Summer is just around the corner and whether you’re on the road, at the beach, or just stuck at home in the summertime, it’s always a good idea to have games or activities to keep your children from getting bored.
Be prepared for creative fun - make your own vacation activity kit.
You will need: a shoe box, colored paper, thin cardboard, and cord
Make a kit box: take an old shoe box and wrap the box in colored paper – wrapping paper works as well. Then decorate by gluing on pictures or designing a pattern out of colored paper and gluing it in place.
Add some dividers: use thin cardboard to make dividers so you can store all your things. Cut a strip the same length as the box. Cut two slots in that strip from the bottom edge to the middle of strip. Cut two more strips, this time the same width as the box. Cut one slot in each from the top edge to the middle of the strip. Slot cardboard strips together and position them in the box.
Add handles: Make four holes in the long sides of the shoe box. Thread cord (or shoelaces) through the holes and tie knots on all four on the ends inside the box. Make sure the knots are big enough so they won’t slip through.
Pack and go: pack all your material in the different sections (see material list below) and place pads of paper on top.
Here are a few essentials you should pack: paper, colored paper, envelops, cardboard, blank postcards, stickers, pencils, felt tip pens, colored pencils, crayons, glue stick, adhesive tape, pencil sharpener, eraser, scissors, and a ruler
Now get creative and have a good trip!
This creative idea comes from Jane Bull’s Vacation Activity Book.
With illustrated instructions for 50 great projects, from fold-away game mats and portable game tins to personalized postcards and homemade souvenirs, The Vacation Activity Book will keep kids busy during summer vacation or on any family getaway.
Tell us about your most creative ideas to keep your kids busy whether in the car, on a plane, or even stuck inside on a rainy summer day and you could win a copy of DK’s The Vacation Activity Book. Comments must be posted by Monday, June 8th.
Share activity ideas for your kids in Parenting.gather.com.
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Comments: 67
We have something that we call "the box o' fun" that is filled with different toys and activity items that are only used when it is taken out for special ocassions. Since the kids don't get to play with that stuff all the time, its like it is new every time they get to use it!
I have two little girls (2 and 5). Last year when we flew, I took different things that I laminated all in an envelope. One thing I did was laminate pictures of different butterflies. I made 2 of each. Then I glued one set inside a folder. I then used velcro on top of those and on the bottoms of the other set. The girls had fun playing matching game with it. I also laminated pictures of a picnic blanket and picnic basket and various food items. The girls loved playing picnic at the airport and at our condo as well. Best thing is it was inexpensive and easy to carry along.
Now that is a good idea.
I used to fly across the Atlantic with my toddler every six months, and boy was it one long trip. I got him a little backpack, and in it we packed his favorite matchbox cars, crayons, coloring books, books, a few snacks and most importantly a few wrapped surprises. He also had to have his small baby pillow with him at all times.
I load a plastic storage box with goodies for roadtrips(dd calls it my "bag of tricks"). I usually include a couple of books as dd is an avid reader, some puzzle/activitie pages, paper, pencil, a handheld game and a couple of snacks.
It sounds like a great book...and opportunity!
my kids are a little older so we have to take electronics like cameras, PSPs, game boys, dvd players and laptops to keep them busy. we always have extra batteries:)
Oh! I'm SO going to do this! Our vacation comes in the dead of winter when we go to NY to visit my family. There's nothing much to SEE while riding in a train for 18 hours and spending an additional SIX HOURS in overlays (this is the same schedule on the way home as well) so you can imagine traveling with a 6 year old (he'll be 7 this year) is hard. There's not much to do and at times he does get restless. This would be WONDERFUL to busy him during the long ride and overlay.
Best of all is that this is self contained... meaning that it won't take up a ton of room in our luggage - which is a big issue for us as we bring back a ton of gifts and space is always needed! Thanks for the fabulous solution to boredom!
This is a great idea!
