Are you heading out on a road trip with the family soon? Summer is a great time to take a family vacation, but if the thought of spending hours in the car with your toddler has you wanting to cancel the trip altogether, we can help.
Below, you’ll find some helpful tips on how to make car rides with children easier by keeping them entertained the entire time. As you’ll see, the key is to have a whole slew of options within arm’s reach of your child so there’s no time for meltdowns. Keep reading to learn more!
Step 1: Get A Kid’s Travel Activity Tray
Without some sort of child lap tray for the car, it’s going to be nearly impossible to keep them occupied and you will find yourself listening to Baby Shark on repeat for the next 8 hours. And while we all love a rousing rendition of baby shark dodo do do dodo, we can only take so much of it.
A kid’s travel tray is essentially your child’s workstation for the duration of the trip. Our kids travel activity trays can securely fit over car seats or booster seats as well as work for big kids who use neither. The travel tray buckles around their waist so it won’t fall off.
The children’s travel tray from K4 Dynamics features multiple mesh pockets where you can keep all of the essentials for the activities that we will discuss below.
Activities To Use With Your Travel Tray
Coloring
Coloring never goes out of style no matter how much fun technology comes into the world. Whether your kiddo prefers coloring books or would rather create their own art on blank paper, either is possible using our car activity tray.
Tablet Videos and Games
Just like adults, sometimes children are so bored, overwhelmed, or antsy that staring at their favorite TV show or playing their favorite tablet game is all that will save them from a meltdown. Our kid’s activity tray features a space to prop up a tablet so they can watch hands-free (and hopefully get a nap in there).
Legos
If you’re thinking that Legos and car rides don’t mix, you’re right. So this mom blogger found a genius way to make it work. With some Legos, a lunch box, and some 3M strips, you have everything you need to create a portable Lego kit with minimal Lego loss.
Snacks
If your child goes from an angel to hangry faster than you can blink, it’s important to keep kid-friendly snacks within reach. Based on the age and preferences of your child this can range from Cheerios to carrots to a PB&J. Our travel tray for kids is easy to wipe down if any messes occur so you can focus on driving and clean up the mess later.
Malleable And Squishy Toys
Malleable toys are great for kids to smush and fidget with, giving them something to focus on other than how long they’ve been strapped in a car seat. Depending on how brave you are, this could even include slime if you aren’t worried about your kid accidentally dropping it on the car floor. Slime is the opposite of technology, giving kids something other than Paw Patrol to veg out with. Playing with the stretchy, sticky stuff can help them relax and unwind and is a great way to help kids pass time. If the thought of slime in your car is the stuff of nightmares, consider using playfoam or another squishy toy.
Cars, Dolls, and Other Toys
If your kid loves toy cars, a travel tray makes a great racetrack (they can even draw a racetrack on the tray with dry-erase markers). If they like dolls, the activity tray makes the perfect stage to create a make-believe scene. Whatever your kid’s favorite toys are, bring them along and keep them stored in the mesh pockets.