Share the ways you keep your children entertained on long journeys with Vodafone

[AbbiCMumsnet]

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Every parent has their own special way of keeping long journeys fun – whether it’s through using devices to watch videos, or involving the whole family through songs and games. As the summer holiday season is in full swing, Vodafone want to know how you keep your children occupied on long trips.

Here’s what Vodafone has to say:
“It’s a glorious summer’s day. You’re stuck in the car and there’s 100 miles still to go. The kids are getting restless. But you know the perfect way to keep them entertained. A sure-fire way to keep them distracted just a little bit longer. That back-pocket ace card that you can play during times like these.

We want to know your secret!”

What’s your trick to keeping your children entertained for most of the journey? Are you a key part of the entertainment (think a family game of ‘I Spy’), or do you let them get on with it and hope for the best? Are there any particularly memorable journeys you’d like to share?

From young children to teens, what are your tips and tricks in keeping them entertained? Share on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where 1 MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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Oscar's 18 months old, so we tend to rely on YouTube videos on a tablet!

They like reading so we will always take lots of books with us.

Car games such as eye spy, audio books, toys and last resort iPad

Ipads/games consoles reading books and activity books Snacks (lots of singing to their favourite tunes if a car journey not a plane journey.) 😁. However if travelling in the car with dad, he cant deal and process noise to concentrate, so all the above that can be done pretty much in silence. 🤣

I always use to Ask them to take a small rucksack of toys and bits and bobs they can play with on the journey, always did the trick

We go through the alphabet A-Z naming anything. For example we do foods, names, football teams etc. The topic can be anything, the winner usually decides the next game.

A portable Dvd player has been a life saver for us on long journeys, we get DD to pick a few before we leave so that she has plenty to watch.
We also buy little things from the poundshop, we wrap them up like presents (lots of sellotape - keep them occupied) and every so often throughout the journey give them a present to unwrap.

It's an old one but spelling with number plates ie CRD = card. letters must be in the same order. getting harder with too many Z's so we skip them

Audiobooks are good, Roald Dahl were our favourites as adults not bored by them

Best thing we ever did was decorate cups and bowls when they were little. They are teenagers now and we still use them and reminds us of when they were young.

iSpy and alphabet games

We have tv screens in the back of the seats so we can put on films for the journey plus we have Nintendo switch and iPads loaded with games put that together with there Favourite snacks we’re onto a winner plus I do think it’s always a good idea to stop and stretch the legs every couple of hours to stop any bordem besides we always have the dogs with us on long journeys so we get out and give them a little walk

Tablets and a switch console keeps them well entertained for long trips.

We make up verses to songs like "She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain" and "Drunken Sailor" Hilarity ensues

You can’t beat the old favourite I Spy!
Failing that a bunch of DVDs

I usually plan a journey around nap time for my two year old, then he sleeps for a good portion of the journey. He loves books too and so they keep him busy. My 5 year old has the ipad and plays games.

We've found it better to do long journeys at night where possible as it is better all round for sleeping and cutting the journey time with less traffic around. For daytime journeys keeping everyone looking outside avoids travel sickness and so we're spotting various things along the way and making it up as we go along!

We traveled to France this year and it took just under 20 hrs
And we played loads of game like “ I spy “ but also we’ve watched films on the iPads
Kept the children quite and entertained:)

We go on long car journeys often as our family live quite far away. We have found that no matter what you prepare you still might have to stop off or change your plans last minute. We get a box for the middle seat and the kids can choose what to fill it with to play. My son loves books with magnetic or felt pieces to make pictures. We also have a Disney playlist for singing along which also brings lots of laughs. We have a lunch picnic on our journey and plenty of snacks. If it is a longer journey than normal we will stop at a local village or town and have a wander or find a play park for half an hour.

Plenty of snacks and games like eye spy. Make sure I have lots of duggee downloaded.

My daughter uses her ipad and my data to watch films on Netflix. She doesn't cope well with games and she hates losing.

We ensure they have books and toys with them. We involve them in games, such as the first one to spot a certain make of car, or a number plate, or an animal. And there's always I-Spy ... and we also bought I-Spy books for them.

Counting number plates

We have some great apps on the ipad, nursery rhymes, animals anc alphabet. I think puzzle books are great and we have a fuzzy felt board we take with us too, which is a bit different

A tablet loaded with their games, colouring books and crayons, and playing games like how many coaches we see. How many red lorries, I spy and then hopefully they may have a nap.