I always like trying to find something taht begins when each letter of the alphabet when I'm travelling.
My daughter has a prtable aqua doodle that is great for long trips!
My kids are now 8 and 5!
The activity/toy I like best for our road trips is SO simple to make and can be changed on a regular basis.
I take a strong ziploc bag and fill it about 3/4 of the way with rice. I then add small trinkets and other items: button, bean, stick of gum, marble, penny, dime, nickle, quarter, eraser, etc...
Any small items will work. The object of this is to twist, turn, etc. the bag or rice in order to find what's been hidden inside! It keeps them entertained and they are always excited by what they find!
This is a great idea! We do something similar in that each child has a small suitcase and we pack it with portable activities, snacks, books and a favorite stuffed animal. I also carry along small goodies that I wrap in tissue paper and give out periodically -- it gives them something to look forward to during the trip. If we're traveling in the car I bring along old cookie sheets and their magnet sets so they can play with them in the back seat. I also have a set of laminated cards (4x6) that have various game suggestions and ideas for when I need to come up with something quick to keep them occupied :-0
I keep the twins busy when they are here and its rainy outside with washable paint (just in case it gets out of control). They love being "artists" and enjoy making pictures to give to everyone they know.
What a neat idea!
I use a small bag (similar to the reusable grocery bags) that belongs to my two year old--it's green with a giraffe on it. I fill it with certain items that my 2 year old doesn't get to see/play with much at home, but I rotate these items every trip. The puzzle is in a box with a lid that has grooves in it to hold the puzzle pieces as you work it, so it travels well. I also include a few books, crayons, construction paper, stickers, a coloring book, some small toys, matchbox cars, sunglasses, an old cell phone, etc. I also include a couple of "favorite" toys and some snacks.
We also keep kids music and stories on CD in the car, and this year when we travel I'm going to use a magnetic tray with the small magnetic letters and numbers (and some fun magnets too) so we can also get some learning in there too.
My daughter is now four and a half and despite the high cost of gasoline, we still travel! I did as a kid (military dependent) and loved seeing the United States by car.
I purchased a metal baking sheet and printed out photos of our family and pets and adhered them to sticky backed magnets. Katie pulls them out of her little tin box and plays with them in the car; creating her own scenes on the cookie sheet. Just recently, I added magnetic photos of our other vacations; which is always a delight when she plays out her memories of barking seals, circus performers, etc.
I have also just created tic tac toe magnets for her and I to play with in the car.
I also love geography and I have Katie highlight on the map every stop we make. She may only be four, but this skill will helps her with reading, maps, geography, math and such. (We talk about miles and how long it takes to get somewhere, what the terrain looks like, what do the people do for work in the area, does she notice different accents, etc?)
In her bag I always pack her a disposable camera, loose change to purchase her own trinkets, several zip lock bags for her found treasures (rocks and sea shells at the beach, etc.) She always has crayons and drawing paper and I have now included washable markers.
I love your ideas very creative.
this is a fun idea, and we do several of those things. we also bring lots of new (to her) cool books and fairy stickers.
i also make a handmade blank book with lillie before each trip, and she can fill it with drawings, flyers, stickers, postcards, signatures, and more. when we get home, we finish it up with photos, poems, etc. it is truly a great souvenir!
When traveling I purchase travel-sized games for the kids. Most discount storessell smaller versions of popular games so that my grandkids can play them on the road. I also buy some cheap coloring books and crayons. My grandkids love to color, and they'll happily scribble away as I drive in relative peace and quiet. But I also check out books on CDs or tapes from my local library. I usually can find an interesting audio book that will keep each grandchild quiet as they sit in the back seat listen to the story on a headset. But I must remember to pack healthy snacks for the trip. Mine munch on nuts, pretzels, and fruit to keep them happy. I also bring along plenty of bottled water so that I do not have to rely on sugary soft drinks.
we bring a portable dvd player because my kids are in there teens. and we play guessing games along the way to keep us busy.
