put snacks in smaller portion backs and hand out periodically with lots of variety (lots of little bits and something different made it more fun for the kids). Play travel games such as license plate bingo and travel scavenger hunts. On our last 3000mi trip I brought this and this style of picture books as well as one on the constellations. They were a huge hit and entertained for ages as well as being educational. My oldest loved the planes and tanks in the first one (not any history so much as just the equipment that was used then and info on that). Between those we didn't have a single fight the entire trip between the kids.

[Dory]

Oh, and Mad Libs, but we only did a few of those.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Ooo I'm in the midwest....

[Χά�ων]

Ooo I'm in the midwest....

 

Me too. I am not getting my hopes up that someone who is progressive will be moving to my area.

 

[school17777]

I make goodie bags for the kids when we travel.  They still insist that I make them for our 4 hour summer vacation drive.  I put gummy bears, gum, that kinds of stuff, plus little toys for the youngest.  They all look forward to that bag.  You could make one based on the mileage that you drive - for example you would pull something out of the bag when you hit 250 miles/500 miles/etc....  You could use the other ideas such as mad libs, pipe cleaners, etc. and pull those things out at the mile marker.

[Barb_]

We do a cross country drive twice a year. Bring plastic grocery bags for puke bags and garbage, a box of sandwich sized ziplock bags (handy for passing out snacks or containing all sorts of mess), wet wipes for sticky messes, paper towels, scissors and tape (one of my kids always brings this and it is always helpful), and reusable grocery bags (they stand up better when stored full of trip food).

 

Also, if you will be doing a lot of days on the road, pack 1-2 small suitcases for the first couple of days and then 1-2 for the second couple of days. You will appreciate not having to haul a suitcase for every single person every overnight on your trip.

[Meriwether]

We travel a lot. On long driving days, 10-18+ hours, we like to leave early in the morning. If we hit the road between 4 and 5 in the morning, we get a couple of low traffic hours and the kids usually sleep the first two or three hours. It makes the trip go faster for them.

[Swimtaxi234]

You need a lap tray with a lip like this one and a cheap bag of marbles (and ear plugs for the adults).   :thumbup1:   My son would spend an hour at a time playing with the marbles, dumping them from a cup to a cup or chasing the marbles around with little matchbox cars (between the ages of 6-9).  I didn't care if marbles fell out when we made pit stops because the marbles were cheap entertainment.

 

I thought I would lose my mind a few times from the noise, but ds was so well entertained that it was easier to trade drivers so my husband could enjoy the noise and I could rest my ears.   :D

 

I also remember bringing blank printer paper (cheap) and a bucket of foam stickers from Michael's (cheap).  This was a quiet activity that both of my children enjoyed.  

[Guest inoubliable]

Ooo I'm in the midwest....

 

 

Me too. I am not getting my hopes up that someone who is progressive will be moving to my area.

 

 

Heading through OH, IN, IL, then up through WI and into MN. Anyone close? :D

[Hikin' Mama]

One thing we did when driving cross country with the kids is print out a US map for each of them. They also each had a bunch of star stickers. They watched for license plates from other states on cars we saw and put a sticker on the state the car was from. They enjoyed this, but were about 9, 6, and 3. I'm not sure how old your kids are. Also paper, colored pencils, books, magnetic car games like Scrabble.

 

Audiobooks were a hit. We didn't have a DVD player either, because I am a mean mom who wouldn't allow it. :)

 

Hope your move goes smoothly!

[Tammi K]

We did a PA to CA drive with 6 kids packed into the van and towed a small u-haul behind us.  Our van had a dvd player but that turned out to be more of a problem than a solution. The littlest were in the far back because they had shorter legs. The olders we in the middle seat because they needed more room. But they were taller so their heads blocked the screen fro the little ones. The older ones didn't want to scrunch down...lots of angst!!!!    What worked better was  a portable dvd player with dual headphone jacks so one or two kids sitting close together could watch a movie. We also did audio books and activity books. The kids had fun with the  'invisible ink' activity books - YES & KNOW brand, I thing.  We sing a lot in the car. The older kids had their ipods. They plugged in headphones and slept a lot. They also do a lot of ear bud sharing so frequently they would just listen to one another's music.

 

We planned a major stop every few days (Ohio - Great Wolf Lodge, Minnesota - Mall of America, Salt Lake City - Great Salt Lake, Salt Flats, Reno - Circus Circus, etc) but mainly we did a bunch of 16 hour days with only a few stops for lunch/ bathroom/ etc.  My kids ( 5-19) did fine with that schedule. We didn't need the breaks so it worked best for us to push hard for a few days and then take a day off.

 

Best of luck.

[Mom2OandE]

Ok, I've done this multiple times. I highly recommend getting a $70 portable DVD player. It will go much smoother.

[Parrothead]

Music.  We sing badly on road trips.  But it keeps the lot of us entertained.

[SebastianCat]

One thing I don't think has been mentioned.....plan your "entertainment" strategically based on daylight hours.   There's nothing worse than being stuck in the car with no audiobooks, no DVDs, and iPods that have already run out of battery as the sun is going down.   If you'll be traveling after sundown, save something special for then that doesn't require light.   Do your reading, Mad libs, license plate game, road atlas, etc. during daylight.

 

Bring extra batteries for everything that needs them.

[Random]

We travel a lot. On long driving days, 10-18+ hours, we like to leave early in the morning. If we hit the road between 4 and 5 in the morning, we get a couple of low traffic hours and the kids usually sleep the first two or three hours. It makes the trip go faster for them.

 

We do this, too.  We get up and leave about 4 or 5 AM then plan to stop for a few hours in the middle of the day to let the kids run around whatever green space we can find.  We had 12-13 hr driving days.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but audiobooks were a huge help for us.

 

When we did our big trip, I printed  a color map from google earth of our route for each child to have, and then put the map into a page protector.  One child liked to move a little plastic car along our route, the others just liked to follow along. 

 

The Brain Teaser cards from Barns & Noble were fun.  My boys liked Sudoku, crosswords, Rubik's cubes, and Mind Bender books to occupy themselves.  My mom bought each of my children a disposable camera and told them to keep their eyes open for interesting things to take pictures of. 

 

 

We borrowed a friend's DVD player and DVDs.

 

Have fun!  Safe travels.

[LucyStoner]

What is taking you to MN? Good things I hope!

[Rubix]

Our kids liked having window markers. They drew pictures on the car windows. If you clean them at night it is easy to remove :) just be careful about having kids who are more confined in car seats who can't reach the window with their dominant hand to color!

[Luckymama]

Nothing else to add but my congratulations :party:

[ElizabethB]

Inverter, here is a 2 plug one, 1 plug ones are a bit cheaper.

 

http://www.amazon.com/outlets-inverter-adapter-notebook-MRI3011BU/dp/B004MDXS0U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387336122&sr=8-1&keywords=car+inverter

 

Pipe cleaners. My daughter likes this book more than my son, you could see...

 

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Pipe-Cleaner-Design-Originals/dp/1574215108/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387336215&sr=8-2&keywords=Pipe+cleaner+animals

[Bug's Mom]

Frisbee, ball, hacky sack, etc. to play with during stops.

[vonfirmath]

When travelling cross country as a kid, we did a LOT of singing along together to tapes in the cassette player in the car. And playing car games like Billboard Bingo. And License Plate Tango

 

And reading. And writing and coloring. Occasionally playing magnetic chess, etc in the car.