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Travelling with kids: Activities to keep kids entertained on long journeys

Whether you're going to visit relatives, or getting away for a well-deserved break, chances are you'll have to experience some big journeys with your little ones at some point.

And while it might be understandable to reach for devices like tablets while confined in a car, train or coach, think of it as time to communicate and bond with your child. Instead of screen time, it’s great to spend the journey chatting and playing games - and it will help pass the time too, says speech and language therapist Janet Cooper.

“At home, normally you’d be washing up, cleaning, putting things away. On a long journey you’re kind of forced to be together, so why not turn that into time that’s really positive and helps your child’s learning?"

Simple activities are the best – the most you’ll need to grab for your next road trip is some paper and pens.

“The other thing is that, depending on where you’re heading, you’re going to see lots of different things, so there’s an opportunity to use new vocabulary," explains Janet. "Whether you travel through countryside or built-up areas – and these are all chances to bring in new words.”

Illustration of mum playing peek a boo with baby on back seat of car
Peek a boo is lots of fun for your baby and great for their understanding of the world.

Travelling with a baby

Babies love faces and yours is an asset on a long journey. Using it to make sounds and pull silly expressions a great way to keep your little one entertained.

“You could copy one another. If baby makes a sound, then you copy, and then you make a sound and see if baby can copy,” adds Janet. “Peekaboo is another great one and is perfect if you’re travelling in the front seat and baby is on the back seat.”

Try anticipation activities too, adds Janet. “Depending on the baby’s position, you could talk about things as they pass. For example, ‘Here comes a lorry, it’s coming, it’s coming
 and here’s the lorry!’ as it passes. It’s fun, exciting and gives you lots of conversational opportunities.”

Singing nursery rhymes is also a great activity (depending on the tolerance of the driver and your fellow passengers!). “Singing is great for all ages, whether that’s putting some music on in your car stereo, or just singing rhymes and doing the actions with one another.”

Illustration of dad doing arty activities with child on train.
Creative activities with pens and paper are perfect for journeys on trains and coaches.

Travelling with toddlers

Again, singing is a great option. “With older children, you could let them take the lead and choose what to sing. They could start a rhyme and see if others can finish it,” says Janet.

You’re less likely to be singing on public transport, but you could try some more creative activities.

On a bus or train, you’ll be alongside or opposite one another, so paper and pens are a great thing to take.

“Draw a picture in stages and see if your child can guess what it is. Do an outline, ask them if they can guess, then add more detail and ask them again,” explains Janet. “You could do this in the car too (provided you’re not the driver!) and hold it up.”

“My other favourite, for an older child who has pen control, is drawing a squiggle and encouraging them to turn it into a picture and talk about what they’ve drawn. When they’ve finished, they could draw you a squiggle and you can turn it into a picture too. You could also try this activity in a car – it’s something that an older child could do in a back seat with their younger sibling.”

It's important to be close, face-to-face and making eye contact, adds Janet. “Also using your hands to gesture will help babies and children understand you. You could try some pointing or clapping games or ‘guess the gesture’ – encourage your child to guess what you are signing.”

Or how about a game of bingo? “Before you leave home, make a simple card with pictures of things to spot on the journey like a red car or a cow. Or if your child is older, create a written list with their input,” explains Janet. “Tell your child what to spot next or let them choose if they’re able to.”

Illustration of simple bingo card with objects.
Make simple bingo cards at home if you have older children.

A simpler version of this would be to choose a new object to spot every 10 minutes. “Encourage your child to make noises when they see each thing. For example, if you see a car make a ‘broom, broom’ noise or a ‘baa, baa’ noise for a sheep. Then you could change the object to spot every 10 minutes. This breaks up the journey well. By the time you’ve done it twice, 20-30 minutes of the journey have passed. This means your children are less likely to get bored as you’re changing the game quite regularly.”

Other great options for older children are memory games, which are great for boosting their language skills, says Janet. “You could try ‘I went to the shops and bought
’ making up a list of items for them to remember, adding items over and over. For toddlers, you might be able to get up to three or four items.”

And last but not least. There’s always the classic I Spy to fall back on. “I Spy is great for children 2 years plus. You can simplify or make it harder depending on their age. Using descriptive language like ‘I’ve picked something that’s green’ will make it easier. For older children, to make it harder, you could ask them to say what sound it begins with or what it rhymes with. It’s great for their imagination and their memory skills too.”

Bon voyage!

Child car seats are the safest option for car travel but must be suitable for your child's weight and size and also be correctly fitted. For tips and advice visit , which also has guidance on using .

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