Christmas Gift Ideas for Tweens: Gift Guide Review

Find the Best Christmas Gifts for Preteens (Tweens)

Searching for the best Christmas gift ideasChristmas gift ideas for tweens? Check out our gift guide for tween boys and girls aged 9-12 yrs. These Christmas gift ideas for tweens were tested by our staff's own children and have received a two thumbs up! 

This post contains Affiliate links.

Finding the right gift for preteens is tough, because they’re not little kids anymore, but they’re not quite teenagers yet. Most tweens are outgrowing their favorite toys and developing their own tastes. What they loved yesterday is old news! Tweens often like gifts that are related to their interest and seem cool and fun: Think Nifty! 

Because shopping for teens and tweens is difficult, it's tempting to take the easy way out and give them money or a gift card, but a great gift is much more memorable and lets them know that you really care. Below are some of our top picks for teen and tween Christmas gifts.

5 Top Picks for Tweens Gift Guide Review

• Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Camera

Our tween girls love this camera! Nifty is its middle name. The Instant Camera is the perfect gift for tween girls. It’s stylish and it's an excellent value for the price. The Fuji camera comes in a range of funky colors and uses automatic exposure to help make it easy to use for beginners. All you have to do is turn the power on, adjust the dial, take the photo and wait for the film to develop. The tiny photos instantly pop out like old fashioned Polaroid pictures.

The camera is compact and lightweight so tweens can easily carry it around with them and even take photos one-handed. A highlight is the simplicity of the design because it doesn’t overwhelm kids with features and accessories they won’t use. Be sure to stock up on lots of film, kids love taking pictures of everyone during the holidays!

• My Cinema Light Box

Last year, this was a hit with our preteens and tweens! A cinema light box is another nifty gift that helps tweens express their personality by showcasing a message they can personalize. Kids can share their own fun or inspiring messages to friends and family. Plus, there are lots of fun emojis included and plenty of room to add a range of messages that tweens will love. The light box has a cool color changing background with different settings that include fade, flash, and strobe to give a variety of effects. This is a truly unique gift for theater and other creative kids. Put their name in lights under the tree and brighten your preteen’s holidays.

• Kanken Classic Backpack

The iconic Kanken backpack design is Retro which automatically translates to cool these days. Available in a wide range of colors, the large capacity storage space allows for plenty of room for school supplies and tablets. In addition to the main compartment, it has two side pockets and a front zippered pocket. The laptop pouch in the main compartment is perfect for a 13" Macbook Pro but won’t fit any larger laptops. Material is durable and water resistant, so if you're tweens are outdoorsy, it’s a great bag to take on hikes.

https://amzn.to/2qVogel

• Electronic Drum Pad Set

Music lovers will have hours of fun with the electronic roll up drum pad set. Tweens can learn about the different sounds a drum kit makes and develop a sense of rhythm by playing a beat along to their favorite music. Use it with headphones to play at night and it won’t disturb your neighbors.

An electronic drum set pad is a great alternative to a full size drum set. Who has the room for a full-size drum set? It’s also easy to roll up and carry, so your kids can take it anywhere. We bought one of these for our tween boy last year. Pardon the pun, but it was a hit! We also bought this electric roll up piano for our musical tween daughter. She takes it with her everywhere she goes!

• Crystal Growing Kit 

Crystal growing kits are a hit with 9 and 10 year-olds. If your preteen is into science or shows an interest in precious gems, the crystal growing kit is a perfect gift idea. Kids can grow red, blue, and white crystals and monitor their progress day by day as they transform into fully grown crystals. Once they’ve grown, add them to an LED display to show them off in their full glory. How cool is that?

These Christmas gift ideas for tweens are some of the best rated gifts for preteens on Amazon and have been proven hits with our own kids. If you didn’t find the perfect gift for your preteen, check out some more cool suggestions on Good Old Gifts. Hopefully, you'll find a gift suggestion that matches your preteen’s interests so you can give them something they’ll truly love this Christmas.


Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on our reviews and travel tips!


Recommended:

Unique Gift Ideas for Teen Boys

Gift Ideas for Pet Lovers

Gifts for Babies


Pin it!

What to do at Purdue West Lafayette IN with Kids: 30 Things

Visiting Purdue: 30 Things to do Lafayette Area

If you're planning a road trip to West Lafayette, Indiana, you will find lots of family things to do with the kids. Visiting Lafayette, West Lafayette, and Purdue University is a great field trip idea and can get your kids excited about attending college. So, what's to do at Purdue in West Lafayette with the kids? If you haven't been to West Lafayette in awhile, you're in for a big surprise. The growth is incredible! My kids especially liked the bananas (once you visit, you'll know what I mean.) Keep reading for our 30 best things to do family activities and road trip ideas.

In Lafayette you can tour North America's only Subaru Factory. This factory tour takes 1-1.5 hrs. It is completely free and worth every penny. :) Even our Mayhem enjoyed the tour. Asthmatics may want to wear a mask or keep their inhalers handy. Some parts of the tour are smellier than others. Outside of the entrance the paint fumes are strong and inside the factory the die section had some fumes. Overall, it is an incredibly clean factory with an amazing safety record (just like their cars.) For homeschoolers, it is a great way to learn about all of the possible positions you can learn to do within the automotive industry. Purdue University even has a hub there. We toured on a Monday. Keep in mind, that while Monday is a great day for the tour, many other things to do in Lafayette our closed on Mondays. Plan accordingly. 5500 Indiana 38, Lafayette, IN 47905

Note: Cameras and Phones are not allowed on the tour.

Subaru Factory Tour: Micah Wright/Autos Cheat Sheet

Explore STEM at the Imagination Station hands-on science museum. (Closed Mondays, Open Tuesday- Sunday) Check the website for hours of operation, they are only open a few hours per day. Weekdays = 2-5 p.m. Tickets are only $5 per person. 600 N 4th St, Lafayette, IN 47901

McCord Candies offers an old-fashioned soda and sandwich shop. In November and December, you can tour the candy shop as they make candy canes. Be sure to try the chocolates! Closed on Sundays. 536 Main St. Lafayette, IN 47901

Triple XXX Family Restaurant or Route 66? Both restaurants are owned and operated by the same people. Which should you choose? It depends on what you want to accomplish. For nostalgia and atmosphere, Triple XXX is best! Don't let the name discourage you. Triple XXX is their specialty brand of root beer. They tout themselves as Indiana's first and oldest drive-in family restaurant. From what I can tell, it's no longer a drive-in. Even Guy Fieri stopped by, check it out on their website. Expect to be packed in like sardines (with lots of college students and retirees) and wait outside for a seat to become available. For the true diner experience, this one can't be beat. A super important note, as of 2018, they are CASH ONLY- yikes. They do have an ATM inside the restaurant. As for Route 66, they are off the beat and path, not nearly as busy, and have plenty of parking. Shakes are a little pricey, but hey everything is handmade. They even hand cut and grind the steakburgers. 2 N. Salisbury, West Lafayette, IN

Columbian Park Zoo Lafayette this cute little zoo is part of Columbian Park, where you'll also find play ground equipment, picnic areas, and a small water park. Tropicanoe Cove opens the end of May. The zoo opens mid to late April. The zoo includes a farm animal petting zoo. 1915 Scott Street Lafayette, IN 47904

Museums at Prophetstown Learn about 1920's farm life at Prophetstown. Prophetstown is named for Tecumseh's younger brother the prophet, Tenskwatawa. What was once a Shawnee Native American village is now a state park. 5545 Swisher Road West Lafayette, IN 47906

Just outside of Lafayette, don't miss Battle Ground, home of the Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum.  It marks the site of the November 7, 1811, Battle of Tippecanoe between the United States’ forces, led by William Henry Harrison, and representatives of Tecumseh’s Native American confederation. This one is closed on Wednesdays. 200 Battle Ground Avenue, Battle Ground IN 47920

