I have been on countless road trips with my 6-year-old and 2-year-old. In fact, we recently returned home from a 12-hour road trip that took us from New Jersey to Indiana, and confirmed that at this point we have this road tripping thing down to a science. We've been doing it since my oldest was just 2 months old, and have learned a ton of tips and tricks along the way. No matter how old your children are, there are lots of ways to keep them entertained and happy when you're on the road.
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To be honest, these days, if our trip is shorter than two or three hours, I just let the kids watch a movie or two. When they movie is over or I've decided they need a break from screen time, we're close enough to our destination that I can dole out some snacks and distract them with the scenery until our arrival. But, we also go on some pretty long road trips and even screen-addicted kiddos can burn out on technology after so many hours, so it's always a good idea to be prepared for that eventuality.
While you may not take 100% of the responsibility for keeping your kids entertained at home, trust me when I say when you're in the confined space of a car for hours on end, it's better to have an arsenal of ideas for them at the ready than it is to deal with the cranky, crying, bored-out-of-their minds meltdowns. Click through the gallery to see 40 fun family road trip ideas to keep in your back pocket.