Family trips mean adventure, laughter and…lots of time in the car. Whether you are heading out for a weekend getaway, visiting grandparents, or taking a family vacation, long drives (and flights!) with kids can feel like an adventure all on their own. These screen free road trip activities for kids are our tried and true favorites!
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Mess Free Art Activities for the Car
Paint by Sticker Books
These books are one of our all time favorite travel activities for kids. Kids peel and match stickers to create fun images, it is like paint-by-number, but with stickers! There are sets for toddlers, animal lovers, and even older kids who like more detailed challenges. They’re mess free and perfect for building fine motor skills!
Water Wow! Reusable Painting Books
If your kids love painting but you dread the mess, these books are magic. Just add water to the brush and watch the colors appear! When the page dries, it turns white again so you can reuse it over and over. These have been a hit with all of my kids, even the big ones ask for a turn.
Color Wonder Mess Free Set
These markers are so fun! They only show up on the Color Wonder paper, never on hands, clothes, or car seats. They’re the perfect mess free way for kids to get creative on the go.
Fun Family Games On The Go
Guess In 10
This game is fun for the whole family! It goes with us on car rides, plane rides and even on camping trips. My favorite part is that kids of all ages can play!
Memory Game
This travel version keeps all the pieces contained in one board (a must for the car!). It’s great for kids of different ages to play side by side. We often race to see who can finish their board first!
Reusable Game Activity Book
These reusable dry erase game books are packed with activities, mazes, and Mad Libs style fun. Great for long drives, restaurants, or flights with kids.
Free Printable Travel Games For Kids
- Alphabet Game
- Work together to spot letters A–Z on road signs and license plates. For younger kids, this is a great way to reinforce letter recognition and early reading skills.
- License Plate Game
- Try to find all 50 states! Print a free map before your trip and see how many you can check off together. We love keeping a running total and seeing if we can beat our last trip’s record.
- Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
- A fun, screen free way to keep little ones busy! My kids love checking off each item as they spot it outside their window, this activity is perfect for preschoolers through early elementary ages.
Handheld Travel Games & Activities
Magnetic Puzzles
These 15-piece magnetic jigsaw puzzles (sold in a pack of two) are perfect for kids ages 3 and up. We bring them on every trip, they’re the ideal travel activity for younger kids!
Shape Shifting Box
This fidget toy transforms into 70 different shapes leading to hours of fun. There is an internal magnet in the box to help create different shapes, this is an item that keeps my 9 year old occupied for a long time on trips!
Kanoodle
This brain teaser puzzle is perfect for kids 7+ and has over 200 puzzles for kids to complete. It comes with a case that holds all of the pieces making it perfect for a grab and go activity!
Rush Hour Travel Game
With 40 logic puzzles to choose from this is a great way to pass time on car rides. This game is compact and the pieces are magnetic making it easy to travel with!
Flipside Handheld Game
This is a fast paced puzzle game that my kids love. It has been a go to birthday gift for friends for years because it is fun for all ages and has single player and multi-player mode for when you want to play with others!
Logi Bugs
This magentic game comes with 4 levels of difficulty and is perfect for kids ages 5+. There are 48 challenges and they get harder as you progress through the challenge cards. The game comes in a small metal case, perfect for traveling!
Legos
Lego play develops curiosity and encourages creative play. They are a great tool to foster STEM learning and development and also a great choice for car rides! This post talks through how to create a Lego travel binder for your child that is perfect for road trips. For extra fun don’t forget to print off these Lego challenge cards!
Quiet Car Activities for Kids
LCD Writing Tablet
If you have a child who loves doodling and writing this is a great choice. We love using this to play hangman and tic tac toe when traveling. I love that it is slim enough to fit in a backpack or next to a carseat.
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Travel CD Player
This has been one of our best purchases for traveling with our kids. We go to the library and get audiobooks and my kids get lost in these books for hours. We also love using these for quiet time when my kids just need a little down time when traveling!
Reading Light
This isn’t exactly an activity, but it’s a road trip essential for our family. We always pack a bin of books next to each child, reading is one of their favorite ways to pass the time. When the sun sets before they’re ready to sleep, this small reading light lets them sneak in a few extra pages before drifting off.
Yoto
Our Yoto player has become a must have for every trip. It keeps the kids entertained with stories, music, and podcasts, no screens required! It’s perfect for quiet time in the car or winding down before bed and it has a sound machine that we use at night too!
What are some of your favorite car games that make road trips more enjoyable for your family? I would love to hear below!
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