Fort Ouiatenon Trading Post and the Feast of the Hunter's Moon, seasonal, fall. 
3129 South River Rd, West Lafayette, IN 47906 

Battle Ground Wolf Park  see a wide variety of wolves, coyotes, and foxes. Winter season through April 30, closed Sunday through Friday. Open season starts May 1, closed Mondays. Read our review Visit Wolf Park, Battle Ground. 4004 E 800 N Battle Ground, IN 47920

Relive the Battle of 1812 in Mississinewa. This is a great immersion history program. See battle reenactments, military encampments, rivertown, Indian village, food and more. Fun for the whole family. One weekend a year. Check the map for location. 6000 N. 300 W 27, LaFontaine, IN 46940

This one is in nearby Delphi, Indiana. Wabash and Erie Canal Museum includes canal boat rides. Closed Mondays, and winter months. 1030 W Washington St. Delphi, IN 46923

While on Campus, there are many things to do with kids (Triple XXX Restaurant is near campus.)

The Purdue Bug Bowl is in mid April. This is a fun event that offers tons of insect activities, like cricket spitting and an insect petting zoo. Bug Bowl is part of the Purdue Spring Fest.

Purdue Family Fun Day is in March in the Union Ballrooms.

Purdue Animal Science offers 4H Workshops.

Purdue Convocations are open to the public. Get tickets (some events are free) to a music concert, a musical, or a lecture. Not sure it is family friendly enough? You can catch shows like Curious George: The Golden Meatball. Click here to see the Purdue schedule of events

Got a future Boilermaker? Check out this list of Purdue Summer Camp opportunities. Warning: These are pricey! In July, they also offer a free one day engineering camp for girls.

Purdue Grand Prix go kart race. Click here to see the Grand Prix schedule of events.
West Lafayette, IN

There's always something cool going on at the West Lafayette Public Library: Kids Activities.

Get Air Trampoline Park 3540 State Road 38 East, Suite 400, Lafayette, IN

Elite Air Trampoline Park 3832 Fortune Dr Lafayette, IN 47905

Riverside Ice Sating Rink 100 Tapawingo Dr N West Lafayette, IN 47906

Mike Auby's Arrowhead Bowling includes Cosmic Bowling and an Arcade. Lafayette, IN

Market Square Lanes includes Cosmic Bowling Jerilee's Pub. Lafayette, IN (close to West Lafayette)

Landmark Lanes includes Cosmic Bowling and Roddy's Sports Bar. (closer to West Lafayette)

Puccini's Pizza and Pasta 300 Brown Street, West Lafayette, IN

Dog N' Suds Drive In 401 Sagamore Pkwy, West Lafayette, IN

Mary Lou's Donuts 1830 S 4th St, Lafayette, IN 47905 (Catch the food truck on campus.)

Recommended:

For more travel and field trip ideas follow us on Instagram

Things to do in Indiana

Budget Family Vacation Ideas

Throw a Birthday Party for Teen Girls with these 5 Fun Ideas

5 Fun Birthday Party Ideas for Teenage Girls

Are you all out of fresh ideas for a Girls' Teen Birthday Party? We searched Pinterest and found some fun ideas that your teen daughter will love. It isn't a party without games, favors, and a fun theme! 

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

These kids played soccer with our giant volleyball. Grab a net, a truck load of sand, and turn your backyard into a beach volleyball court!

We found this very stylish Volleyball theme party idea at Kara's Party Ideas. I particularly like the chocolate fuel candy bars!

Throw a volleyball theme party for your daughter
like this one from Kara's Party Ideas.

Volleyball! With this party theme, make sure you schedule time to play a game of their favorite sport, but change it up a notch with giant, inflatable volleyballs. If you're really cool, and really want to impress, truck in a load of sand! Change the sport for an athletic teen boy's birthday party theme.

