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When my kids were very young we moved across the country away from all the family we had been living close to. For the almost 20 years since then we have taken many road trips and vacations back to visit and that means a 16-hour road trip or a plane ride.
While all of my kids have been great travelers, there are a few things I have learned over the years that can make or break a trip. Snacks are number one on the list of must haves, and number two is entertainment.
I have scoured the internet for travel activities and found quite a few that have worked well for us. One is printing out free coloring pages and activity sheets tailored for each kid and giving them some crayons or markers in this travel crayon holder.
Another idea that has stood the test of time are some easy, well-known games – the ones the kids play over and over and that help entertain not only in the car or on a plane, but that are perfect for restaurants too. Best of all, even my older kids, the ones who are entertained almost entirely by their phones these days, will play these games with my younger daughter.
Many, many games of tic tac toe, hangman, and dots and boxes have been drawn on random sheets of paper or napkins. I decided to make it easy on myself (and you) and make a version that I can have on hand all the time and that will hold up for years.
At the bottom of this post you will find a free download for a set of these games you can print off on card stock that will last forever after you laminate them. They are easy to throw into a purse or keep in the car in a pouch.
These games ensure that kids are not bored and are therefore happier, making me happier as we travel!
Supplies for travel games:
OR a trip to an office supply store to have them laminated
scissors or paper trimmer
a pouch to hold the games
dry erase markers– I bought mine from Dollar Tree
a piece of fabric or paper towel to use as an eraser OR make-up remover towels from the Dollar Tree, or some like these from Amazon
Optionally:
5x7 photos of your child and other family members
Making the travel games:
Click on the link below to subscribe and then look for the email from me to confirm your subscription. You can then download the game cards to print off on card stock. Included are dots and boxes, hangman, four in a row (Connect Four), tic tac toe and a blank page for drawing whatever pops into little artists' heads. The rules for dots and boxes and four in a row are also included at the top of the game sheets just in case.
The travel games are available in black and white as well as in color so you can print off whichever set works for you.
Cut the games out from the card stock. The fastest way to do this is a paper trimmer but obviously scissors will work too.
Next up is lamination. Once laminated, dry erase markers will easily wipe off making the games reusable over and over and over again. If you don’t have a laminator at home, a trip to an office supply store to have them laminated will be in order.
I also printed off 5x7 photos of our family to laminate so the 7-year-old (and the teens for that matter) can draw on mustaches, earrings, pimples, glasses and other goofy additions.
Cut apart the laminated games and photos and it's time to package it all up.
Toss the travel game cards, some dry erase markers and an eraser into a pouch and you’re ready to go! I like to use a small make-up remover towel from the Dollar Tree for an eraser because they work really well, are cheap and can be thrown into the washing machine if they get too covered in marker.
If over time the dry erase leaves some color behind, or the game cards aren’t erased between trips and that dry erase marker has had some time to really set in, rubbing alcohol will easily remove it.
Just for fun I used my Cricut to cut the word “Games” from vinyl to adhere to the outside of my pouch.
These are very inexpensive to put together and I just keep the pouch in my car ready for any trip or dinner out.
Happy crafting!
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