My daughter can’t stand going on car trips. This has been true since she was a baby, and although now she has the maturity to resign herself to complaining instead of hollering at the top of her lungs, it’s still a trial to go anywhere in the car. She also can’t stand waiting for the bus, although the bus trip itself tends to be fairly interesting, since there are a lot of opportunities for people-watching.
How do we keep her entertained in the car? The key is to create a selection of portable activities that are not choking hazards and are not very hard, because hard objects can become projectiles if the car stops quickly. Of course, they need to be fun too!
If you’re looking for ideas to keep your preschooler occupied in the car, here are a few that we’ve tried and enjoyed:
Paper Dolls
There are many, many free paper doll sites out there in the land of the internet. You can print them out, cut them with your child, and stash them away for future play. Or during a time when your child wants to do crafts, ask her to draw some doll clothes on a piece of paper and create your own homemade paper dolls!
Invisible Ink
As long as your child doesn’t try to eat pen caps, this is a fairly safe independent activity for the back of the car. There are books with invisible pictures and a special invisible ink pen reveals these pictures when your child colors over them.
Squeeze Toys
Toys that make little squeaky noises or squish in fun amoeba-like ways are some of our favorites for the car. They’re soft, they’re like a balloon, and as long as the noises aren’t too loud, they keep your preschooler quietly occupied.
Music and Books on Tape
The car is where we listen to the most diverse music. We also have several longer children’s books and musicals on tape that we can listen to, though I prefer the sing along songs for singing-in-the-car-with-doors-closed goodness.
Car Games
Now, I’m not one for car games, but I know that some people have fun counting the colors and shapes of different cars that go by. I ask my daughter to look for signs that we’re approaching our destination – these could be words or pictures. I give a running commentary on the sights and smells outside the car. We also enjoy playing I Spy when we’re stuck in traffic.
What are some of your favorite car activities?