Afterward, chill out with volleyball cupcakes and healthy (or not so healthy snacks). It is a birthday party, you can take a little break!

Sports and Volleyball cupcakes from Cake Central.

Beach or Pool Party! I know, it has been done before. Really a pool party? But, you can make it your own! You've got leftover sand from last year's volleyball party, so use it! Bring on the sandals and fruity mocktails. Give the girls colorful beach towels in your daughter's favorite beach party colors. To make it extra spectacular, make sand castle cupcakes like these from Confections of a Sugarholic blog.

Sandcastle cupcake from Confections of a Sugarholic.

Give each girl a party favor - fill a sand pail with girly goodies and treats! You can also make some permanent moon sand style castles as a fun birthday party activity for teens.

Use sand from your vacation to make a permanent keepsake sandcastle memento.

Glamping! Oh the fun that the girls can have while camping! S'mores, bonfire, and ghost stories in luxury.  Set up a nail painting tent, a food tent, and a movie tent! The girl's can travel from glamorous tent to glamorous tent. Add a fuzzy rug in each tent and gather your beautician to do their hairs and nails, then visit the food tent and place an order. Let Dad in on the act, he can be a fancy concierge/delivery boy (make him wear a tux). 

We Heart Parties has this beautiful party food setup with an owl theme.
Don't let those hoots scare you when you are sleeping in the tent!

A Night on the Red Carpet! Have the guests wear prom-style party dresses for this Oscar party theme birthday. Roll out a "red carpet" leading to your front door, for party favors the girls can create Oscar sculptures, then practice their thank you speech at a mic stand as their friends present them with a handmade Oscar. Celebrate with a golden slice of birthday cake. For more Oscar Party Ideas visit DesignDazzle.com

Spa! Bring on the sliced cucumbers, body scrubs, nail polish, sleeping masks, and special fruit water. Did you know you can add glow sticks to clear nail polish to make them glow-in-the-dark?

Glow-in-the-dark nail polish.

Spa Fruit Water Recipe 

1 orange

1 lemon

3 to 4 strawberries.

Slice the fruits and put in water. 

Chill for a couple of hours prior to serving.

Recommended Reading:

Slumber Party Wars

The Best Christmas Party Ever

Moroccan Food Acorn Squash Fall Recipe

This Acorn Squash Recipe with Moroccan Spice give your taste buds a kick. 

Angie shares her favorite spicy recipe. Moroccan Food Rocks. After you use your squash for a fun, Fall Thanksgiving Craft, make this recipe in the kitchen with your kids 

Angie's Recipes at Kids Creative Chaos.

"I made this the other night; 
it has just the right mix of sweet and savory. It is delish!"

Moroccan Spiced Acorn Squash Recipe

2 medium acorn squash (I used 3)
11/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
¾ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper
2/3 Cup uncooked wild rice blend
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp Moroccan Rub
1 1/3 Cup water
1/3 Cup Golden Raisins
1 Medium red apple such as fuji (I used Jonagold's)
1 can 15oz. Garbanzo beans (Chickpeas) Drained and rinsed
2/3 C. slivered almonds, toasted and divded
1/3 cup snipped fresh chives
Additional snipped chives (optional)

Preheat oven 450.  Cut squash in half crosswise.  Remove and throw away seeds.  Place squash on Medium sheet pan or Large Bar Pan.  Using basting brush, brush squash with ½ tbsp of oil; sprinkle with brown sugar, ½ tsp of salt and pepper.  Bake 32-38 min or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and put on cooling rack.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in 10in skillet over medium heat 1-3 min or until shimmering.  Add rice blend, onion and rub; cook and stir 1-2 min or until onion is tender.  Add water and raisins; cook covered, 12-15 min or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

Dice apple, zest lemon to measure 1 tsp.  Add apple, lemon zest, chickpeas, ½ cup almonds, chives and remaining ¼ tsp salt to skillet.  Cook covered, 1-2 min or until heated thru.  Spoon rice mixture evenly into squash halves.  Garnish with remaining 2 tbsp almonds and additional snipped chives, if desired.

