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Summer Family Fun

Kids' Road Trip Essentials Checklist

The gear to have on hand when traveling with children. Guaranteed, you’ll hear fewer cries of "Are we there yet?"

Activities

  • Books, magazines, and comics
  • Games, such as the license plate game or travel bingo
  • Sketchbook, washable markers, and colored pencils
  • Pre-stamped blank postcards (find them at the post office), which your kids can decorate, or postcards bought on the road; have your children write to friends, relatives, even pets
  • Doodling doodads: a small dry-erase board, Etch A Sketch, Magna Doodle
  • Pipe cleaners, easy origami, and other scissor-less craft supplies
  • Portable DVD player and DVDs; don’t forget headphones!
  • Tape recorder: Let the kids produce a vacation broadcast
  • Books on tape for the whole family, such as the Harry Potter series or “The Chronicles of Narnia”
  • Scrapbook envelope—entrust your children with the responsibility of collecting postcards, ticket stubs, and brochures for a scrapbook

Food

  • Individually packaged, crumb-free snacks such as bite-sized goldfish crackers
  • Hard-to-bruise fruits such as apples and berries; or try fruit roll-ups or fruit leathers
  • Trail mix, which will leave kids feeling full longer (and keep fingers greaseless)
  • Reusable bottles filled with water

Miscellaneous

  • First-aid items, such as Neosporin, bandages, anti-bacterial wipes, Tylenol, sunscreen, and Dramamine
  • Garbage bags to collect trash
  • Extra diapers and wipes, if necessary
  • Change of clothes, in case of accidental spills
  • A blanket for spur-of-the-moment picnics at rest areas—and naps
  • Jump ropes and balls, so energetic little travelers can tire themselves out at rest stops!

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Did we forget anything on this checklist? What would you add?

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