Fun Ways To Keep Your Children Entertained In The Car Review

Reviewed by Nia Lock

Having spent so long at home over the last year or so, we have all been desperate to start getting out as a family and enjoying things a little further from home for a bit of a change. The first family car trip we took was great. It seemed that going somewhere different was so exciting it was enough in itself. Unfortunately, small children have short memories and the novelty had already worn off by the time we took our second post lockdown car trip. Thankfully I have a selection of super fun things to do on a journey that will keep the kids happy between snacks.

For instance, Playfoam go! from Learning Resources, is a tactile play material made up of tiny sticky balls. You can mould the balls and squish them satisfyingly. It feels like messy play but is actually quite clean as the playfoam doesn’t stick to other things. It is possible however, for the tiny balls to escape from their friends although it does vacuum up quite easily if necessary. I think this is the perfect toy for once you arrive at your destination. If you are happy to take a risk on the mess in favour of a few minutes peace, then Playfoam go! is a winner. I found that packing a tiny toy tea set extended the fun they could have with it in a small space. There are some mould shapes in the lid of the case which my children used to make ‘cakes’. The eight colours of playfoam come in a nifty carry case and Playfoam Go! is suitable from age 3.

Kanoodle Duplexity from Learning Resources is a magnetic logic puzzle suitable from age 8 to adult. I’ve had this set for a few days and I’ve played with it quite a bit, the children hardly get a turn although they did play with it in the car for quite a while. The case is neat but quite heavy and contains 200 puzzle cards of increasing difficulty which provides a huge amount of puzzling. It would appeal to anyone who enjoys suduko type puzzles. The magnetic pieces stay attached to the case except when you’re moving them, and you can dip into it and come back later without losing your place so it’s handy for travelling when there is a need for entertainment but there are also lots of distractions.

The Brainbolt memory game from Learning Resources is a handheld electronic memory game for one or two players. The idea is to press each button as it lights up and you win if you correctly press each of the buttons in the sequence. It’s fun and doesn’t take long to complete. The aim is then to beat your high score or move into the advanced mode which is even more difficult as some of the lights in the sequence go out and then reappear! It’s really quite challenging! It also has a two player mode where you each take half the board. I was pleased to discover a ‘mute’ button on the underside as I find beeping a distraction whilst driving but with that switched on its totally silent. It’s quite a compact toy and you can even play in the dark which is useful for night time journeys. The Brainbox is suitable from age 7 but my younger children were also entertained for a while and the baby just loved the flashing lights.

Inevitably on a long journey, the children exhaust their patience with self entertainment and seek adult interaction. This is where Journey play prompts cards from Play Hooray become indispensable. As soon as I hear ‘Are we there yet?’ my mind seems to go blank and all the little games I’ve planned seem to disappear from memory. Journey play prompts is a pleasing little slipcover package of a hundred double sided cards which relieve my parental brain freeze in this situation. The ideas printed on the cards are specifically directed towards being on a journey and so are realistic and achievable in most cases. I’ve used these cards twice and both times the results were hilarious. Following the instructions on one card, I asked the children to guess 5 of the things that were in my bag, and this kept them happy for at least 15 minutes whilst they thought up all manner of ridiculous items.

So, I’ve discovered multiple new ways to keep my children happy on a journey, most of which I’d never considered before. As travel is becoming more of a possibility now, I’m not leaving the house without my selection of activities to keep children entertained in the car!

Playfoam go!

Rating: 3/5

RRP: £14

Link to buy

Journey play prompts

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £12.50

Link to buy

Brainbolt

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £20

Link to buy

Kanoodle Duplexity

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £20.00

Link to buy