3 Tips For Keeping Kids Happy During Road Trips

Traveling with the family is a great way to create unforgettable memories together and strengthen your connections with one another. However, depending on the type of travel you’re doing together and how each person in your family handles stress, group vacations could also come with their fair share of hurt feelings, offensive words or actions, and even some tears, especially if you’re planning to spend hours each day packed in a car together for a road trip. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help ensure that everyone in your vehicle has a great time and keep their spirits high. To show you how, here are three tips for keeping your kids happy during family road trips.

Let Them Make Some Of The Choices

To keep your kids from going wild in the car and becoming an unsafe distraction that could cause a car accident, you should try your best—within reason—to keep them happy and entertained. As part of this, Judd Hall, a contributor to SkyScanner, suggests that you try to let your kids have a say in certain things pertaining to your trip. For example, you could ask them when they want to make a pit stop or what kind of food you should get when you reach the next town. You could also let them take turns picking the music or the movie that you have for the rest of the passengers in the car to enjoy.

Pack The Right Snacks

Road trips are the perfect excuse to eat some foods that you’d normally avoid or wouldn’t generally eat. However, for both your kids and yourself, you might want to be careful what snacks you pack and when you give specific snacks out to your kids. According to Sara Smeaton, a contributor to ActiveForLife.com, packing healthy snacks will generally keep your kids happier and more level with their moods and energy levels. Additionally, try to only pack snacks that will be easy for your kids to eat on their own and will require minimal clean up.

Give Them A Challenge

While most kids can sit and watch movies, TV shows, or other videos for an endless amount of time on your road trip, this might not be the best strategy if you’re wanting your kids to stay happy and entertained. For this reason, Shivani Vora, a contributor to Travel and Leisure, recommends that you bring activities for your kids that will be fun yet challenging, like quizzes, riddles, or puzzles. These more educational options can help make the time go by quickly and have your kid working together, too.

If you’ll be taking a family road trip soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help keep your kids happy while on the road.

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