Sounds like a great idea. When we travel, we play The Letter Game. Somebody starts and picks a letter. Everyone else has to hunt to find that letter. "Q" is most popular to start and takes a while to spot! Can't repeat a letter in a game, and the sighting has to be confirmed by one other person. The kids love it and it requires no materials to clutter up your luggage.
I always make sure to have a deck of cards a bland notpad and 2 pens that way there are so many games to be played to distract from the long travel also a great book to read in between games tic tac toe,hangman,name that mvoie /actor/thing ,...
Cute idea. Wish my son was younger. He would've loved it. Now we just bring the travel size DVD player, a bunch of movies, his i-Pod and his game machine and recharger and we're ready to go!
We pack ours in the clear, colorless shoe box size storage containers. If something gets accidently spilled on it, it wipes up (and liquid makes shoe boxes mushy). We're starting to pack ours, since we leave in a couple weeks for Minnesota.
What a great idea ~ I am going to start making it tomorrow! Thanks :0)
I think that I will do this with my granddaughter.
sounds like a great idea, thanks
Our girls each had their own activity backpacks and we filled it with books, colored pencils (crayons can melt in the heat and create a huge mess), blank notebooks, a deck of cards and other assorted items. We also included small surprises they could open at specific times. It made our road trips much easier.
I usually let the kids pack a small backpack with their travel fun stuff - just an aside I don't think I'd want my kids to have siccors in the car. Maybe at our stops but not while traveling in a moving vehicle.
I always try to pack a to do bag for rmy 7 year old when we are traveling. Keeps him occupied.
When I was growing up I always had a great time traveling. My brother and I would always pack our own bag of things to do along the way. We would pack our own music and have books to read and color and we would bring some our favorite toys. We would also play game to see who could find the most letters from the road signs or who could find the highest number we always had a great time. Now that I have a son of my own I need to create way to keep him occupied when I travel with him. The best way I find is to bring our portable dvd player and some of his favorite toys. This usually keeps him happy for a long ride.
What a great idea. I'm so gonna do that the next time I buy a pair of shoes and get the box.
This summer I'm having my daughter do those message in a bottle (using an old coke bottle). We will be filling it not only with a note for her cousins, grandparents, and other relatives but it will also include things from our state and about our state especially for those that have never come to visit us. Not only will it be fun for her but the recievers will also enjoy it. This not only gives her something to do but will also be helpful in learning more about our state. :-)
You can send the bottles in the mail by placing an address label right on the coke bottle or you can send them in a small tube. (We will be using the tube since we will be sending more than one to the same place, this also guarantees it won't be too crushed by the time they get it.)
I'm not creative even though I have 4 children of my own and now 7 grandchildren. We done a lot of camping in the past, and the past 3 years our vacation is going to the local Bible camp for a week of family camp. I really take very little to entertain the kids in down time. I always take the same things...a few coloring books and a bag of crayons, a few Hot Wheel cars, a couple of dolls for the girls, and a bag of dominoes. Otherwise they entertain themselves by collecting bugs, looking for toads and that type of thing.
I don't have very creative ideas (I wish I did!!) but I always have the kids pack their own backpacks when we go somewhere in the car (it's the greatest thing when we go out to eat). I make sure that my 4 year old daughter has her tiny dollies, plenty of paper and writing utensils, my 7 year old son has his Legos and 1 year old Jonas has his cars. They also bring along some age-appropriate books to read and they all have a handful of special stuffed animals that they take everywhere. And we always have an endless supply of songs to sing. My daughter loves to make up her own and we have fun making our own songs about what we see when we are out.
