The 10 Best Tips for Long Car Rides with Kids – Tips for Kids with Sensory Issues

School’s out, and that means it’s time for summer vacations! But is just the thought of packing up the minivan for long car rides with kids making your facial muscles twitch a bit? Then you’re in the right place for traveling tips for kids with sensory issues or doing road trip games for kids.

Kid’s car entertainment has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. Thanks to new research warning parents against the dangers of too much screen time, a lot of the parents we work with are starting to ask about advice for road trip games for kids and how to satisfy their children’s sensory needs in travel situations.

Gone are the days of removing the back row of the Astro Van, lying down a twin mattress, and piling with your siblings around a 10” VCR player that runs off the 12V power adapter. Those were the days when things to do on a road trip was not related to safety.

That’s how my family survived the 10-hour car rides to Grandma’s house! Of course, safety and seatbelt laws prevent that now!

So, if you have a child who struggles on a day to day basis with hyperactivity issues, how on earth are you going to expect him or her to sit nicely in the back of the car for a whole day without meltdowns, tantrums, or worse? We’re here to help with somethings to do on a long car ride for kids with sensory issues.

How to Survive Long Road Trips with Hyperactive Kids

We’re going over 10 strategies for setting your family up for success during long car rides with a child who has SPD, ADHD or ADD. A roadtrip with kids are challenging at the best of times. 

So we’ll cover everything from self-regulation in car seats, to the use of music in car rides to sooth sensory needs in travel scenarios. These tips for kids with sensory issues are all designed to help your family have an anxiety-free vacation this summer.  

Plus, we’ll include a list of the favorite road trip games for kids used by parents we’ve polled.

1. Prepare them early

Start talking about your road trip a week or two before. You already know how difficult transitions can be for children with sensory or hyperactivity issues. So we don’t suggest springing a surprise trip.

Explain where you will be going and if there are any stops for fun along the way. Look at photos of the family and friends you’ll be visiting. Explore video clips of the theme parks or adventures you plan on taking.

For younger kids, check out some books from the library that tell stories about characters who are going on trips or road trip activities they will be doing.

Explain the schedule of the road trip itself. Also talk about what types of special car travel games you can play together to pass the time. Discuss how you’ll be taking breaks at different points.

Act out scenes from your pending trip in play sessions using LEGO® blocks, play dough, and acting improvisation games.

(For great acting games for children with ADHD, check out our article here: 5 Great Activities for Children with ADHD and ADD.

2. Let them get involved with the planning

Anytime a child is empowered with choices and planning an activity, it helps him or her enjoy the activity itself even more. What to do on a long car ride is giving your child the chance to plan and prep car snacks.

Ask him to write down two meal options for the driver to be on the lookout for as mealtimes approach – “Look! There’s a pizza place! John wanted pizza for one of his meals, so how about we go there?!”  There are so many ways to enjoy long car rides with kids!

Let the kiddos pick out some fun games or toys from the toy store JUST for the upcoming trip. (My family always has a secret drawer full of travel games for kids that are only used during long trips.)

And have them write down 2 more fun things to do in the car they can come up with on their own. You could even let them do some research together online to find some activities!

Lastly, if you are able to stretch out your trip, there are some more options. Find three points of interest along the route and offer a choice to your child as to which one you stop at for a movement break.

3. Set some simple, but firm, travel rules for long car rides with kids

Here are some samples we’ve collected from parents:

• Yelling or screaming is not allowed inside the car.
• If you get mad, use a specific phrase to signal the parents for intervention. Something like, “MOM! I’m very frustrated that she took my toy! Can you help?”  If there is a non-driving parent, take advantage of good communication from your child to exercise some calming breaths and then work through the problem together.
• Screen time is reserved for.  Fill in the blank with your family rules on screen time, whether it’s earned by good behaviour or timed throughout the day.

4. Have a few familiar objects for soothing and self-regulation in car seats

If your little ones have security objects like a blanket, pacifier, chewing bricks/necklaces, fidget toys, or stuffed animals, be sure they come with you. If your child is still in a car seat, make sure they are easily accessible. 

Travel activities for kids for example, pacifier clips are great for attaching things to the side of the chair so that they can be retrieved if they fall.

Being confined to a car seat for hours at a time is really difficult for any child. Road trip essentials for kids is practicing techniques for self-regulation in the car is a really great idea. Things to do in the car for kids like breathing, reciting poems or a song, or simple stretches they can do in the seat will help.

And be sure to tell any siblings that they are not allowed to touch or play with these special items without getting permission from their owner first. (Another great travel rule to add to the list!)

