I love a good road trip! And I love keeping the kids entertained (at least part of the time…) without movies! Here are some free downloadable games for kids in the car!
Travel Bingo free download
Of course, everyone knows how to play Travel Bingo! Print these cards out, and let the kids color a square when they find something. Get a different board every time! Ready, set, race!
Dots Galore free download
Download this sheet, give kids a writing utensil, and explain how to play: Players take turns adding a single horizontal or vertical line between two unjoined adjacent dots. A player who completes the fourth side of a 1×1 box earns one point and takes another turn. The points are recorded by placing an initial of the player gaining the point in the box. The game ends when no more lines can be placed. The winner is the player with the most points.
This game can be played over and over again for lots of entertainment, so print plenty!
Smoky Mountain Crossword Puzzle free download
Download this for older kids (at least 3rd grade) — it’s educational and fun! Kids may need access to a Smartphone for help in answering questions. Kids will learn trivia about the area, focusing especially on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Download Smoky Mountain Crossword Puzzle
License Plate Game free download
Oh! This is my favorite! It’s so educational for kids, but something the whole family can have fun doing. Print out this free download-able map of the USA. During a long road trip, the whole family watches for unique state license plates. Each time a new state is found, the kids take turns coloring in that state. See how much of the USA you can color during your trip. (We stop for ice cream when we get halfway!)
Travel Gifts free download
Download these free travel gift tags for this fun activity. First, buy a dozen small toys that will keep the kids entertained, or wrap up things they already have. Suggestions are: coloring books, movies, activity books, markers and paper, aluminum foil (it’s crazy the things kids can make with it!), travel games, white boards, CD, etc. Then affix a label to each gift. Every hour (or whatever allotted time you choose), kids get to pull out one gift. But they must do whatever the label says before opening the gift. This really stretches out the gifts — and gives the whole family time to interact with each other before the kids get immersed in another activity.
I hope you enjoy these free downloads! We are sure excited to share them with you! What do you do to keep your kids occupied in the car on road trips?