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Travel + Fun

02nd Aug 2017

‘Are we there yeeetttt?’ Ways to break-up long journeys for your kids

Katie Mythen-Lynch

Brought to you by 123.ie.

‘Are we there yet?’ The four little words we dread most on a road trip.

Of course, backseat boredom is no fun at all, but all that whining can also be a major distraction for the driver, meaning it’s actually in everybody’s interest to make the journey as low-stress as possible.

Our advice? Make your upcoming summer car journeys more entertaining with these super-creative ideas.

Now all that’s left to do is sit back and listen to the sound of silence.

1. Road trip bingo

An oldie, but a goodie. Pinterest is packed full of great (and free) printables for road trips, but road trip bingo is one of our faves. There’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned competition to get the whole car engaged. This game can keep everyone entertained for miles and miles. Seriously, even mum and dad will enjoy it.

2. Podcasts

Family-friendly podcasts are brilliant and so many are free to download. Engage their little ears with some of our favourites: Sesame Street, Spongebob Mania, Despicable Me and Harry Potter.

3. Thinking games

While it’s tempting to hand your little ones your iPhone or a mini tablet, the best way to keep them entertained on the road is to play good old-fashioned thinking games, get their little brains working and engaged. From ‘Story Time’ (getting each of your little ones to build a story sentence by sentence), to ‘Name Five’ (get them naming five flowers, colours, countries in alphabetical order). Get them to tell a story about their destination, what they think it will be like and what they will do when they get there.

4. Audiobooks 

Take requests and do a mass download of the books the kids would like to listen to most. The soothing sound of a storyteller spinning a yarn is perfect for a long ‘ol’ drive. And who knows, all that concentrating on a brilliant story might lead to the Holy Grail: a few minutes (hours?) of shut-eye.

5. Fun snacks

Snacks are essential. They must be healthy enough for them not to get a sugar rush in the car – think about the sugar risk and the noise levels, people! But they also must be novel enough for them to get excited about them. Be creative, make healthy snacks in advance, cut them into interesting shapes or pick up some sugar-free snacks they aren’t used to having. There’s nothing like the intrigue of a cool new food for a little one.

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