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Summer is finally here! And with it comes the time when many families choose to pack up and head out on road trips. Entertaining kids on road trips is difficult, and its tempting to simply hand them a tablet and enjoy some peace and quiet. If you’re like my family, though, you’d rather use screen time sparingly and instead have your children engage in something that’s both enjoyable and productive. I’ve compiled a list of 10 educational road trip activities to keep your kids happily learning on road trips this summer.

1. Around the World

This game will keep both you and your children entertained, as well as test your geography knowledge! The gameplay is simple: to start, have one person pick a geographic location. It can be a country, lake, mountain, anything. The next player has to pick another location that begins with the last letter of the previous location. For example, if the first player said, “Canada” the second could say, “Atlantic Ocean” and so on. To make this more difficult, you could change it to only answer bodies of water, countries on a certain continent, etc.

2. Brain Quest Trivia

Brain Quest’s trivia cards are a fantastic activity during long car rides. I always enjoyed quizzing my parents with questions as we went down the road or surprising them with something new I’d learned. Sometimes we’d even make it a competition, and whoever answered the most correctly got to choose where we ate lunch.

There are cards for preschoolers through 8th graders, they can be used for kids of all ages too!

3. License Plate Game

This is one I’m sure many of you are familiar with, but have you thought of turning it into a U.S. geography lesson? Instead of just looking for different states and making a list of ones you see, have your children color them in on a map. Moritzfinedesigns.com offers a free printable map to color as you find states on license plates. You can find it here. This is a fun way for your children to familiarize themselves with U.S. geography!

4. Rory’s Story Cubes

Rory’s Story Cubes are a hilarious and entertaining way to help your children build creative thinking and storytelling skills. It’s easy for all ages, too; just roll the dice and make up a story that incorporates all of the pictures on the dice. Your kids can tell you their story, or you can let them write it if you’re looking for a few minutes of peace and quiet

Amazon offers several different versions, so you have options to expand your collection and add variety!

5. Categories

This game is incredibly simple, but also SO versatile. The concept couldn’t be easier: First, you pick a category, and then, people in the car take turns naming things that fit in the category. If you repeat or take more than 5 seconds to answer, you’re out. The last person in the game wins.

Now, you might be wondering, “Where does learning come into this?” The educational aspect comes from the ability to choose whatever category you’d like to list items from. Presidents of the U.S. in order, states and capitals, multiples of a certain number, and elements of the periodic table are just a few that my family has used. Of course, you could play this game with non-educational categories as well:) Because of how simple it is to customize, you can easily adjust this game to whatever fits the ages and interests of your family.

6. Mad Libs

Mad Libs is a grammar game for any number of players, but more players typically make a more interesting game. Players fill in blanks in a story, each of which is labeled with the type of word required (noun, adjective, verb, etc) with random words. When they are done, one player reads the story aloud to reveal the hilarious randomness they have created. This game is fun and can help younger kids learn basic parts of speech. You can buy official Mad Libs books, find free games online (http://www.madlibs.com/), dowload the mobile app (http://www.madlibs.com/apps/), or even create your own.

7. Dry Erase Activities Books

These books are a fantastic activity to keep kids entertained and learning while they ride. There is a wide variety of subjects from printing letters to solving spy games to reviewing multiplication and division. They offer reusable, educational fun for kids of all ages.

8. Road Trip Bingo

These cards may remind many parents of road trip days from their childhoods. This set of cards features the original pictures, but there are many sets available.

A free version is also available to print from the Travel Channel: https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/road-trips/articles/road-trip-bingo . You can put the pages in sheet protectors and use erasable crayons/markers and this will help them last (hopefully) the length of your trip.

9. Podcasts/Audiobooks

Many parents enjoy podcasts for themselves, but they may not realize that there are podcasts that are created just for children. If wi-fi is going to be an issue, simply download the desired episodes before leaving home. This article provides a list of 20 children’s podcasts.

Audiobooks are another great way to get kids to use their ears and let their eyes rest from screen time. It is also a great option for those who get car-sick while reading. There are many that offer a free one month trial, as well as free (sometimes through your public library) options. This article breaks them down and can help you choose which app is best for you.

10. Umbrella Land

Umbrella Land, sometimes known as The Green Glass Door, is a guessing game for 2 or more players. One person (“It”) picks a certain criterion for what can be brought to a fictional place called Umbrella Land. This criterion can be a category of object, a size limit, or even the way a player phrases their request to bring something. Once the person who is It has chosen, the other players take turns asking if they can bring things. The It person simply answers yes or no to each question while the other players try to guess what the criterion is. The player who guesses it correctly wins.

