6 Hours, 6 Activities… and Then What? My Screen-Free Road Trip Recap

Spoiler: We didn't quite make it.

In my last post, I laid out the plan: Six hours in the car, six carefully planned screen-free activities, and the goal of making it through the entire drive without handing over a tablet.

I was confident.

I had a strategy.

I was ready.

And for the first three hours, everything went great.

But there was one flaw in my plan:

I didn’t anticipate how fast we’d burn through those six activities.

By the halfway point, I had nothing left. My toolbox of engaging ideas was empty, and we still had another three hours to go.

That meant a whole lot of scrambling, improvising, and, eventually, some compromise.

Some activities were big wins. Others? Not so much. And in the end, we almost made it screen-free.

But not quite.

Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and what I’ll be doing differently next time.

How the Activities Went: Hits, Misses, and Lessons Learned

Songs & Storytelling – A Total Win

If there was an MVP of our screen-free road trip, it was music.

My wife took over as DJ—a role she’s secretly great at, thanks to her brother being a DJ. She put together a playlist that kept the energy up, matched the mood, and kept the kids engaged.

We mixed it up with:

• High-energy songs to start the trip (think classic kids' songs and singalongs).

• Some storytelling-style songs (Disney soundtracks were a hit).

• Some Green Day (because we all know that punk rock music is the best kind of music. Plus, they are HUGE proponents of limiting screen time and social media).

This lasted a full hour, which, in road trip terms, is an eternity.

Lessons for Next Time:

• Be more intentional: Curate a playlist ahead of time instead of having to rely on my wife’s DJ abilities so she can focus on having fun rather than curating a playlist on the fly.

• Adding variety: Audiobooks or podcast-style storytelling could extend this even further.

• Engage help from kids: Letting my 4-year-old help pick some of the songs would probably get her even more engaged.

Scavenger Hunt – Fun Until It Wasn’t

This was another one that started strong. My 4-year-old loved looking out the window and trying to find things on our list:

• A red car

• A cow

• A stop sign

• A truck with a trailer

She was all in.

Until she wasn’t.

After about 20 minutes, frustration took over. She wanted to find things faster than they were appearing. Every time I told her to "keep looking" or "they'll show up soon," she got more and more impatient.

Eventually, she just gave up and told me it was a "boring game."

Lessons for Next Time:

• Easier-to-find items: Some things on our list were just too rare to keep the momentum going.

• A timed challenge: Instead of a static list, we could look for as many things as possible in 5-minute rounds.

• Bingo-style format: If she gets five in a row, she gets a reward (even if it’s just a high-five).

Snack Time & Sensory Play – A Mixed Bag

Food is always a good idea on road trips. The snack part? A solid success.

Sensory play? Not so much.

For snacks, I went with a mix of:

• Something fun (fruit snacks)

• Something filling (cheese sticks & crackers)

• Something interactive (raisins they could pick out one by one)

That part worked great. The sensory play was another story.

I gave them fidget toys, thinking they’d keep little hands busy.

And they did… for about five minutes.

Then they got dropped and lost under seats, causing way more frustration than entertainment.

Lessons for Next Time:

• Tether the fidget toys to strings: That way, if they drop them, they can pull them back up.

• Rotate different types of sensory activities: Something squishy, something they can twist, something they can stack.

• Make snack time a game: Maybe next time, I’ll do a “mystery snack” where they have to guess what they’re eating.

Would You Rather/Car Interview – A Total Flop

I had high hopes for this one.

I thought it would spark conversation, keep my 4-year-old engaged, and lead to some fun, creative answers.

Instead?

She was 100% uninterested.

Looking back, I don’t think I explained it well. She didn’t really understand what she was supposed to do, and after the first question, she was already over it.

Lessons for Next Time:

• Try a different format: Instead of just asking, I could turn it into a story in which she decides what happens next.

• Give examples first: If I model how it works, she might understand it better.

• Be more strategic about timing: Trying to introduce it out of nowhere probably made it feel forced. Maybe wait until she’s already asking me questions/talking to me.

Movement Break – Worked… Until the Rain Came

At first, everything went exactly as planned. As soon as we pulled into the park's parking lot, my 4-year-old was ready to run.

She sprinted toward the playground, climbed on the jungle gym, and started making up an elaborate game that involved running across the bridge and sliding down the biggest slide as fast as she could.

