Are We There Yet? Tips On Keeping The Kids Happy In-Car

Travel – the very journey itself – may hold its own adventures and excitement, of course, but if there are children in your car, an important consideration is likely to be keeping them entertained.
 
With all the preparation done – route-planning, getting to your holiday base, hotel reservations, rental car bookings, car hire excess insurance, and the like – you might want to consider the following tips on keeping the kids happy in-car:

Songs

You might be surprised by just how many parents so love the sound of their children’s voices that songs on long journeys seem to go down so well.

According to a poll conducted by the car rental company Alamo and as reported in The Guardian (September 2014), for instance, an amazing 80% of parents gave singing as the number one in-car diversion.

Kids Tablets

Although the Alamo survey may have put handheld tablets for kids in a decidedly second place, the Daily Mail, on the other hand, published results of a survey that put electronic games and apps in number one position.

According to the newspaper, electronic gadgets such as this gave the average parent up to an hour’s respite of the common refrain, “are we nearly there yet”.

What is more, the motoring organisation, the RAC, seems to share the Daily Mail’s point of view and goes as far as to suggest a top ten of the apps most likely to keep the kids amused during your car journey.

Perhaps even more surprising is that the ubiquitous Mumsnet, the website also foregoes the more classic and conventional forms of in-car entertainment – such as I-Spy – for the ease and appeal of modern technology.

According to Mumsnet therefore, some of the best investments are iPads, portable DVD and MP3 players.

Traditional Diversions

But there does still seem to be a place for the more traditional and familiar ways of keeping the kids amused.

Carcraft, for example, suggests planning ahead and agreeing with your small charges exactly how many of their favourite cuddly toys may also be going along for the ride.

In a similarly traditional vein, the same source stresses the importance of stocking up on plenty of reading material – from magazines, books and comics – appropriate to the age of the children concerned.

There is even a mention of the classic standbys of colouring books and I-Spy books.

If you have a car full of children – and that might mean as few as just one – try telling them that the journey is as important as getting there. Of course, kids’ patience is likely to wear thin rather more quickly than their adult travelling companions. With a little advance planning and forethought, however, it is still possible to keep your minds and spirits suitably entertained.