These are just a few ideas to get you started as you prepare for a road trip this summer. Traveling with children of any age can be challenging, but having a variety of activities planned will help everyone enjoy the journey. If you have some ideas you would like to share, please leave them in the comments.

The post Educational Road Trip Activities appeared first on FundaFunda Academy.

Disclaimer: Many of the links below are affiliate links. This means we make a small percentage if you buy through the link. You don’t pay any more, though. And we only recommend things we really like!

Many of these gifts can be found on Amazon and if you aren’t already a member of Amazon Prime, join with a free one month trial to get your gifts on time (it is easy to cancel before the month is up).

Some of these are digital items. If I will see the person face-to-face I print off a picture, roll it up and tie it with a piece of ribbon.

At the time of publication these items were under $25.

1: Daily Brain Game calendar

Daily brainteaser calendars are fun way to learn new things all year long!

2: Set Game

A game of shapes and colors and patterns – and sets – for all ages. Everyone plays at once and it is a lot harder than it sounds!

3 : Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel Coloring Book

For anyone who loves coloring, this coloring book will help you to learn geography while you color!

4: Snap circuits

This set was one of my daughter’s favorite gifts. There are more sets for older kids too.

5: All are Welcome Puzzle

This jigsaw puzzle is a colorful illustration celebrating diversity and kindness.

6: Thinkfun’s Rush Hour

This is a great single person thinking skills challenge. Figure out how to move your ice-cream truck through the traffic. A Junior version is also available (just bought it for my niece).

7: Top Trump cards

Lots of different themes to choose from – similar to “War”. Try to win all the cards by selecting the best attributes of the card you are holding. Good stocking stuffer.

8: Choose your own adventure

Read the story – but at the end of each page you choose what path to take.

You can find lots of options here. These are for middle schoolers (too young for high schoolers).

9: Contraptions

Use the pieces provided to build 6 different contraptions. Although slightly over $25, this kit is well worth it!

 

 

 

 

10: Forbidden Island board game

A cooperative strategy game where everyone works together to win.

 

11: Lego Technic Building Kit

Lego Technics adds an extra dimension to regular legos and it is a great way for teens to learn practical science.

12: Quiddler Game

A fun, word-based version of the classic card game 5-crowns. Great for English-lovers and card game fans alike.

 

13: Exit the Game

If your teen loves Escape Games, here is one you can play at home! There are several with varying difficulty, so make sure to check them all out.

14: The World Game

A fun card game about the geography of the world. Can also be used as flashcards to study the countries in the world.

15: Zoob BuilderZ STEM challenge

A student told me about these – another cool building tool!

16: Blurt

Vocabulary has never been so many fun than when you are trying to guess a word before everyone else. A fast-paced game where everyone plays at once.

17: Steam Gift Card

Most video games have an educational component. You have to use strategy, memory, and smarts to win. And Steam is a website where you can buy thousands of different ones so the perfect gift for anyone who likes any type of video game

18: Catch Phrase

If no one in your family owns this you are missing out on a fun group game. Pass the device around a circle and whoever has it must describe the phrase they are given. Everyone else (or everyone on their team depending on how you play) tries to guess. All the while the time is ticking – can you get someone to solve it so you pass it on before time runs out?

19: 3D Jigsaw Puzzles

3D Jigsaw Puzzles add a whole new level of fun to regular ones – and complexity of course! Plus, this 3D puzzle vase is functional, in addition to being fun to build.

20: Catapult kit

If more than one of your children gets one of these as a gift they can challenge each other to see whose works better!

21: Taboo

Can you describe the word(s) on the card without using any of the 5 Taboo words? A fun game of giving clues and guessing other people’s clues.

22: Nancy Drew Phantom of Venice downloadable game

Nancy Drew games are SO much fun. According to the reviews they do work on newer computers as well as older ones. This one is set in Venice and you get to help Nancy Drew solve clues and uncover the truth.

23: Framed App

Gift this app to a tween or teen who loves solving puzzles. You have to order the frames of a cartoon so that the required outcome is achieved. It is very unique. Both I and one of my daughters have played it and loved it.

 

24:  The Moscow Puzzles

Math and Logic brainteasers set against the backdrop of Russian culture – how’s that for fun and learning all rolled into one. And as this is on Kindle, you can still buy it up to Christmas Day.

25: National Geographic Kids Books

Science books like those from National Geographic Kids make great gifts, and can even be bundled together with a magazine subscription. Discover, Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, and National Geographic Kids are all magazines teens will enjoy, as they aren’t hard to understand.

 

Any more great ideas on educational gifts under $25? Leave a comment!

 

 

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