Activities for kids in car

Magnetic Matching Activities

Created these very simple matching activities for my own Two. He enjoys this sort of item, and it'll give him something to do if he is beginning to get antsy. As there are magnets on the back of each piece to keep him from slipping them I'm hoping that this will be easy and fun. This does take some time to build, but I think it's going to be well worth it. See the tutorial and get the free printables in this post, more ideas.

Lap Boards

Have seen some remarkable DIY lapboards on Pinterest. However, I don't sew buttons. I do not do well with wood, foam, or stretching fabric. I do not even cut a straight line. So this is my version of a DIY lap board. Locate A cheap magnetic skillet (trick -- they are not all magnetic; assess first). This 9 x 13 tray cost 99 cents. Then get some markers or crayons and hot glue magnet bits to them (even adhesive strips may utilize that additional adhesive). Anything To maintain my toddler from dropping a marker every five seconds. The Sketchpad was from the dollar bin.

Snacks, Snacks... and More Snacks

And What would a long car ride be without snacks? We do not generally have prepackaged snacks in our home, but I'm making this trip an exception. I am packaging miniature chocolate chip cookies, honey graham sticks, crispy cheddar crackers, granola bars, and bunny bites. I am also packing some dry cereal (a rare treat -- that our children have plain yogurt with just a scatter of cereal for breakfast), string cheese, snap peas, and baby carrots. Plus a brand-new water jug full of ice water.

Drawing Prompts

This Complete the Picture drawing pad from Melissa and Doug is brilliant. It's definitely too complex for my Two and probably my Four. But I think that it's something my older two kids, ages seven and five, will really appreciate. I needed to trim the pages to fit them into the small baking sheets.