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Original poster

Stuck on a closed motorway with kids. Help!!

57 replies

Neednewcarpet · 18/04/2021 11:45

Any ideas how to entertain 5 and 8 year olds when you're stuck in the car on a shut motorway? We've been here over an hour and no sign of movement yet. And we have no snacks. We've exhausted the usual I spy, and who can spot different coloured cars. We've finished our audio book, and they were getting sick of being quiet enough to hear it by the end anyway.

Obviously very glad we're stuck and not involved in the accident, but the kids are getting desperately bored. How can I entertain them? All ideas welcome!

(It's the M6 somewhere in Cheshire in case anybody's about to set off.)

OP posts:
ImFree2doasiwant · 18/04/2021 11:47

No snacks?????
Phone or facetime someone.
Alphabet game- think of an animal beginning with a, etc.
Singalong?
Let them watch stuff on your phone?

spotcheck · 18/04/2021 11:48

Ah, the M6- I've spent many an hour, stationary on the M6-.

Not helpful, but hope it starts to move soon.

userlotsanumbers · 18/04/2021 11:53

I think facetiming someone or watching something is the best bet. Try BBC iplayer or one of the other channels? I see from the estimated time of opening that you are likely to be stuck at Tabley until 2pm, so you do need more suggestions and a plan for when they need the loo.

BarbaraofSeville · 18/04/2021 11:54

Is there ever a time when there isn't huge delays on the M6? I got stuck in a jam in the middle of the night there once.

If you're the one driving, be careful with phone use, I think it's still illegal even if you're engine is off and you're not going anywhere.

Comefromaway · 18/04/2021 11:55

Oh no, sympathies. Do you at least have drinks. Once when we were stuck (also M6 but West Midlands) other cars were giving things to cars with young children). You must be very close to me.

They are apparently turning northbound traffic round and up a slip road. But southbound is stuck.

UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 11:57

Put some kids tv on your phone

noblegiraffe · 18/04/2021 11:58

My kids like a quiz - depending on interests you can have questions like 'name 5 members of Paw Patrol' or 'name 5 fire-type Pokemon' or 'name 5 animals that start with the letter s'.

picklemewalnuts · 18/04/2021 11:58

Sing a long.

Teach them all the old songs you use to sine when you were a kid.

There's a hole in my bucket
There was an old woman who swallowed a fly
Ten green bottles
One man went to mow...

Also, list games, I went on holiday and in my suitcase I packed a ....

Bargebill19 · 18/04/2021 11:58

Play making up words or phrases from the number played you can see?
Play alphabet game - so decide on a list eg animals and one person names an animal beginning with a, the next person has to then say “I saw an animal - insert the one mentioned brining with a - followed by an animal beginning with b etc

Bargebill19 · 18/04/2021 12:00

Google car games and the AA have a list.

Comefromaway · 18/04/2021 12:01

Caravan and lorry (with horse ) apparently.

I am setting out soon, not M6 but A34 is apparently very busy too.

Original poster
Neednewcarpet · 18/04/2021 12:02

We have water, so at least that's something. Just Facetimed grandpa, so that's killed a few minutes.

We have some card games in the boot, if I could only remember which bag they're in...

OP posts:
Sycamoretrees · 18/04/2021 12:03

Ask them questions, eg. How many people are in the car, how many legs are in the car, how many windows? How many ears? How many paors of pants? Etc. Surprising how long that can entertain for. Hope you get moving soon, nightmare.

BarbaraofSeville · 18/04/2021 12:04

@Comefromaway

Caravan and lorry (with horse ) apparently.

I am setting out soon, not M6 but A34 is apparently very busy too.

Oh dear. Hope the horse is OK. M1 in South Yorkshire was closed for much of yesterday afternoon due to a crash between a lorry and a caravan. Must be the season for it.
MrBond · 18/04/2021 12:04

Charades? The licence plate game? Learn a simple acapella piece?

Sing alongs?

deplorabelle · 18/04/2021 12:04

What have you got in the glove box? You might need to ration the TV to save phone charge if it's a long wait

Dilbertian · 18/04/2021 12:10

In a similar situation as a child, I remember my mum challenged us to take off our shoes and quietly turn upside down in our seats. The trick was, though, that she mustn't know which of us had done it. DM would put her scarf over her face and we would have to tell her when we were ready for her to guess.

Another game was for two of us to exchange garments without DM seeing or hearing, and for her to guess.

We spent many hours in stationary traffic jams! Her ideas were to get us moving quietly and co-operatively.

Of course these games can only be played if there's no likelihood of the car moving.

LividLiving · 18/04/2021 12:12

Ughhhhhhh, I feel for you.

We had half an hour on the M1 yesterday. Baby had just fallen asleep and managed to stay asleep through many emergency vehicles.

I was mentally planning a portaloo in a carrier bag lined with nappies, and being grateful for the snacks and drinks we did have in the boot.

Don’t think I’ll motorway again without provisions.

And god, why don’t people leave stopping distances. Motorways terrify me.

deplorabelle · 18/04/2021 12:14

Genius ideas Dilbertian!! We spent a surprisingly long time "drawing" pictures on each others backs with a fingertip and then guessing what had been drawn. The slightly sensory element is quite calming too

Dilbertian · 18/04/2021 12:16

That's another good one!

It's the sitting still that's the worst, followed rapidly by the bickering it triggers.

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 18/04/2021 12:20

The lack of loo would be freaking me out after a few hours...I’ve been stuck when all the blokes and kids were happy going onto hard shoulder and doing their business and all the women were looking pained 🤣🤣🤣😱😱

CityCommuter · 18/04/2021 12:23

@Neednewcarpet try the alphabet game as your kids are a perfect age for this one... basically go through the whole alphabet taking turns to name e.g food, place etc you can make it more difficult (and longer for killing time!) by naming fruit only or country only etc...

As an aside for safety are you not supposed to be out of the car and up the grassy bank as I assume you're on the hard-shoulder? We were told to get out of the car when we broke down on M25 once

Comefromaway · 18/04/2021 12:28

The motorway is closed. The OP hasn’t broken down.

Comefromaway · 18/04/2021 12:29

In fact it’s illegal to use the hard shoulder in this circumstance as it needs to be kept clear for emergency vehicles.

Harryo · 18/04/2021 12:33

@Aprilinspringtimeshower

The lack of loo would be freaking me out after a few hours...I’ve been stuck when all the blokes and kids were happy going onto hard shoulder and doing their business and all the women were looking pained 🤣🤣🤣😱😱
I keep one of these in the glove box after an epic traffic jam on the M5.

www.amazon.co.uk/Travel-John-TravelJane-Disposable-Urinal/dp/B00R177BAM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Jane+shewee&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1618745505&sr=8-1

@Neednewcarpet you might be there a while yet. The Traffic England website reckons it won’t be clear before 4pm atm. Sorry.

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