If every journey you make with your children is made to the soundtrack of ‘are we there yet?’ and ‘how much further?’ it is probably time to get creative with the entertainment on offer.

Surprisingly, when you are looking for a holiday that could be a good few hours away due to how good you know it to be although it sounds great at the time the dreaded car journey always gets forgotten.  In the car you don’t always think about the cost of DVD players and in-car games systems,. It may sound old-fashioned, but kids still love the novelty of ‘I spy’ and ‘spot the Eddie Stobart lorry’.

Still stuck for ideas? How about out the following activities to keep the family entertained. If you need even more ideas that won’t bust your car finance application visit www.theaa.com/arewenearlythereyet/

 

Make For A Colourful Journey

Download some pages from www.nationalgeographic/coloringbook/ and let your children’s imagination run free. A box of coloured pencils or crayons is an in-car essential. Let them colour the pre-printed pages or simply draw what they can see. 

Where are we?

Provide a map and let older children mark off locations as you reach them.  If you are staying in a Northern Ireland Luxury B&B for example like http://www.ashbrook-house.co.uk why look up locations and landmarks you know are on the route. The kids will love the challenge and feel like they are helping you navigate. If your kids are too young to understand conventional maps, draw your own. They will love marking off landmarks they pass and easy-to-recognise towns. 

Spot mummy’s car

It’s amazing what small children notice. How many times have you been walking down the road when your child has pointed to mummy or daddy’s car? OK, so they might only be able to recognise the badge or the colour but it’s still a great basis for a game. Maybe next time they will. 

Eat the alphabet

We’ve all been there, you want to travel those extra few miles but your brood is screaming for a pit-stop. Try out this take on ‘I’m packing for a picnic’ to keep them entertained. Every round starts with ‘I’m starving, I could eat an… ‘a’ word’ and then moves through the alphabet. Maybe your children will tell you that they could eat an ‘aardvark’ or simply a ‘banana’… let the game – and your kids’ imagination – decide.

Who lives there?

One of the most imaginative games possible involves thinking about who lives in the distinctive houses you pass. Kids’ imaginations can go wild as they decide what the occupants do and how they live their lives. Be prepared for children-eating witches living in every rose-covered cottage you pass and talking engines chugging through each station. 

Be prepared

Before you start your journey, get your children to make a list of all the things they might see. Not only can they tick these off to keep them entertained while you’re travelling, it will give you some packing time too. 

Creative competitions     

Use the fact that most children are competitive. See who can scrunch all the rubbish in the car into the smallest ball or who can stay quiet the longest. It’s a win-win situation for adults and children alike if you only pick your challenge right.