At home when it's raining outside they love to make Lego kingdoms, set up their tent or just make their own hideouts with blankets. They love to play make believe based on movies that they've seen and it's so fun to watch. The best part: I have never ever seen them argue while they are playing "Wall-E".
for my son we have him a vetch smile that he can take with him everywhere. With our daughter we play peek a boo and have a bag full of different things to keep them entertain while we are driving
My oldest loves hidden pictures and mazes. So we keep lots of puzzle books in the car. He had his own tote with his books, pencils and crayons. My youngest loves cars. His tote is filled with cars, trains, tracks, coloring books and crayons. It is fantastic because they talk to each about their projects. It is great.
I let my daughter and niece finger paint with pudding, they love it!
I have done this with James too he loves it as well
I have always had them pack a "toy" pack with books, crayons, paper, small toys, and then crackers and juice.
plus their own blanket and pillow
i want to win this! if i had any ideas i wouldnt need this book!!~ we are going on vacation for the first time this year witht he kids ages 8 7 4 &3. like i said this book could be great useful. let me pulll out a tip...hmhhhh......
pointing out all of the motorcycles. my son loves motorcycles
My daughter Chloe and I get out the colored construction paper and away we go from there! It is amazing all the projects you can do with it. You can cut it out and make things with it to hang from the ceiling...you can make all kinds of cards...birthday, thinking of you, love you, etc. You can also cut out shapes and put them on different colors of the construction paper. You can cut out shapes and hearts make by folding the paper in half and cutting it out like that. There are just so many things I can't even think of them all, but we definately always keep plenty of construction paper around for rainy days or just any day at all that we are bored and want to do a project together. BTW we scrapbook together too...construction paper can also be used doing this too.
I have two young children - ages 6 and 4 - and we take at least three trips to WV every year, which is a 8-10 hour trip. To amuse the kids and keep them entertained we sing songs and tell stories. We all bring our own CDs - yes the kids get to bring their CDs too! - and we take turns listening to them. We read books and play "I Spy" and point out things we see as we travel. We also bring along snacks and games. We talk and enjoy each other - what better way to spend time together than when you're stuck in a vehicle for 9 hours!!
We always did this with you girls when we drove the four DAY trip to Utah each summer. :)
Take file folder games that you use a folder to make. Laminate the pieces and attach a plastic bag to the back to hold the pieces. You can fit them right into the back of the seat.
We have a see thru plastic bag that the kids have in the car. A few toys, a couple of books. If the 2 of them are in the car at the same time, they fight over who gets to play or read. This is very frustrating while driving. I need to make up another bag soon!
i let my daughter pack her backpack with toys that she wants to bring with her. we also take the portable dvd player if it will be a really long car trip. the one thing i make sure to bring are crayons, a coloring book, and regular books.
On Rainy days, scrap booking is the most popular thing now, because its full of art and they have to be creative, and i have a great time with my nieces, Reece (9) and Cora (11), they had so much fun putting the scrap book together...also, i went to AC moores and got my nephew Tyler (13) some things to do inside too, they loved AC Moores. Always wanted me to bring them to that store when they come up to visit me. Also Reece loves broad games.
I am taking hte kids up north next week. To help keep them occupied on the 3-4 hour drive, I bought plastic boxes, and have filled them with things to do- crossword books, pictures to color, colored pencils, a journal, a new book to read, and some small snacks. They will get them when we leave!
I'm also doing my own summer reading program this summer. The kids will participate in the one from the local library, the one from Chuck E Cheese, and the one from Barnes & Noble, in addition to earning prizes from me. I have book report & quiz sheets I made up for the books they'll read, and when they complete the book and the sheet, they can pick a prize from the prize box.
They will also earn $1 towards buying a book for each book they write a report on this summer.
We are doing lots of science projects this summer. Also making a tie blanket. and doing cooking classes
We need as many ideas as we can get
When it is a rainy day we run look around the house for 5 items that would be thrown away. Such as wrappers, string, anything then with those 5 items they are to make something out of it. Is so much fun to see what their imaginations are.
I have also taken pieces of foam and cut them into different sizes. Then give them a old plastic container. They have to put them in the container. This is great for the toddlers. If you make the foam pieces a little bigger they have to figure out how to bend them to get them in there.