Cook's Tip: To form flat base, trim ½ in off top and bottom of the squash.

Recommended Reading:

Kids travel journal: my trip to morocco*

Morocco Recipes* 

15 Slumber Party Games and Activities for Teen Girls: Best Sleepover Ever

15 Fun for Teen Girls Activities: A Sleepover, Slumber Birthday Party

A teenage girl sleepover party with fun games, activities, and swag bags is the best slumber party ever! Don't just read these titles and think, been there done that. We've added a little twist to each birthday party activity.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
UPDATED for 2020 with BONUS BIRTHDAY ACTIVITIES.

Slumber Party Sleepover Games and Activities for Teen Girls.

1. Balloon Charades. Grabs some stationary and write down ideas for Charades. What are charades? How do you play charades? You know, when you act something out, pull on your ear for "sounds like", put two fingers in the air to signify two words, but you never speak. Yeah, that game. So, fold the paper up into skinny rectangles, slide it inside a balloon, blow it up, and use it as a party decoration. When you are ready to play charades give each guest a balloon. Have her pop it - sitting on it is the most fun, read it, and act it out for the other guests to guess. Super Fun!

Yeah, you can do this with "Truth or Dare" too, but oh how I loathe Truth or Dare. Shouldn't it be called "Humiliation or Bullying?"



Bonus Activity: Giant Cupcake Balloon for Party
Want a cool photo op for your social media? Make this Balloon Cupcake with your friends and then use it as a backdrop for your photos! Click here: How to Make Giant Cupcake from Balloons!

2. Sleeping Bag Switch. For this game, each girl brings a sleeping bag or sleeping pad to the party. To start the game, the girls unroll their bags and lay them out on the floor. Then, one girl goes out of the room and the remaining girls pick someone else's bag to hide in. The girl then returns and tries to guess who is who or who is where. You can also have only two girls switch, and see if she can tell who switched. Fun times!

5 Fun Ideas for Teen Birthday Party

3. Crazy Makeovers. Time to pull out the make up, and let the girls give each other makeovers. No peeking until it is done. The beautician can choose to make a crazy makeover or a beautiful, glamorous one. The girl getting the makeup has to guess which type of makeover she got before the big reveal. 

Fun Things to Make at Home

4. Spin the Nail Polish Bottle. Each girl takes a turn picking out a color and spinning the bottle. This works best on a table. Who ever the bottle points to when it finishes spinning paints a nail with that color. Then, she chooses the next color to spin. When everyone has 10 nails painted, take a picture and share them with your friends on Instagram. Make sure you have lots of color choices!

Choose a variety of colors for Nail Polish Spin the Bottle game.

5. Make your Own Glitter Body Scrub. Find small jars that seal tightly, fine glitter, (white is nice) coconut oil, (a wonderful moisturizer for the scrub) scented extract, and sugar or coarse salt. Sugar is best. Salt is great for exfoliating, but bad if it gets in your eyes. Choose an extract: Peppermint, Almond (my favorite) Coconut, or Vanilla. Add a few drops of extract to the sugar and glitter to make a paste. Now you have your own moisturizer and exfoliator. When purchasing coconut oil you want this kind, extra virgin coconut oil.

Coconut Oil for Glitter Scrub.

6. Dress Up Divas. Go to a thrift shop and find evening gowns or formal wear and fancy heels the girls can use to dress up. Place the gowns in a large bag. Before you let the girls see the gowns, have them make blindfolds that double as beauty masks. Once everyone is blindfolded, have them choose a dress by touch alone. After they model the dresses, they can trade and have a fashion show or make up a reality show. Don't forget a full-length mirror.

For a blindfold or sleeping mask tutorial visit Henry Happened blog.

