BY SOPHIA
Guys, summer is UPON US! After staying at home for the entirety of last summer, I don’t know about you but this homebody is actually itching to go somewhere this summer. Can I get an amen!? If you’re planning on packing up the car and heading out on a road trip this summer, here are some of my top recommendations for books to keep your littles busy in the car!
for babies/toddlers
Okay, so at this age most kids aren’t really reading books so much as eating them and that is why my top recommendation would be these Indestructibles. There are SO many books in this collection but the best part is that they are completely chew proof, drool proof, rip proof, and non-toxic!
for preschoolers
My youngest is currently a preschooler so I know that at this age, kids definitely are interested in books but obviously can’t read by themselves (well, most of them can’t. I do know a friend whose daughter started reading at age 3). Unless mom is interested in contorting her body in odd ways to face the back of the car and read a book aloud for several hours, these are my top recommendations for books to keep the 3-6 year olds in your life busy in the car!
Never Touch A …. Have you seen these books before? Similar to the Indestructibles series, there are several titles in this collection. My favorite part, though, is that reading the book is a total sensory experience! The pages of this board book are filled with bumpy silicone parts that are so much fun for kids to rub/touch as they look at the pages.
I don’t know about you, but my preschooler has never met a lift-the-flap book that she didn’t love. Some of our favorites include Dear Zoo, Where’s Spot (there are tons of other Spot the Dog books that are lift-the-flap too!) and Where is Baby’s Belly Button?
For a fun treat, you can also go for a gigantic lift-the-flap book; a bigger book with more flaps means it will keep your kids occupied for longer! We love The Cat in the Hat’s Great Big Flap Book.
And of course – can’t forget about the tried & true sound books. You can literally just search “sound books” in Amazon and tons of options will come up. If you’re unfamiliar, these books have buttons that will play songs or sound effects, and many of your preschooler’s favorite books will have a “sound book” version that your child can interact with. Buy a brand new book or get a sound book version of your kid’s favorite bedtime story! Here’s the link to a Baby Shark sound book because … c’mon.
for younger elementary ages
I think at this age (and older) the types of books your kids will want to read will vary by interest but I will say that if your kids get carsick like mine do, then reading books that require staring at tiny little font for hours at a time in a moving vehicle is probably not the best idea. For my 1st grader, I’m stocking up on lots of books with pictures & graphics so that he’s still reading but hopefully won’t get too carsick.
Anything by National Geographic for Kids is a really big hit for him these days – a fun idea would be to get a book that gives facts/details about the destination you’re driving to! For example, I like US Atlas.
I think a “5-Minute Stories” book would be great for this age group too because there are pictures and the stories are short so your kids can read as many stories as they want or just read 1-2 at a time. It’s also helpful that there are SO many different types of books within this category – Disney Princesses, Avengers, Ninjago, Bible stories .. you name it, they have it.
for older elementary ages
Similar to the younger elementary ages, I feel like kids at this age can also (maybe? just mine?) get carsick if they’re staring at a book in the car for too long so to help remedy that, I recommend graphic novels! There are SO many graphic novels available for roughly 3rd grade and above. The most popular ones I know of are, of course, Dog Man and Captain Underpants.
For girls, the “Click” graphic novel series is a big one as well as the Babysitter’s Club graphic novels (these are SO fun!). There are way more than just these out there so take your time and explore what the internet brings up if you need more than what I’ve listed here.
final tips:
Okay so now that you’ve read this entire post of book recommendations, here are my real tips for surviving a road trip with kids –
- Snacks. Bring lots of snacks. And wipes. And a bag for trash.
- Go to the dollar section at Target and check out what they have – right now they have tons of activity books that are great for all ages in the car. Water painting, dot to dot art, maze/crossword/word search/etc. These are great ways to kill time in the car!
- Audio books! If your kids don’t want to or aren’t the type to look at a book by themselves, turn on an audio book! You’ll be surprised how quiet kids get in the car when they want to hear the story that’s playing.
- iPad/movie/electronics: Listen. I get that screen time is controversial and some parents pride themselves on having kids who can sit 10 hours in the car without ever looking at a screen. I say that a road trip should be fun and if your kids want to watch a movie in the car while you’re mindlessly driving down the freeway, go for it. There will be plenty of time for no-screen fun once you get to your destination!
Drop a comment down below if you found any of these books recommendations or tips helpful! Happy travels!