25 Screen-Free Road Trip Activities for Kids (+ Free Bingo Printable)
Keep kids happy in the car without a tablet: 25 screen-free road trip activities by age, a simple activity kit to pack, and a free printable road trip bingo card.
Long drives with kids can be some of the best family memories, or some of the longest hours of your life. The difference usually comes down to a little planning. These road trip activities for kids need no screens, no Wi-Fi and almost no packing, and you’ll find ideas for every age, a simple activity kit to put together the night before, and a free road trip bingo card you can print right now.
Pack a simple road trip activity kit
A small kit within your child’s reach saves you from passing things back over the seat every five minutes.
- A clipboard or lap tray. It gives kids a firm surface to color or draw on, even in a bumpy car.
- Colored pencils or crayons in a zip pouch. One pouch per child prevents a lot of arguments.
- Printables. A stack of coloring pages, bingo cards and simple games. Print more than you think you’ll need.
- Stickers and a small notebook. Cheap, light and endlessly reusable.
- One or two surprises. A new sticker book or small toy you bring out halfway through the drive.
Keep the kit light and soft, and leave heavy or sharp items packed away in the trunk.
Activities that need nothing at all
These classic car games work for almost any age, cost nothing and take zero packing.
- I spy. “I spy something green” works for little kids; older kids can play with letters.
- The license plate game. Spot plates from different states and keep a running list.
- The alphabet game. Find each letter, A to Z, on signs, trucks and billboards.
- 20 questions. One person thinks of an animal, place or thing; everyone else asks yes-or-no questions.
- Would you rather. Silly questions like “Would you rather have a dragon or a robot as a pet?” are perfect for car conversation.
- Count the cows (or trucks, or red cars). Pick something to count and see who spots the most before the next stop.
- Story chain. Each person adds one sentence to a story. It gets ridiculous fast, which is the point.
- Name that tune. Hum a song and let everyone guess.
- Cloud spotting. Find shapes in the clouds and give them names.
- The quiet game. Everyone tries to stay quiet as long as possible. Save this one for when you really need it.
Printable activities for the car
Printables are the secret weapon of road trip parents. They’re light, cheap, and you can print a fresh stack for the drive home.
- Road trip bingo. Spot the items on the card and mark them off. Our free road trip bingo cards are below.
- Coloring pages. Pick bold, simple designs with big spaces. Fine details are hard to color in a moving car.
- Scavenger hunt lists. Write a list of things to spot: a bridge, a water tower, a dog in a car.
- Dot-to-dot and mazes. Great for kids who like a challenge with a clear finish.
- A travel journal page. Older kids can draw the best thing they saw and write where they are.
- Tic-tac-toe sheets. Print a page of grids and kids can play together across the back seat.
Tip: Slip printables into clear sheet protectors and use dry-erase markers. Kids can wipe them clean and play again and again.
Free printable: road trip bingo
Print this card, clip it to a clipboard and let kids mark each square as they spot it. Print one per child, or one per team if you want a little friendly competition.
Get the free road trip bingo PDF, with two different cards in US Letter and A4 size. You can also save the card above as an image. Print with Fit to page so the whole card fits on the paper. Not sure how? Our guide on how to print digital downloads walks you through it.
Road trip activities by age
What works for a 7-year-old will frustrate a 2-year-old. Here’s a quick guide:
| Age | What works best | Try this |
|---|---|---|
| Toddlers (1 to 3) | Short, hands-on, very simple | Board books, chunky crayons, stickers, songs, spotting animals |
| Preschoolers (3 to 5) | Simple rules, lots of variety | Coloring pages, I spy with colors, picture bingo, story chain |
| Early elementary (6 to 8) | Games with a goal | Road trip bingo, license plate game, mazes, travel journal |
| Older kids (9+) | Independence and challenge | Map reading, trip trivia, would you rather, planning the next stop |
Screen-free audio for long stretches
- Audiobooks. A good family audiobook makes hours disappear. Many public libraries lend audiobooks for free through apps.
- Kids’ podcasts. Story and science podcasts made for kids are easy for the whole car to enjoy.
- Family playlist. Let each person add a few songs before you leave.
- Sing-alongs. Classic songs with actions or repeating verses work best for little ones.
Make the drive itself part of the fun
- Give kids a job. Navigator, snack captain or official stop picker. Kids behave better when they have a role.
- Track the trip on a paper map. Mark your progress at every stop so kids can see how far you’ve come.
- Plan fun stops. A playground or rest area with grass is worth the extra ten minutes.
- Pack a surprise bag. Wrap a few small, cheap items and open one every hour or at each state line.
- Take photos at every stop. Older kids can be the trip photographer, then make a scrapbook at home.
Tips to keep everyone happy
- Rotate activities. Bring out one thing at a time and put it away before starting the next.
- Watch for car sickness. Looking down at a page bothers some kids. If yours gets queasy, use audio and window games instead.
- Keep crayons out of the sun. They can soften and melt in a hot car. Colored pencils are a safe swap in summer.
- Plan regular stops. A short break every couple of hours makes a big difference, especially for younger kids.
- Lower the bar. Some whining is normal. A few happy hours is a win.
Get your printables ready
Want a stack of coloring pages ready to go before you leave? Our 20 Printable Coloring Pages for Kids include fire trucks, trains, airplanes, sailboats and other travel-themed designs with bold, easy outlines that work well on a clipboard in the car. It’s an instant download, so you can buy it the night before and print it in minutes.
Driving to see family over the holidays? Our Christmas activity book for kids packs 50 coloring pages, mazes, puzzles and worksheets for ages 4–8 into one download, with Easy, Medium and Challenge levels so siblings of different ages can each find something to do.
Looking for more reasons to pack the crayons? Read about the benefits of coloring for kids. Have a great trip!
Frequently asked questions
How do you entertain a toddler on a long road trip without screens?
Rotate short, simple activities: a board book, a few chunky crayons with a coloring page on a clipboard, songs, and window games like spotting trucks or cows. Toddlers have short attention spans, so bring out one new thing every 15 to 20 minutes and plan a stop every couple of hours.
What should I put in a kids' road trip activity kit?
A clipboard or lap tray, colored pencils or crayons in a zip pouch, a stack of printable coloring pages and games, a few stickers, a small notebook and one or two surprise items. Keep everything light and soft, and leave out anything heavy or sharp.
Can kids color in the car if they get carsick?
Looking down at a page makes car sickness worse for some kids. If your child tends to feel queasy, lean on audio stories, music and window games, and save coloring for stops or for the stretches where they feel fine.
Will crayons melt in the car?
They can soften and melt if they sit in direct sun in a hot car. In warm weather, keep crayons in a pouch out of the sun, or pack colored pencils instead.
How often should you stop on a road trip with kids?
Many families plan a short stop every two to three hours for bathroom breaks, snacks and running around. Younger kids may need stops more often. Building breaks into the plan makes the whole drive calmer.
