Long journeys can be tiresome for young children. It can be hard to keep kids entertained.  It helps to have a bag full of activities and supplies at the ready to keep their little minds occupied. Nobody likes to be asked that old age question of ‘Are we there yet?’ every ten minutes or so.

Whether you are heading out on an aeroplane for your annual summer holiday or taking to the roads on a local trip, these journeys need to be planned out for both your sanity and our small children. Plan any stops that you may need to take for a toilet break.  Plus use it as a chance to walk around and stock up on plenty of activities to keep kids occupied. Here are a few of our favourite ways to keep those minds engaged for long journeys.

Movie Time!

Although there is something controversial about kids using iPads all of the time.  We think this is more than an appropriate occasion for them to be used. If you have the Netflix app, you can download TV shows and movies ahead of time. This makes them available to watch even when you’re not connected to the internet!  Genius for when you’re up in the air.

There is a reason that Netflix have a kids section and we believe it was made for this. Whether it’s a few episodes of Paw Patrol or you’ll more than happily watch Frozen for the 30th time if it means a quiet journey.  iPads can be really helpful here. We know Let It Go off by heart, but we’re more than ready to listen to that than the tears of a screaming, unhappy child.

Activity Books

There are so many different kinds of activity books out there that can keep your child occupied whilst keeping their brain ticking. When children are young, they are continually learning in different ways. Activity books have a unique ability to be fun and entertaining.  They are also educational by working on their motor skills or attention levels. If you throw some healthy rewards into the mix – you never know what you’re child could be capable of.

Depending on the age of your child, there are so many different activity books to choose from. From colouring books and sticker books to word searches and dot-to-dots, there are lots of options to choose from. Whether it’s something only for your child, or used as an opportunity for you both to bond and learn together. These books are fantastic for your child’s mind and development and perfect for keeping their brains occupied on the task and not the journey!

Radio For Kids

If you’re in the car and the children aren’t having the best time, maybe some family-friendly music is the way to go. This is great for both lifting the mood of the kids and distracting them from their travel woes. Whether you have got a trusty Disney CD to pop in, you connect to your Spotify or tune in to Fun Kids on your radio – you’re options are endless.

Music can be a fantastic distraction for us all.  Given the right collection of songs, it can help the time pass by quicker. Let your children scream from their lungs and have fun. If the destination of your long journey is your home, this could also be a great way of tiring out the little ones!

Car games, iPad apps, toys and audio books are more fun ways to keep your children busy and distracted from the journey. The most important thing is to have lots of them at the ready.  It gives your children lots of variety and the ability to pick and choose between what they want to do!