7. Pillowcase Decorating Activity. Purchase pillowcases to decorate. Grab fabric makers, tacky glue, and ribbon. You can also find fun, iron on transfers to embellish. If you plan in advance, you can decorate a large gift bag for each guest. Load it up with all that Birthday Party Swag! 

Birthday Party Activities for Teen Girls

8. Pillow Fight. A classic game. As part of the swag bag items, create mini-pillows. You can often find little pillows at the dollar store or use travel pillows. Decorate them as mentioned above. When it is time for bed, be a cool party host. Tell the girls to grab their mini-pillows. On your mark, set, pillow fight! Just watch out for the lamps! You're going to need a big full-body pillow for this pillow fight!

Bonus Activity: Easy Colorful Cupcake Frosting
Make this easy, colorful cupcake icing and decorate cakes or cookies with your friends! Share on Instagram or other social media with #cupcaketime Get the recipe here: Easy Cupcake Frosting.

9. Flip Flop Decorating Activity. Find out the Flip Flop shoe sizes of each guest before the party. Get some yarn, baubles, Sharpie Markers, and cloth scraps. Decorate to your heart's desire. Toss them in that swag bag to take home.

Printable Dorm Supply Checklist

10. Cup Stacking. When you are buying party supplies, get some extra cups for the party guests to stack. Take turns to see who can get the most cups stacked in a minute or who has the most creative tower. Even better, everyone can start at the same time. This makes it more nerve wracking and chaotic! Hey, don't knock my tower down!

Minute to Win it Games for a Birthday Party.

11. Minute to Win it Games. Imagine the possibilities! Just like cup stacking, come up with several activities that can be completed in one minute. Everyone grab one of those cups. Set it in the middle of a table, grab a Ping Pong ball, and with only one bounce allowed, bounce the ball into the cup. Hurry! The clock is ticking. Tick Tock. You can also use the a cup to fill a bucket with water (use a colorful sand pail). 

Bonus Activity: Toothpaste Slime

Trick your friends with this toothpaste slime. You'll need 1 C. Blue Hair Gel, 1/2 C. Cornstarch, Water, Super Fine White Glitter.

Slowly add water to 1/3 C. Cornstarch by the spoonful, stir until all is mixed well and becomes pour-able. Then, slowly stir cornstarch mixture into the hair gel. When it all has a thick toothpaste consistency, sprinkle in the super fine glitter. Voila! You have fake toothpaste. See if you can trick your parents with it. Of course, this toothpaste slime isn’t edible!! 

Did you know real toothpaste isn’t edible either? You should always spit it out after brushing. Don’t forget to brush your teeth with real toothpaste every morning (even at a slumber party!) 

Parents,  if you’ve got one of those kids, who doesn’t like to go to the dentist, ABC Children’s Dentistry offers more valuable tips to help you and your child when it comes to oral hygiene. Dental hygiene is something that should be taught at an early age. Why not make it fun?  Here’s a neat sensory toothpaste activity for preschoolers by Still Playing School.

12. Dance Off. Time for the girls to get their dance moves on and have fun. This is great to play after the Dress up Diva game. She who dances the longest wins. Ha! You thought it was a game of skill. Nope. It is a game of "get them tired so they don't put your panties in the freezer!"  Sweet Dreams. What's that? You're dreaming of popsicles?

13. Board Games. Don't think "bored" games. These board games are fun because each girl makes her own game to play or collaborate on one super, cool game. Cereal boxes, paper plates, and the white side of the wrapping paper are great ways to make a board. Paper plates make game spinners. Old, recycled business cards make excellent playing cards or game cards. Stickers are fun too. Fold paper and cut it into a cube pattern to make your own dice. Still boring? Take those balloons and fill them with game topics. For example, "Make a game about Rock Stars" or "Make a Mall Shopping Card Game" or "Make a game of questions." Let your imaginations run wild. This can be especially fun for preteens and tweens.

