We’ve got quite a few roadtrips planned this summer, and it’s always a challenge to keep my bean occupied and distracted during the long stretches of driving. While I’ll admit I definitely load up the laptop/tablet with movies and shows (for those reeeeally extended treks), I don’t like to only resort to technology. So I’ve found that some careful planning by way of toys, activities, books and more makes going “on the road again” a lot more enjoyable.
LeapFrog LeapStart. LeapStart is an interactive learning system that gets kids excited about counting, learning to read, problem solving and more through fun, replayable activities. The magic behind LeapStart is a stylus that reads invisible dots on every page, triggering questions, challenges, songs, jokes and more. This kept my bean occupied all the way to a cabin in upstate New York (that’s four hours, people). We can’t wait to try out the hundreds of books that can be incorporated into our system.
Where’s Waldo? Games on the Go! To be quite honest, I may have gotten this for my bean but I played it just as much as my son. Finding that sneaky Waldo is super addicting, and definitely helps to pass the time. This awesome format contains classic “Where’s Waldo?” challenges as well as spot-the-difference activities, matching exercises, quizzes, doodles, mazes, brainteasers, and more.
The Travel Activity Book. It’s got it all: Doodles to draw, puzzles to solve, games to play, and stickers to find. What we love about it is that it has illustrations and photography for lots of visual fun, and it also highlight facts and information about real destinations and monuments, so littles can discover life and culture around the world. Learn about cultural norms, such as why it is considered polite to remove your hat at the dinner table or in which country you shouldn’t eat everything on your plate! There’s also a page of stickers included, which is always a hit with my bean.
Kandoo wipes make roadtrips cleaner and less stressful. I always have them on-hand when we travel (and in the car… and in my purse). They’re flushable and super gentle on sensitive skin, not to mention compact. Eating meals and snacking on-the-go can make for a sticky mess, so tuck these into the pockets on the backs of the seats, in your child’s travel bag, etc.
Skiphop backpack. The bean has the adorable Hudson Hedgehog backpack, and he takes on every trip we go on. It’s a perfect little bag, with both a small compartment and a larger one, ideal to tuck next to him in the backseat of the car. It even has a mesh side pocket for his water bottle.
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