Our favourite trip games include Car Bingo (I SWEAR I'm gonna win this year!!!) and I Spy.
During the summer to combat boredom we have been doing science projects, cooking projects, and craft projects. And trust me, a lot of them are simple and SUPER cheap. Take rock candy, for instance- it's 4 Cups sugar, boiled to dissolve in water, and then poured into a jar. Then you let the crystals grow on string! So simple!!!
fantastic idea! I'm gonna use it to make christmas presents for the grandparents-THANKS!
I have a BIG craft bucket that is filled with scrapbooking supplies, ribbon, odds and ends, paper, markers, etc. I also have a professional drawing board with the rulers and charcoal pencils. We have a photo printer, so what I do is after we have a big day with my stepkids I let them print out their favorite pictures from what we did - and either make a scrapbook, or just draw/create whatever they want. One day they made bathtoys out of foam and cork - my stepdaughter is quite the artist!!
When we are in the car, I have a CD audio series called Adventures in Odyssey - Christian stories for kids that even me and my husband like listening to. When we travel, going to pick them up and drive them back home (13 hours in the car) I put that on. Time goes fast and it keeps them from getting bored. They look out the window and absorb the story.
It's so relaxing (for me) when the kids keep themselves busy with some creative assignment, whether by me or that they created themselves. :)
Oh! One day with my stepkids I let them rummage through all of the recycling and they created a 'store' in the garage with boxes, cans, jars. It was the neatest thing!
My husband helped my stepson make a lemonade stand. The 'stand' was actually a toolchest and my stepdaughter was 'hired' by my stepson to dance in the grass with a big sign they made advertising the 50 cent lemonade. That was loads of fun! Anything to teach them skills they will need when they get older, earn some money, and have fun at the same time is great in my book! Hubby and I tried to teach them about saving and 'interest' (free money from the bank) but we aren't sure it sunk in yet. Maybe next year.
I have a mind game that I have used with my kids in different circumstances, including during travel. I came up with the game as a teen, while babysitting 3 young kids on a stormy night, and it kept them occupied enough that they forgot to be scared of the storm.
The longer version of the story behind the activity's origin is actually posted in one of my articles here on Gather.
This is a good travel activity that can be mixed with other in-the-car games.
We are building something. (The night I came up with the idea, I chose the Eiffel Tower because one of the kids had a small model of it, and I've used that ever since because it's fun to say.) It is up to the players to come up with the materials.
The rules are as follows:
1) The material must be something of small or moderate size, usually no bigger than a microwave oven.
(During travel, we now sometimes make this rule optional, but try not to make building materials too big... they should at least be smaller than the structure in question!)
2) The material must not be anything normally used for building, such as bricks or lumber.
3) Each person must come up with something unique... players are not allowed to repeat each other's materials. For instance, if Johnny builds out of number two pencils, Chrissy cannot also build out of pencils.
To play the game, players take turns stating which materials they are using. We used a full statement: I am building the entire Eiffel Tower out of __________________. (fill in the blank)
This game gets the creative juices flowing. When you have a group of kids, it is even more fun, as they will try to upstage each other by each trying to come up with the most outlandish building materials. My kids have tried coming up with the weirdest-sounding and longest named building materials, by adding multiple and sometimes unrelated specifics to the names of the items they are using, such as "I'm going to build the entire Eiffel Tower out of purple wadded up chewing gum from under theater seats." or "I'm going to build the entire Eiffel Tower out of old, grouchy old men's discarded worn-out shoes."
Besides the mental stimulation the kids get from it, the best things about this activity are that you always have the materials with you, it's free, and there is no clean-up afterward.
We have a rainy day activity called balloon, which is now renamed "up" thanks to the movie. The whole idea is to keep the balloon from touching any surface for as long as possible. Both my kids will spend hours keeping the balloon aloft.
on rainy days the kids love to practice their writing with shaving cream on the table. They trace letters in it and draw designs. (It also cleans the table!)