My 18-month-old was content to toddle around the grassy area, exploring her surroundings while my wife and I took turns chasing her.

Then, just 10 minutes in, the rain started.

With the movement break cut short, I switched to my backup plan: some inside-the-car stretching games. I had them reach for the ceiling, touch their toes, and do some exaggerated arm circles, but these only lasted about 15 minutes before their interest faded. At that point, they were ready for something else, and I was left scrambling for the next activity.

Lessons for Next Time:

• Find a movement game that works inside the car: The stretching exercises helped a little, but I need something more engaging. Maybe a version of Simon Says that involves moving their arms and legs or a “wiggle contest” where they try to move every part of their body while buckled in.

• Have a list of 5-minute movement games ready: That way, if our outdoor break gets cut short again, I’ll have an easy-to-reference list of fun, active ways to keep them moving without needing a ton of space.

• Find an indoor playground/play place: You could plan to eat lunch at McDonald's so the kids can play in an indoor playground without the fear of being rained out.

Quiet Time/Wind Down – Right Activity, Wrong Timing

The idea was simple: create a calm environment where my kids could relax, maybe even doze off, so the last stretch of the trip would be smooth and peaceful.

The execution? Not bad, but horribly timed.

The problem wasn’t the activity itself. It actually worked really well. I put on some soft music, dimmed the car’s interior lights, and gave my kids their favorite stuffed animals.

For about 30 minutes, things were blissfully quiet. My youngest, who had already been napping on and off, stayed asleep, and my 4-year-old snuggled up and seemed to genuinely enjoy the downshift in energy.

But there was a massive flaw in my plan: I hit quiet time too early.

We were only 2.5 hours into the trip. When quiet time ended, I still had another 2.5-3 hours to fill.

Instead of winding things down for the final stretch of the drive, I had essentially hit pause in the middle of the journey. When my daughter perked back up, I was out of pre-planned activities.

The result? She went from feeling calm and relaxed… to bored and antsy, with nothing left to keep her occupied.

Lessons for Next Time:

• Save quiet time for the final stretch: It would have been much more effective if I had waited until hour four or five. The goal should be to time it so that by the time the kids wake up or are done resting, we’re almost at our destination.

• Add a sleep-inducing playlist: The calming music helped, but I think an actual sleep-focused playlist with lullabies or white noise could have encouraged a longer nap.

• Have a “quiet time” book ready: Something my 4-year-old could flip through on her own might have extended the relaxed vibe even longer. Maybe a search-and-find book or something interactive where she could engage quietly without needing me to lead the activity.

The Verdict: Did We Make It Screen-Free?

The goal?
Make it through the entire 6-hour drive without screens.

The reality?
We lasted four hours before I caved.

For the first part of the trip, things were going surprisingly well. My 4-year-old was entertained by our planned activities, and when we ran out, she even came up with her own games to pass the time.

But as the trip wore on, boredom started creeping in. By hour four, I was officially out of ideas, and my 4-year-old was out of patience. She didn’t even have to ask very many times before I gave in and handed over the tablet.

She ended up watching shows and playing games for about two hours.

Did we completely succeed in having a screen-free trip?

No.

Was it a massive improvement from past road trips?

Absolutely!

In the past, we have leaned on screens for the entire trip. This time, we held off for two-thirds of the drive.

That’s a huge win, and it showed me that this is possible. I just need to plan a little better next time.

What I’m Changing for the Next Road Trip (California, Here We Come!)

This trip was an experiment, and it taught me a lot about what works, what doesn’t, and what I need to tweak for the future.

• WAY more activities: Six was not nearly enough. Next time, I’m aiming for at least twice as many hours as the drive is.

• Build up my own stamina: The tablet wasn’t the problem. It was me giving in too easily. By hour four, I was tired and out of ideas, so I gave in without much resistance. Next time, I want to hold out longer.

Overall, I’m counting this trip as a massive success! I learned that we can make screen-free road trips work.

We proved it’s possible to go four hours without screens, and with more preparation, we’ll be able to stretch it even further.

In two weeks, we’re hitting the road again, but this time, we’re going all the way to California. And I’m determined to go all 11 hours without screens.

I’ve already started brainstorming new activities, better movement breaks, a stronger quiet time plan, and maybe the appearance of a car trip boredom box.

In any case, I’m empowered and excited to see how it goes!