5. Prep a few different categories of travel toys – and dole them out slowly

You already know how children with ADHD bore quickly with toys.  So be sure to have a variety of types of toys in your stash. In particular, try for sensory toys that require individual physical manipulation and fine motor skills, puzzles, and interactive toys that siblings can work together.

Another category includes action figures and imagination-type toys that relate to favorite stories or TV shows that pair well with a story reading from a non-driving parent. Long car rides with kids can be super fun for parents, too!

Have one bin of toys that are easily accessible to your children, while hiding a second bin in the front seat. After your children have tired of the toys that they brought, surprise them with one that you get from the stash.

Then, after 30 minutes, you can surprise them with another.

Family Favorite Car Ride Games for Kids – Which is Your Favorite?

• Scavenger Hunt or Car BINGO
• “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing….” Each person adds to the list, but first, they must recite the whole list before adding their own item. Some families use the order of the letters in the alphabet to establish an order to the items in the list. “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing Apples, Bananas, Carrots, Dessert…etc”
• “I Spy….” Pick an item in the car or in the distance and give a few hints about it for others to guess. Don’t pick something that is moving by too fast though!
• 20 Questions: One person thinks of a person, place or thing. (Hint: or you can prepare slips of paper with pre-written ideas in advance) And then the others get 20 “yes” or “no” questions to help them guess.

6. Prepare a playlist on your long car rides with kids

Don’t forget the power of a good old-fashioned CD full of sing-along tunes! The use of music in long car rides with kids can’t be understated! Disney ® movie soundtracks are fun to jam with and to relive the movie.

Also, consider an audio book you can break up over the trip. Or try short stories and poems that are easily digestible in a few minutes each are essential things to do on a roadtrip.

7. Break long car rides with kids into 30 minute segments, with a movement break every 2 hours

Every 30 minutes, change things up. Let the kids know that it’s time to watch 30 minutes of TV or play video games. 

Other ideas are 30 minutes of individual play with toys, or 30 minutes of everyone playing a game together. Having a large digital or analogue clock that everyone can see helps the time pass.

Then, after every 4 half-hour blocks (every 2 hours), the driver should pull over for a movement break. Whether it’s playing on a nearby playground, walking around a rest stop or visiting one of your planned points of interest. 

Why not use long car rides with kids as an excuse to wander into a WalMart in another location? Maybe even plan on rewarding good behaviour with a new toy or book!

8. Follow the course of the trip together visually

Turn long car rides with kids into fun geography lessons! Be sure to have a big map with the trip plotted out for the kids to see. As you start to approach each movement break and meal, spend 10 minutes showing them where you currently are and what’s coming up.

Our favorite tip from a parent suggests making a little paper car that you can move along a string as a visual of the trip’s progress. It helps to quash the “Are we there yet?” broken record by letting kids see how much further it is to the next stop or the final destination.

9. Consider adjusting travel time to nap and sleep times.

If it’s at all possible, driving through the night or in the wee hours of the morning is a lot easier since the kids will be sleeping. For the little ones, timing your departure just after lunch is a great way to ensure at least a couple of hours’ of naptime in the backseat.

A lot of parents who are pros at traveling told us that they would much rather get up at 2am to start driving while the kids are still groggy enough to keep sleeping (and let the driver take a nap later).

10. Let travel companions know what to expect & how to help

If anyone other than your immediate family is joining you on your road adventure, it’s best to debrief them. Even a loving grandparent, aunt/uncle, or family friend may need a little preparation if they’re unaccustomed to long car rides with kids. So set up a coffee date to talk about what they can expect from your child’s behaviour.

They probably already know your children pretty well. But it’s important to be clear about what the absolute worst-case-scenario tantrum can look like. What are the types of things that trigger your child’s worst behaviour? And lastly, what kinds of things are helpful?

Some children will react worse to anyone other than Mom or Dad helping them with calming techniques. So, it’s ok to tell your travel companion that the best thing they could do in the worse scenario is to simply stay quiet and look out the window. Ignoring your child until they’ve come back to their senses is likely the best response.

Time to Hit the Road!

Patience will be tested. Tantrums will be thrown. Somebody’s favorite toy will get broken.  So don’t kid yourself. Practice your calming techniques, meditation, and even a little seated yoga before you start the trip. You’ll need to implement these tips for kids with sensory issues throughout the trip, for yourself and for your children!

Don’t forget to offer lots of positive reinforcement for any good communication, good teamwork, or following directions!

Did we miss any tips for long car rides with kids (especially those with ADHD) that your family uses? Share your tips for kids with sensory issues, too.

Traveling for the holidays? Check out additional tips for kids with sensory issues.

Be sure to let us know which road trip car games are your favorites in the comments below!