I will be watching a 5yr. old boy and a 9 yr. old girl all summer. I am checking out everyones ideas. I know there will be days where they are bored. Play dough is always fun, they love to color using crayons or water colors. That list is helpfull. The 9yr. old girl loves to read, so i am always looking for books at the good will or yard sales. Board games have been fun for everyone on a rainy day. Crafts are always fun for both of them. Sprinklers are always fun in cooling them down on a hot summers day. Stocked up on eats for them. The fun starts on Monday so i stocked the cupboards the best i could today, lol. Monday morning is going to start off with waffle making at 7:00 a.m. Well, here's to summer fun! :)
I have four children and love so many of the ideas above. I read all of them and made notes!
My oldest is going to be 12 next week, so she is getting easier to entertain, usually some music and her DS will hold her for a long time. My other three are all under 6, so it is getting hard to keep boredom away.
We spent a lot of time today fishing and my 2 year old spent time drawing on chalkboards, snacking, taking everyone on walks, helping us all fish... but she was not entertained with anything for long. Will be trying out a few of the ideas from here. I love the idea of laminating photos, even the youngest would like looking at them.
I keep CD's in my car, both of music and books on CD. My 6 year old likes to rave about how she is 'making her brain grow' by listening to the CD's and it makes for quieter trips too. Sometimes we pop in one of the music CD's and sing along at the top of our lungs to shake things up a bit.
my kids love to take books to read with them when we go places we also take paper and pencils for my oldest son because he loves to draw pictures for me and then when he is done with them i usually have them framed and hang them in the house well right now it is a trailer until or new house gets built but you know what i mean so he thinks that he is a real artist because i hang up his pictures
We just went hiking and my daughters legs were hurting so I started to give her distractions. First we looked for flowers and took pictures of them, next we followed the path of a butterfly, and finally we hunted for Fairy paraphenalia eg: accorn bowls and cups, etc.. This seemed to do the trick and before she knew it we were back @ the campsite.
Our trips to town didnt last long enough to have to entertain. On the long trips they all loved to watch cars for out of state liscense plates and see if they could find enough different ones to be the person with the most plates viewed. I guess Children dont play those games anymore. I would give any gift I won for children to my friend with three grandchildren 10 and under.
This is a great idea! I'm driving 14 hours to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH with my kids (ages 11 and 8) later this summer.
One of our favorite activities for rainy days, which could also be done in the car, is Magazine Scavenger Hunt. I have a box full of old magazines and catalogs. I also have several lists of things to find that I typed up on the computer, so I can just pull them out whenever needed. The lists include things like dog, swimsuit, cactus, mountain, apple ... you get the idea. The kids then flip through the magazines and cut out pictures of each item. Once they are done, sometimes they make collages on construction paper, and then we put those in a folder for their 2-year-old sister to look at. She likes it when we sit with her and say "find the puppy" or whatever. It's her own version of "Where's Waldo?"
Recently we played ABC Bingo and Paper Battleship. You don't have to buy the games you just need to print out graph paper from the computer and label the paper accordingly. I like ABC Bingo because it teaches my 4 year old the alphabet and I like paper battleship because it teaches my 7 year old strategy. We also play tic tac toe. One time we made sandles out of cereal boxes. Then we walked around the house with our cardboard sandles. They didn't last very long but my girls loved them. We also cut out magazine pictures and make collages with them. I made home made playdo and colored it pink with a piece of skin from a beat. I plan to use red cabbage one of these days. I don't craft with my kids as much as I should, but when I do we have a lot of fun and it doesn't cost much and it is eco-friendly.
The person drawn to win a copy of DK’s The Vacation Activity Book is Ang, (what would I do without gather?) G.
Congratulations!
congrats!
CONGRATS Ang! It looks like a GREAT book!