Want some new travel games for kids?
If you have travelled with kids before you will know that it can be a … challenging… situation for everyone involved. Children can get very bored, disgruntled, and frustrated when travelling and this can make things difficult for not only them but you as a parent or carer as well.
One of the best ways I have found over the years to deal with this problem is to be readily prepared with lots of good and effective travel games for kids for every single trip I take, even the short ones.
I have found that the more you can keep children engaged and distracted, the less frustrated they get with being stuck travelling for whatever period of time. It can also help tire them out which means you might get some of that very highly desired quiet time while they take a nap during the journey.
Not having any travel games for kids prepared before a trip is a big mistake and a common one at that.
In this blog, I want to share with you some of my very favourite travel games for kids so that you can avoid this very mistake and have a much smoother and happier trip, regardless of where you are going and when.
If this is something you would like, keep reading to find out more about it!
“I Spy”
Do you know what some of the very best travel games for kids are? The classics.
Playing “I Spy” is such a classic kids’ activity and it is so for good reason. It helps children use their imagination, it keeps them engaged with their surroundings, and it keeps them occupied for quite a long time.
The game is also particularly conducive to travelling because there are so many sights and scenes to behold when you are travelling, even if you are stuck in an airport.
‘I Spy” is great if your child or children are feeling a little nervous or anxious too as it gets them to calm down and focus on one thing in their surroundings. Distraction is a much more effective tool than you might even think and it is always worth a go to keep kids mentally busy while you are away.
Sometimes the best travel games for kids really are simple things they can do with their own minds, without moving or spending any money at all. And isn’t that the ideal scenario for all of us parents out there?
Making up other traveller’s stories
On a similar note, one of my next favourite travel games for kids is the concept of making up other traveller’s stories that you see around you. The concept is very simple, you get your child to pick someone they see walking or driving past and prompt them to come up with an entire story around who they think this person might be, where they are travelling to, and why.
Of course, this requires some level of being discreet and it is better to pick a person that is only going past you for a minute, not someone who is sitting beside you having coffee. You don’t want them to overhear your children deciding that they are a pirate or a spy.
Again, letting the imagination run wild is one of the very best concepts for travel games for kids. It keeps them from getting upset and frustrated, it engages their creativity, and it usually helps them fall asleep faster.
Win, win, win.
Counting, spotting, and tallying
It might not initially sound super exciting but getting your children to engage with counting, spotting, and tallying people, things, or places is a great option within the genre of travel games for kids. As we said, there are so many things for kids to see when they are travelling, so you may as well turn the situation into your own free playground!
Make the most of all the interesting things around you, challenge your children to use your brains, and you will find that your trips with them go much smoother than before.
Colouring in
Now, this one and the next aren’t technically free, but I have included them because most families will have the supplies needed for them in their homes already so they are as close to free as possible.
Colouring in is included in my list of great travel games for kids because it requires no chargers, no batteries, no noise, and no fuss. A couple of crayons and one colouring book and you are good to go for hours to come. It is a great one for planes as your child can use the tray to lean on and they can be entertained and soothed for a good while on the flight.
Sounds good to me.
Card games
Card games are fantastic travel games for kids if you have at least two children and they are old enough to understand the rules of card games (snap is an easy one if they aren’t quite there yet). Most people will have some playing cards lying about in their house and having spare time travelling is a great time to teach your kids some new card games that you know and love.
They take up a tiny amount of space in your bag and, again, no batteries, no mess, no fuss.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
This is another one of the perfect travel games for kids if you have some siblings in your pack.
Rock, paper, scissors is super basic, but I remember playing it for hours as a kid. If your children don’t know this game yet, why not show them now while you have some spare waiting time!
It’s the classic, good ol’ fashioned fun that they will remember more than the screen time.
“Who can pretend to be asleep better?”
The last “game” on my top 7 list of the best travel games for kids is really a pro tip from one parent to another.
The game “who can pretend to be asleep better” is the perfect trick to get your kids to fall asleep if they are resisting it. Kids love to be competitive and they love dramatic play, but they don’t always love napping.
Ask them to see who is the better actor and you will very soon have some little snoring heads.
That is an ultimate in-flight parenting win.
If you liked these tips and tricks and want even more, head over to the travel section of our site and read even more of our content, we’d love to have you around for a little while longer!