"We're
traveling this summer. What kind of projects can I give the kids to do in the car?"
Getting ready for a long car trip? Here's some ideas to
keep the kids busy while you're driving. We come up with an idea for a lap top desk the kids can use in the car. It's easy to make out of
a couple of cardboard boxes and some contact paper.
Here's some more ideas sent in for from our visitors:
Sticker Artwork
"My kids love stickers. I give them my old scrapbook stickers, punched shapes, paper
and glue sticks. They use a firm surface such as a portable desk and create their own
artwork."
--Stephanie S, Ohio
Homemade Postcards
"Buy some Plain postcards. Have the kids draw places they've been seen, and pictures
of themselves on the trip and send them to friends, and relatives."
--Tara N., Bainbridge, OH
Travel Journals
"We use 3 ring binders filled with blank paper, and a pencil box filled with crayons,
stickers, and all that fun stuff. The kids draw and write about our adventures. We also
get people we meet to sign them - like the fun waiter at the restaurant, tour guides...
Great memories!!!"
--Lorraine R., Kendall, WI
ABC Game
"Write the ABCs on a piece of paper. Each time the kid sees the next letter on the
list, they mark it off. They can see it on billboards, license plates, signs, etc."
--Tara N., Bainbridge, OH
Friendship Bracelets
"Take along a lap desk and embroidery floss to make friendship bracelets. Bring a
roll of masking tape. The kids can tape their bracelet to the lap desk. This makes it real
easy to take in and out of the car without getting the bracelet twisted."
--Anonymous
Paper Plate Jellyfish
"Precut 1/2" wide strips of fabric about 12" to 18" long. Precut
Styrofoam plates in half and punch holes along the straight edge of the plate and
one at the top of the curved edge for hanging. In the car, the kids can thread the fabric
strips through the holes to make the legs and a hanger for the jellyfish. Use magic marker
for eyes. Hang them on the clothes hangers of the car to blow around in the breeze."
--Nancy E., Louisiana
Craft Kits
"You can make up medium sized bins w/covers filled with crafting items. The bins
should have a flat lid to use as a desk or crafting surface. Instead of glue, get peel and
stick. Instead of crayons get washable markers. Put in safe scissors and lots of odds and
ends to craft with. Then print off almost any of the ideas on making friends. The foam and
felt ideas are good. Think of things that don't make a mess and that they can do without a
lot of help or you will be in the back seat with them. Also add a tub of hand wipes."
Diane, Iowa
Travel Trays
"Cover the inside flat surface of a flat metal cookie sheet with white contact paper.
Dry erase markers wipe right off the surface with a piece of felt. Attach a piece of felt
with a ribbon and tie it to the hole in the end of the cookie sheet. Cut various
shapes of animals, flowers, trees, houses, stars, etc from craft foam. (Cookie cutters and
stencils make great patterns) Stick a magnet on the back of each piece. They can make
their own scenes. I also made game boards from paper covered with clear contact paper.
(picture bingo, tic tac toe, checkers, dots) Playing pieces can be made using magnet
strips cut into squares and covered with 2 different colors of craft foam. All the pieces
to this travel tray are stored in a mailing envelope for easy access. These trays kept the
kids busy for hours. It takes some time to make them but it is well worth the
effort."
--Susy, Orlando, FL
Easy Crafts
"Pipe cleaners are really great 'toys'. Even little kids can make shapes or simple
things with a little help."
K., Columbus, IN
Crazy Drawing
"I am a teenager and one thing I always liked to do as a kid in the car was take a
piece of paper and put it on top of a notebook. Then I put the notebook on top of my head.
One of my sisters would tell me something to draw and I had to try to draw it on the paper
on top of my head! Another fun thing to do is hold your pencil loosely on top of a piece
of paper and let it move as the car moves. When the car bumps your pencil will make a
bumpy line on the paper. It is funny to see the end result!
--Anonymous
Homemade Board Games
"Use clean pizza boxes and make board games."
--Anna Marie, Texas
Reusable Activity Pages
"We print activity pages, coloring pages, dot-to-dot pages, & crossword pages,
place them in plastic protective sheets that fit in a 3 ring binder. Then we give each
child erasable markers & an old cloth. They do the activity page, etc, through the
plastic cover sheet. They can then erase it with the cloth & re-do it later. You can
also put them in freezer zip lock storage bags & do the same thing."
--Joyce P., Indianapolis, IN
Car Bingo
"Before the trip, have children cut out or draw pictures of things they may see in
the car (clouds, flags, farms, golf courses, etc.) Glue pieces on cardboard to make BINGO
cards. Laminate or cover with contact paper. Children use washable markers/crayons to mark
their 'sightings.' The first child to cover all pictures picks the next game or gets a
small treat!"
--Renee S., Pittsburgh, PA
Travel Totes "Let each child decorate a tote bag before the trip. Without their knowledge,
fill them with a few items such as a clip board, coloring book with colored pencils (they
don't melt), a matchbox car or small doll, plain paper, colored paper, pencils, note cards
or postcards pre- addressed to Grandma, friends, etc."
--Karen Early, Apple Valley, CA
Egg Carton Carry-Alls
"Put the following items in separate cups of a clean egg carton: stickers, pony
beads, string, etc. The child can use the stickers to decorate the carton and then to
string the beads in patterns. They can make bracelets, necklaces, etc. If there is more
than one child, they can take turns stringing several beads of different colors The other
child then tries to guess the pattern by stringing more beads."
--Tamie C., Marietta, Georgia
Mini Tic Tac Toe Game "Using fabric paint, paint a tic tac toe board on a 3" square piece of
felt. Let dry. Fold it up small and put it into a film canister. Put in 5 pony beads of
one color, and 5 pony beads of another color."
--Gwen, Ontario, Canada
We come up with an idea for a lap top desk the kids can use in the car. It's easy to make out of
a couple of cardboard boxes and some contact paper.
You can also make 