When we were packing for our recent holiday trip to France we soon realised that making sure you've got the right clothing for the holiday is perhaps not the main thing to worry about. The main thing is to keep your sanity and not have a screaming match from bored kids in the back of a car.
So before we headed off to France to see our family I had a read of a few posts on entertaining kids on road trips and came up with our own little list. My girls are aged 2 and 1 and so I bared this in mind when providing them with suitable things to keep them occupied.
Most of the things we took were sourced from a number of carboot sales we headed to during the summer such as the dolls, an etch a sketch, a jigsaw puzzle and a variety of activity books as well as reading books with her current favourite character Peppa Pig.
I also like to have a nosy around the odd charity shop while out and about. You never know what you may find and if there isn't a carboot sale on at the time you are planning to head off then I'm sure one of these will be open. I found a pack of crayons to go with the activity books I'd found.
Then there's always the odd thing found in a supermarket sale. I picked up a couple of packs of play doh and took one set away with us. I also spotted they were selling Crayola activity packs so popped one in the trolley too.
These all worked out really well for keeping my girls entertained (eldest in particular) and keeping them entertained during the journeys we took. Just make sure that it is easily accessible for them and that hubby hasn't put it in the car boot!
So before we headed off to France to see our family I had a read of a few posts on entertaining kids on road trips and came up with our own little list. My girls are aged 2 and 1 and so I bared this in mind when providing them with suitable things to keep them occupied.
Carboot Sales
Most of the things we took were sourced from a number of carboot sales we headed to during the summer such as the dolls, an etch a sketch, a jigsaw puzzle and a variety of activity books as well as reading books with her current favourite character Peppa Pig.
Charity Shop
I also like to have a nosy around the odd charity shop while out and about. You never know what you may find and if there isn't a carboot sale on at the time you are planning to head off then I'm sure one of these will be open. I found a pack of crayons to go with the activity books I'd found.
Supermarket Sale
Then there's always the odd thing found in a supermarket sale. I picked up a couple of packs of play doh and took one set away with us. I also spotted they were selling Crayola activity packs so popped one in the trolley too.
These all worked out really well for keeping my girls entertained (eldest in particular) and keeping them entertained during the journeys we took. Just make sure that it is easily accessible for them and that hubby hasn't put it in the car boot!
What things do you pack when it comes to keeping your kids entertained on a journey?
Supply a handy sheet to be filled in by them of things they would take
Oh yes I love finding things in charity shops - you can get some real bargains! My girls like to colour in the car, and also listen to story CDs or music CDs #mg
ReplyDeleteKeeping them entertained is so important to our own sanity, always good to keep it on a budget too, great ideas and tips here! #mg
ReplyDeleteI always looks for sales on what my kids love. They're older now though and most of what they want are video games but my 10 year old still does play with certain toys that I can usually find online for cheaper than in the store. These are great tips! #FamilyFunLinky
ReplyDeleteIt can be hard to keep them entertained on a long journey. I always took paper/colouring books and pencils, they always seem to go down well.
ReplyDelete#FamilyFun
Great ideas! Did they use the playdough on the journey itself, or when you got there? Thanks for linking this to #DreamTeam!
ReplyDeleteI wrote a very similar post like this when we took our 4-hour road trip to Boston, and my girls are the same age! All of these are great items. The only thing I had in addition to these were endless amount of snacks, and I used them ALL! Thanks for sharing! #explorerkids
ReplyDeleteThese are great ideas. Buying from car boot sales in brilliant. My kids are older now but still get bored on long journeys. Sarah #explorerkids
ReplyDeleteUseful tips for road trips. Will try colouring and activities on my next vacation
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely great ideas! We love hunting down treasure in carboots and playdoh is great for long car journeys and flights! #DreamTeam
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ReplyDeleteGreat tips never would have thought to do car boots 😊💕
Mandy xx
Fantastic ideas! I'll bear these in mind for when my little one is older. I've seen fantastic systems where you can have loads of toys and things for entertainment purposes strapped to the back of the front car seats. My favourite idea here is, I think, the mess free colouring. Even I wouldn't mind a go at that, I get bored on car journeys too sometimes! :) #mg
ReplyDeleteWhen my kids were younger I put a lot of effort into keeping them entertained on our long road trips. I must admit now that they are bit older I've gotten a but lazy about it, but it does help that they're better able to bring along things to keep themselves busy.
ReplyDeleteAudiobooks, Disney sound tracks for a good sing-a-long, I spy..., books of course and hotwheels cars :) #KLTR
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, I love the crayloa activity packs and I always keep a pad of paper and some crayons in my bag wherever we go. Thank you for linking up with #FamilyFunLinky
ReplyDeleteWe have a local charity book shop, we've found so many hidden gems in there and they cost next to nothing. Great ideas. Thanks for joining in at #TriumphantTales!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant ideas. I love looking for little treasures in charity shops x #TriumphantTales
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I love the ide of having a look for bits & bobs at car boot sales. We often raid the £1 shops too! #familytraveltips
ReplyDeleteWe love charity shop. In fact I have a confession, I am a bit of an Charity shopaholic lol! We buy lots of books and toys there too. Great tips here.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for linking up with us on #ExplorerKids
Good thing I saw this before we took a 4 hour road trip to Quantico, VA. You are brilliant, thank you! #ExplorerKids
ReplyDeleteOoh you're brave giving them play-doh in the car, not sure I'd cope with the threat of mess! Fab tips and I totally agree, there's nothing worse than screaming bored kids on a long journey! Thanks for linking up to #familytraveltips
ReplyDeleteNat.x
This is a fantastic post. We have visited many charity shops for books in the past and that is such a fab idea. I love your post. You can get some great things on sale at the supermarket too. We went to poundland the other day and got a few things to keep Sylvia busy! That's a budget friendly place to go. Thanks for linking to #KLTR
ReplyDeleteSome great ideas, charity shops are often a great place to find toys and books as are supermarket sales. Thanks for linking up to #KLTR
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