Screen-Free(ish) Car Trip Activities for Kids Who Don’t Like Coloring or Worksheets

“I’m bored!” — 15 Minutes Into the Drive

Sound familiar?

As a military family, we’ve done plenty of long road trips: PCS moves, vacation drives, and spontaneous weekend getaways. While I love the idea of screen-free car trip activities, I’ll be the first to admit that coloring pages and printable worksheets just don’t cut it for my kids.

So we’ve created our own mix of creative, screen-light car activities — ones that actually work for active kids (and save your sanity in the process).

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Car Trip Activities that Work for Our Family

Here’s what we’ve found keeps our kids engaged and happy in the car — without relying completely on screens (but yes, we bring those too!).

1. Magnetic Toys and Tins — Our Road Trip MVP

If I had to recommend one travel activity that works every single time, it’s magnetic toys. My kids are currently obsessed with these stretchy magnetic people—they love bending the arms and legs, creating silly poses, and sticking them all over a metal tin or cookie sheet during the drive.

These toys are:

• Mess-free and fidget-friendly

• Easy to store in a pencil pouch or lunchbox-sized tin

• Surprisingly entertaining even on longer road trips

We usually pack:

• A small metal tin to use as a play surface

• A handful of colorful magnetic people

• Other magnetic items like vehicles or animals, depending on the trip

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👉 You can find a variety of fun and compact magnetic travel toys on Amazon, but this stretchy magnetic people set is hands-down our go-to. They're durable, bright, and keep little hands busy without screens or mess.

My kids love these! They’re mess-free, easy to store in a seatback organizer, and keep little hands busy for a long time.

2. I Spy — With a Twist

We play this every single trip. Sometimes we get silly with it:

• “I spy something bumpy”

• “I spy something shaped like a donut”

• Or even challenges like: “How many McDonald’s signs can you find?”

This game gets them looking out the window and noticing details — which helps pass the time and keeps them off screens longer.

3. Road Trip Challenges

We’ve started making up our own travel challenges:

• Count 5 yellow cars

• Spot a dog in another vehicle

• Pretend you’re the tour guide and narrate what you see

Sometimes I print little challenge cards ahead of time, but honestly, most of the time we just go with the flow!

4. Audiobooks & Podcasts — With Music and Sound Effects!

One of our favorite sources is Audible, especially for longer chapter books and dramatized productions.

Even though Audible isn’t automatically included with Prime, Prime members can access special deals, like:

• 2 free audiobooks with a trial of Audible Premium Plus

• Access to a rotating selection of included titles and Originals

• Offline listening — perfect for long car rides or spotty service areas

Try an Audible trial before your big trip so you can stock up on new stories.

➡️ Start your Audible trial here

5. The Power of a Great Road Trip Playlist

Before every big drive, I ask the kids to help me make a Spotify playlist. It gives them ownership and keeps the vibe fun.

Our playlist includes:

• Disney singalongs

• Classic rock songs they’ve grown to love (thanks to Dad)

• Silly songs and clean family favorites

There’s something magical about rolling down the windows, blasting music, and singing your heart out together on the open road.

6. Screens Happen — and That’s Okay

Let’s be real. We’re not screen-free. What we try to limit is screen time.

At some point, we break out the tablets and let the kids:

• Watch a downloaded movie with headphones

• Play a quiet game

And that’s okay. We just try to delay screen time for as long as we can with the activities above — and it makes the tablet time feel more like a treat than a default.

7. Other Car-Approved Activities That Don’t Involve Coloring

• Pop-its and fidget toys

• LEGO challenge cards (with a baseplate and a few pieces)

• Scratch art cards (less messy than you'd think!)

• Clipboards with reusable sticker books

If your kids don’t love coloring or worksheets, you’re not alone — mine don’t either.

And if you’re a fellow military family doing another long drive, know that you can make the journey fun (and semi-sane!) with the right mix of low-prep, screen-light entertainment.

The goal isn't perfection — it's keeping everyone happy, safe, and mostly meltdown-free along the way.

Happy Travels!