How do you entertain your kids in the car on road trips? I have this on my mind today for a couple reasons. First, my family will be embarking on a road trip soon. And second, I actually wrote about this topic on this exact date 10 years ago. However, back in August 2015 I wasn’t a dad yet, so I pulled the best tactics my parents employed from when my siblings and I were kids.

They included:

Road BINGO – Your card spaces corresponded to items you would see on the road (i.e. livestock, police car, barn, flag pole, etc.).

Gameboy – Tetris for hourssssss.

Pepsi vs. Coke War – A game that I made up that entailed us counting every Pepsi and Coke advertisement we spotted from the moment we left our house to the time we arrived at our destination.

2-XL – A mini robot we received during Christmas that you rested on your lap. The robot would ask trivia questions, play music, and “interview” famous people.

Name That Tune – My dad would whistle theme songs from television shows and we would blurt out the name of the show.

But all of that was from the 1990s. Now adults, what do Sid and I do 30+ years later to keep Sloan and Beau entertained in the car? Let me describe five quick tactics…

Sid and I pull out all the stops to keep the kids under control in the car during road trips.

Tablets – These things are absolutely magical for stopping fights and allowing us to enjoy some peace. I know you might think we are the worst parents ever, but sometimes you just have to let them look at their devices.

Podcasts – Believe it or not, there are some awesome podcasts made specifically for children. Our favorite is the Hallow app that offers superb Catholic content for kids. It provides Sloan and Beau with a quality listening experience and gets them excited for riding in the car.

Earn Your Vacay Budget – If we are going on vacation, we will give each child their own allowance (going rate is currently $50) to spend upon arrival. However, each time they misbehave in the car, $1 is subtracted from that allowance. Sloan might arrive at the hotel with $45 remaining while Beau might have $38. However, you usually just have to threaten them a possible money deduction and they straighten up real fast.

Grocery Store Alphabet Game – Sid introduced this one! The game starts by someone announcing, “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple.” The next person then announces, “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple and beans.” The next person then says, “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple, beans, and cereal.” And this goes on and on until you get to the letter Z. Can you come up with a food item for each letter of the alphabet but more importantly can you remember the entire sequence?

License Plate Game – This one is an oldie, but it keeps Sloan occupied throughout any car trip. The object is to spot as many vehicles with different state license plates as possible. The thrill of finding a car on the road with an “exotic” license plate from a place like Massachusetts or Hawaii is always fun.

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So there you have it, 10 total activities to introduce to your children for that late summer road trip. Do you have any suggestions of your own that Sid and I can entertain the kids with when we hit the road this weekend? Don’t Blink.