We lucked out with a "short" drive to our first stop. God knew what he was planning when he sent us off to Rapid City, South Dakota. We had a competing contract for New Hampshire, and having the shorter 8 hour drive from Des Moines to Rapid City was meant to be. The boys definitely struggled in the car. Below is a list of our favorite activities that helped us on the drive.
1. SNACKS: The essentials for us are pork rinds, beef sticks, olive oil or avocado oil chips, cheese sticks and fruit. We also LOVE Bear Fruit Rolls. They come with a collector's card which adds to the entertainment! We purchase ours at Walmart, but Amazon also offers a bulk pack. I've included an affiliate link if you want to give them a try!
2. BOOKS: X (our 2yo) cannot get enough of books. He will read and read and read the whole car ride long. M (5yo) is a little harder to please. He will quietly sit and look out the window until he gets bored out of his mind and then might refuse anything we offer. We love Usborne books and I know a good rep if you need one. Seek and find, and dry erase activities books are some of our favorites. We also found this book, The Ultimate Book of Vehicles at the thrift store a few months ago and I purchased 2 more, one of construction vehicles and one about Planet Earth as a gift for the boys on the long drive. Disclaimer: X absolutely tears parts of these books out, but I am ok with dedicating a book to torture to keep him entertained. We're working on it, and I do my best to tape the pieces back in. If you know X, he is a bit of a whirlwind. M does not let him look at his special book, so that it stays intact. I plan to buy them each a different version of these picks for our next contract. Affiliate links of our next purchases are posted below!
3. Dollar Store Toys: A friend once recommended to buy flashcards at the dollar tree and these were a hit! They end up all over the car, but can be recycled if they get destroyed. We also like to purchase any vehicles that make sounds. Be wary of small parts. We have an ambulance and firetruck that keep X entertained. Sticky hands were another big hit in the car for us. Again, be aware of small parts. The dollar store also has workbooks that are great and recyclable too.
4. Window Clings: We unknowingly purchased window clings from Melissa and Doug thinking they were sticker packs! These ended up all over our back glass doors at the new apartment, but they are great for clinging to car windows in the back seat. They do come with scenes to serve as backgrounds as well.
5. Car Games: The tried and true method of my childhood. My family always loved the ABC game where you look for each letter on a billboard. We played a version of this where M had to find something that started with each letter of the alphabet. He also loves I Spy. E's memories from childhood mostly involved punching his brother or teammate when they saw a specific car. Mustang Bang, Cadillac Whack, and Slug Bugs. We made up a gentler game about Subarus, or as M calls them, Superarus to be on the lookout for any cars that resembled daddy's. 3 points if it was a white Subaru, 1 point for every other Subaru, and 1 point if you see a "mom car". We continue to play this game in town and M is the master.
6. Stories and Music: Spotify and various podcast apps have a wide range of stories that people have recorded themselves reading. You can grab a random playlist, try out our favorite, or spend some time before the drive making one of your own! Same goes for music. We love Caspar Babypants and have a favorites playlist. We downloaded it in case the cell connection goes out in rural or mountainous areas.
7. Highlights Magazines: My generous sister gifted M with a stack of highlights magazines and he loves the find the funny things page the best! I enjoy hearing him describe why the things are funny. These will be even better once he can read fully on his own!
Bonus: Tablets. E and I go back and forth about purchasing tablets for the boys to keep them entertained on long drives. I am relatively for it. He is a hard no. BUT, I wanted to include this because I think most families find the kids' Kindle Fires to be a safe way to entertain kids in the car. They go on sale for Prime Day and Black Friday each year and were down to $50 each. We are a pretty screen free family, and I have heard these allow for significant parental controls to keep kids only on approved apps.
I had to drive alone with the kids while E towed the Uhaul. Things that helped my survival were:
packing meals to eat in the car (saved time and money), being ok with stopping to explore (what is the rush anyway!), and downloading some podcasts onto an old iPad to listen to while the boys listened to their music or stories. Make sure that everything you need is within reach before you get on the road, and have the kiddos grab their favorite blanket and stuffie to stay cozy in the back and hopefully nap!
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