How to Plan a SCREEN-FREE Road Trip with Little Ones!

My family and I recently took a 10 + hours road trip to Hilton Head. I'm not going to lie, leading up to this adventure I was kind of in mom overdrive planning and preparing loads of screen-free fun for the car ride. A three year old and a five year old in a car for over 10 hours. Yikes. We limit our screen time at home and wanted to make sure that they / we didn't feel compelled to break from that in the car. I am happy to report SUCCESS! They only played learning games on the i-pads for 1.5 hours total out of 20 + hours round trip. And honestly they didn't even ask for screens much. Today I'm going to share my master plan for screen-free road trips with kids. And my secret weapon...homemade ROAD TRIP SCAVENGER SHEETS.

Are you ready? Here we go.

BINS

May sound silly but sturdy bins in various sizes helped keep me super organized. And a super organized mom = happy kids. Whenever they needed something (which at times felt like every five minutes!) I knew where it was and it was all within my reach. To the point where my husband joked that I could navigate the entire vehicle with my eyes closed, using only the detailed map in my head. I'm usually NOT this organized but BINS made it SUPER SIMPLE.

Bin 1: Interactive (workbooks, scavenger sheets, puzzles, blank paper, crayons, audio books etc.)

Bin 2: Prizes

Bin 3: Books

Bin 4: Bowls, Cups, Silverware, Baby Wipes, Napkins

Bin 5: Snacks

With kids in car seats, I made sure to place the book bin between them at an elevated height. I simply stacked an extra empty container below to prop it up. That way they had easy access to all the reading materials since they tend to go through it quick. They also used that bin to store cameras, scavenger sheets, and anything else they wanted to be able to reach themselves.

Bin 4 was awesome. It doesn't sound like much, but keeping a couple bowls that could be re-used and wiped with baby wipes for quick clean ups really helped keep the mess to a minimum. I also packed a lot of meal components in small mason jars. These were kept in the cooler and accessed at rest stops. The overnight oats, cut fruit, salads, etc. that were in jars went right into bin 4 with lids on when they were done. Eating in the car can be messy but this made it a snap.

SCAVENGER SHEETS & PRIZES

These Scavenger Sheets were honestly fun for the whole family and kept the kids going the ENTIRE RiDE! I cannot sing enough praises for these sheets. A random thought turned out to rock the whole car ride! Per request from several moms I've made the pdfs available in my Collect. Make. Explore. Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Definitely check them out if you are getting in the car with little ones any time soon!

The week prior to hopping in the car, the kids and I made of list of all the things we might see while looking out the car windows. I made the lists into four categories and decided to turn them into Scavenger Sheets. I spent night drawing and coloring and secretly having a lot of fun. : ) We had them copied, printed, and laminated at Staples. Then I used a hole punch and put the sets of four on metal rings. Instant Screen-Free Fun!

My five year old suggested that we have Prizes so we went to Whole Foods, our Discount Book Store, and the Dollar Store to fill up or Prize bin with goodies. Three in a row? You get a gummy bear! Found the elusive pink car, (which we did!), and you get a sparkly ball! Fill up an entire sheet? A small lego it is! On the way home the prize basket was mostly bare but the excitement was still high. So either way it's a win. But the prizes can be fun. : )

A few more things that made traveling with kids not only bearable but actually ENJOYABLE...

Lap Trays

Build-Your-Own Lego Bags

Audio CDs

Library and Discount Book Store

The lap trays were great for building, reading, snacking, etc. We just borrowed pillow trays from my mom, but they also sell cute car trays now too that fit right over the car seat. Another option is to make your own. Check out pinterest for ideas on turning a cookie sheet and a pillow into a tray yourself!

All in all, I kind of felt like Super Mom in the car. lol. Seriously, a little planning goes a loooong way in making traveling with kids a success. But I also found that including them in all the planning is crucial too. That way they get excited and feel helpful and are having their ideas heard. We were a team leading up to the trip and I felt like that team spirit continued on the road.

Hope this helps inspire and give hope to any parents planning to travel with their kids soon!

If you do end up using the scavenger sheets, I'd love to hear how it goes. And please, comment below on what has worked with your kids in the car!