Entertaining Kids in an RV | Califf Life Creations

My family recently completed our first RV trip together and it was absolutely amazing. We drove from New York to Minnesota, then to South Dakota and Colorado before turning back toward New York. It was 4500 miles in 12 days. Entertaining kids in an RV was a big concern for me going into this trip since I knew we would have long days of driving. I’m sharing my successes and my failures in how I kept my 5-year-old and 2.5-year-old entertained on this road trip.

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I had been stocking up on small activities for months leading up to our trip. Every time I made a trip to Target, I’d browse the dollar spot section and grab a couple of activities. I’d buy a couple of coloring books when I went to the dollar store. This way, I was able to slowly build up a stock of simple, car-friendly activities for the kids to do.

I put a few of them into new hiking backpacks to give to the boys at the beginning of our trip. This worked to get them excited for the activities, as well as the adventures we were going to have on our RV trip. They couldn’t wait to drive more so we could play and explore.

Our Favorite Activities while Driving

We honestly spent hours just coloring together. There was a light game of catch across the table, word games, animal noises, and lots of dance parties. When I had stocked up on supplies, I had also gotten car seat trays so they had a surface to use and a way to keep their stuff close. It was a great way to stay organized during the road trip.

The best activities were ones that kept their hands, minds, and imaginations engaged. My 5-year-old was perfectly happy with coloring and activity books half the time. He’s getting really into doing mazes and anything that challenges his mind or allows him to get creative keeps his attention for a long time.

Entertaining Kids in an RV: Picks from a 5-year-old

Wikki Sticks – Reusable molding and sculpting sticks made from waxed yarn.

Modeling Clay – Air dry was best so we could set it to the side and it would be done by morning.

Backseat Activity Book – This was really fun to show maps of the states that we drove through and learn about travel.

My 2.5-year-old is a different story. He doesn’t have the attention span to color like that and needs other types of stimulation. Sensory toys that he could explore and manipulate were of more use, as were magnets. He is in a stage of life that is more about exploration than self-expression.

Entertaining Kids in an RV: Picks from a 2.5-year-old

Magnets – We had a set of Picasso Tiles with us that he really likes playing with. There are endless possibilities with magnets and, as long as they weren’t dropped, they stuck right in front of him! Here are more idea for magnets (click on the picture more more)

Lacing Activities – I would give him one cut out and one lace and switch the shape up to keep things interesting.

Sensory Toys – Again, there are a lot of options, these sensory strings were what we had and they were a big hit.

The one activity that was great for them both was playing with PlayDoh. I’d give them both a container and some little toys on their car seat tray and they could play for hours!

After watching my oldest play with the suction cup on his toy scorpion, I realized that was a great idea for travel toys. The suction cups are fascinating for kids and the toys stay in place while moving! Next time, I’ll have some suction cup toys with us for entertainment.

More Tips for Entertaining Kids in an RV

The trick to entertaining kids in an RV is to understand each child and meet their individual needs. What works for one child might not work with another. Our kids were already used to long drives in a car, but sometimes it still got to be a bit much.

That’s when you need to find a rest stop and take a break. Get out and stretch your legs, maybe even get a little silly. Shake out all those wiggles before piling back in. The hope was always to have the kids take a nap after one of these breaks, but sometimes we had to dip into our “entertaining kids in an RV activity bag” and take out something new to get the kids to sit down.

My Biggest Mistake

It was a mistake to let them watch a movie while driving. They sat next to each other with a tablet on one of the car seat trays and the bickering was non-stop. Screen time while driving seemed like a great idea for entertaining kids in an RV since I thought I could get a little break, but in the end, it was more work and we quickly returned to our coloring books and activities.

The Ultimate Tip for Entertaining Kids in an RV

The truth is, there is no ultimate tip. I said before that every kid is different and every kid will find a different way to occupy themselves on a road trip. Older kids might want to read or do school work (depending on the time of year).

There is only one thing that helps anyone on any adventure and that is SNACKS!!!

My kids had almost unlimited access to snacks during our trip and I made sure their waters were always filled. Entertaining kids in an RV would be impossible if they (or you) are hungry and/or thirsty!

Balance

Long days driving are tough on everyone. That is why we balance them with plenty of exploring and movement. Campgrounds with playgrounds for the kids were great for the nights when we had to get back on the road in the morning. We could get set up and then they would run and play for a couple of hours before dark.

Then, of course, there are the destinations. The places you set out to discover. You trade driving distances to exploring the area you found. These are the times that make all the driving worth it. The hours of work that you, as a parent, put into entertaining kids in an RV pay off here.

These are the moments that pull us all back into the RV to find destinations, more discoveries, and more opportunities to make family memories.

Entertaining Kids in an RV: Idea List

Sensory toys
PlayDoh
Magnets
Small Puzzles
Travel Bingo (and other games)
Lacing activities
Coloring books
Mess Free Color Paper
Activity books (like The Ultimate Backseat Book)
Paint (this one was restricted to when stopped)
Crayons
Stickers
Modeling clay
Wikki sticks
Suction cup toys

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