Road Trip Activities for Kids that Get Carsick
These fun road trip activities help the whole family avoid getting carsick on the drive. Screen-free games and entertainment that will keep you looking up and out the window.
I’ve always been jealous of people who can read in a moving vehicle and not get carsick. I was not born with this super power and it takes only a few minutes of reading before I’m totally nauseous in a car.
Unfortunately for my kids, they inherited this trait. So for their entire childhoods, I’ve had to be extra selective about our road trip activities to help keep them entertained on the go while avoiding making them carsick.
The car ride activities most likely to cause car sickness for us include:
- Reading a Book — Paper or eBook
- Reading Anything on a Phone
- Watching Any Videos on a Tablet or Screen of Any Kind
- Card Games or Travel Friendly Board Games
- Activity Books
In short, anything that requires you to look down inside the moving vehicle for extended periods of time rather than up and out the window.
Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives to keep everyone entertained and happy in the car for a long drive.
Here are a few of my go-to options:
Listen to an Audiobook
While our family does listen to music in the car, it doesn’t do enough to keep us from getting bored on our longer road trips. When I know we’ll be in the car for more than 3 hours, I load up an audiobook or two for the drive.
If we’re driving with the kids, I’ll pick a family-friendly book we can all enjoy. You can read some of our favorites on this list of best audiobooks for family road trips.
If it is just my husband and I or if I’m driving somewhere alone, I’ll pick a book from one of these funny audiobooks or best mystery audiobooks to keep us on the edge of our seats.
Listen to a Podcast
My husband and I have had some of our best conversations during family road trips because we let the kids listen to something on their own headphones in the backseat and we have a little bit of privacy up front.
For shorter attention spans than audiobooks require, a podcast can be an excellent choice for roadtrip entertainment.
There are endless podcasts to listen to based on different interests.
You can find free podcasts to queue up for your kids on the Apple podcasts app, inside the Spotify app, or the Overcast app.
Games that Make You Look Out the Window
If you want to engage with your kids, these classic road trip games for families have been popular for generations for good reason.
They are easy to play but best of all they get everyone looking out their windows at the scenery passing by.
It really helps to avoid getting carsick when you’re looking up and out the windows at the horizon.
- The License Plate Game: See how many different states you can spot on license plates of the cars around you. You can just tally the number with a pen and paper or use this adorable magnetic tin game.
- I Spy: “I spy with my little eye, something that starts with the letter L” Generations of parents have played this game with their kids. It’s super simple to do from the car.
- The Alphabet Game: Spot the letters of the alphabet in order on the road signs, billboards, and license plates around you. The family can work collaboratively together to find them and call them out as they see them.
- Travel Bingo: This cute car bingo game is like a scavenger hunt for things to spot out the window. If your kids have extra-sensitive tummies, you can just use the cards to call out the objects and check them off for them as they get spotted.
If you want some fresh inspiration for easy games to play in the car, this portable card deck of travel games would make an excellent toy to keep in your glove box for road trips. Pick a fresh game or two before the car gets moving, the rules are simple enough for you to remember without having to read the cards again while driving.