Cool Games for Holiday Parties

14. Classic Board Games. Find out who your moguls are when you pull out the Monopoly game or start up the giggles with Trouble. But that's boring, right? Pass around a basket of accessories. Think grandma glasses, nerd spectacles, giant clip-on earrings, men's ties, satin gloves, and cowboy hats. Now, play those games in character with silly accents.

15. Slurpin' for Worms. Gummy Worm Game Grab a bag of gummi worms or gummi bears and a can of whipped cream. Place the worms on a paper plate and cover them with the cream. It should look like a fake pie, you know, the kind you get in the face? Yeah, you might want to wear a raincoat for this one, and Mom might want to lay down a painting drop cloth. Players must keep their hands behind their backs at all times. Dive in. This is a great game for "Minute to Win It" too. Who can slurp up the most worms? Who can eat the most?

Recommended Reading:

Outdoor Beach Theme Party

Happy Birthday Mad Libs

Group Games for Tweens and Teens

Teen Camp Songs

Balloons for Your Party

Minecraft Birthday Party Activities

Marshmallow Party Games and Activities

Family Road Trip Tips

Top Tips to Prepare for a Family Road Trip

Ready for a mini-vacation? There's no better and more flexible way to see the wonders cross country than by taking a good old-fashioned road trip. Of course long car journeys with kids can be challenging,but they don’t need to be!Here are the top ways to beat backseat boredom and prepare yourself and your children for a stress-free family road trip.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Make Plans in Advance

Start your family road trip preparation off right by making your vacation plans well in advance. This includes things like planning your route, downloading maps for the area you’re visiting, and booking your accommodations. This will help to make your trip as organized and as hassle-free as possible. If you need to rent a car for your road trip, be sure to look around for the best deal and book well in advance to get the best rates. Click here to find some great deals on car rentals.

Ensure Safety and Comfort

No one wants to have an uncomfortable, cranky kid on a long car ride. When kids sit in a car for hours, it’s important that they are comfortable, safe, and also have good head support. Make sure that kids are safely buckled in a car seat, booster seat or seat belt for the duration of the trip. To make the journey more comfortable for your kids, bring along a neck pillow and their favorite blanket or stuffed toy.

Plan Lots of Stops

Before hitting the road, be sure to map out your journey. Plug your destination into your smartphone’s map or a mapping website to get a realistic idea of how long your road trip will take. This will also allow you to plan some fun stops along the way. Make sure that you schedule a stop every few hours so the kids can get some fresh air and you can stretch your legs. Bring along a Frisbee or ball, in case you can’t find a playground or other entertainment, at least, you'll be able to toss them around in a parking lot.

Bring Plenty of Snacks

Keep your kids happy when traveling by providing lots of snacks. Things like whole grain crackers, sliced fruit, individually wrapped cheeses, and cereal bars all make excellent road trip snacks. Pack these in separate containers and give them out throughout the trip to keep the kids busy. Packing some snacks for the trip will also save you money as you won’t be at the mercy of whatever roadside food stops have available.

With kids snacking onboard, spills and crumbs are unavoidable. The dirt and grime may damage your car’s original upholstery. This ruins your vehicle’s overall aesthetic and lowers your car’s resale value. A great solution is to install a custom-fit car seat cover to protect your leather seats from stains, fading, and scratches.

Arrange In-Car Entertainment

Make sure you arrange some entertainment to keep kids occupied on long trips. You can download audio-books and films to watch on an iPad, pack chalkboards and activity books, or plan road trip games to keep kids entertained on the journey. According to Tripsavvy, there are several mobile games and apps that provide hours of entertainment on the road. Check out Road Trip Travel Games on the Google Play store for plenty of classic road trip family activities.

Family road trips don’t have to be stressful. In fact, with a little preparation and planning, your next journey could even end up being the best part of your vacation! Follow these tips to have a fun and stress-free family road trip.

Do you have family road trip tips? In the comments,tell us what has worked for you.

Recommended:

Get Road Trip Activity Books and Games

Indiana Area One Tank Trips

More Tips for Traveling with Kids

Indiana Field Trip Ideas