6 Hours, 6 Activities: My Screen-Free Plan for a Road Trip with Two Young Kids

Will we make it six hours without giving in to screens? We’re about to find out.

By the time you’re reading this, we’ll already be on the road. My two daughters—ages four and eighteen months—are strapped into their car seats, snacks are packed, activities are prepped, and I’m behind the wheel, hoping this six-hour drive from Utah to Idaho goes as smoothly as possible.

This isn’t the first time my wife and I have taken our kids on a long road trip. Last summer, we spent three weeks driving across the western United States, spending more than 70 hours in the car. It was an incredible trip, but I’ll be honest, I defaulted to screens way too early and way too often. The plan was always to use them as a last resort, but without fail, within the first few hours, I’d find myself reaching for the tablet just to keep the peace.

But that was the past.

This time, I want to do things differently.

I want to see if we can actually enjoy the trip itself, not just survive it. So, I’ve planned six screen-free activities, one for each hour of the drive, designed to keep our girls engaged without relying on a screen.

Will it work? I have no idea, but I’m committed to shifting my mindset and giving it a real shot.

And because I believe in full transparency, I’ll be writing a follow-up post on Monday with the results.

I’ll break down what worked, what didn’t, and why, and most importantly, I’ll let you know whether or not I actually made it the whole way without giving in to screens.

So here it is, the plan.

Six hours, six activities, and one dad determined to make this road trip different. Let’s see how it goes.

Hour 1: The Road Trip Kickoff—Songs and Storytelling

My plan is to start strong with something both girls can engage in—singing and storytelling.

We’ll begin with classic road trip songs, keeping the energy high and making sure everyone is in a good mood at the start of the drive.

• Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, and If You’re Happy and You Know It are easy choices since both girls can participate in some way.

• Let It Go will likely make an appearance, and I’ll embrace it.

• If singing starts to lose its appeal, I’ll shift to a simple storytelling game where I start a story, and my four-year-old fills in the details.

My eighteen-month-old may not fully understand the storytelling game, but she loves hearing our voices, so listening to her sister invent a story should still keep her entertained.

How to Elevate for Older Kids:

• Turn storytelling into a challenge by adding a rhyme requirement.

• Give them a creative prompt to start with, such as "Tell a story about a talking dog who finds a magic hat."

• Add a memory element by having each person repeat the last part of the story before adding their own.

Why I think this will work:

Starting with something familiar and interactive sets a positive tone for the trip. Singing keeps energy levels up, while storytelling engages creativity and helps the time pass more quickly.

Hour 2: Roadside Bingo and Scavenger Hunt

Making the drive interactive will help keep both kids engaged without relying on screens. I found a simple scavenger hunt from Mom’s Minivan that gives them something to focus on outside the car.

• My four-year-old has a visual scavenger hunt with items like a red barn, a blue truck, and a cow. She can mark off each item as she finds it, adding a small challenge to the drive.

• My eighteen-month-old won’t fully grasp the game, but I’m bringing a photo book with pictures of common road trip sights so she can match what she sees outside the window.

• When my four-year-old starts losing interest, I’ll challenge her to come up with her own categories, like “Find something round” or “Find something bigger than our car.”

How to Elevate for Older Kids:

• Introduce a points system where common items earn one point, while rare finds like a pink car or a horse earn five points.

• Give them a small notebook to sketch or write about what they see, turning it into a mini travel journal.

Why I think this will work:

This keeps their eyes on the scenery instead of zoning out. It also encourages observation skills, adds an element of competition, and helps make the passing miles more interesting.

Hour 3: Snack and Sensory Play

A well-timed snack break serves two purposes:

1. Keeping everyone full.

2. Providing a hands-on distraction to help pass the time.

I’ve packed a few interactive snack options to make this hour more engaging.

• Snack necklaces made from Cheerios and pretzels will give my four-year-old something fun to eat while keeping her occupied for a little longer.

• My eighteen-month-old will have a spill-proof snack cup filled with bite-sized food so she can feed herself without making a mess.

• To add a little surprise, my four-year-old will play “Guess the Snack,” where she has to guess what’s inside before opening her next mystery snack bag.

• For additional engagement, I packed small fidget toys and color-changing water reveal books to keep my eighteen-month-old entertained once she’s done snacking.

How to Elevate for Older Kids:

• Let them “shop” for snacks from pre-packed options, giving them a sense of control over what they eat.

• Add a taste-test challenge where they are blindfolded and have to guess different flavors or textures.

Why I think this will work:

This combines food with hands-on play, keeping their hands busy and preventing boredom from setting in. It also introduces an element of surprise and choice, making snack time feel more like an activity than just a break.

Hour 4: Would You Rather and Car Interview Game

Keeping the conversation going is key to avoiding boredom and frustration, so this hour is all about fun questions and silly discussions.

• We’ll start with a round of “Would You Rather” questions tailored to their ages. My four-year-old will get choices like, “Would you rather be a puppy or a kitten?” while my eighteen-month-old will get simpler choices, such as “Banana or apple?”

• Once we’ve exhausted the “Would You Rather” game, we’ll switch to a “car interview” where my four-year-old gets to ask me anything she wants. Since she’s deep in the “why?” phase, I expect some truly fascinating questions.

• My eighteen-month-old will probably just babble along, but that counts as conversation too. Plus she’ll hopefully be asleep at this point.

How to Elevate for Older Kids:

• Introduce a rapid-fire trivia round with fun categories like math, state capitals, or pop culture.

• Let them create their own “Would You Rather” questions, adding an extra challenge by making them as funny or creative as possible.

Why I think this will work:

This keeps the car from getting too quiet and encourages bonding. It also gives kids control over the conversation, which can make them feel more engaged in the experience. Plus, their answers often lead to hilarious, unexpected discussions that make the trip more memorable.

Hour 5: Movement Break and Stretching Games

This is the hour I’m dreading the most because sitting still for five hours straight is tough, even for adults. I know my girls will be restless, so I have a few movement-based activities planned to help get the wiggles out.

• The best-case scenario is finding a park where they can run around and reset before we finish the last stretch of the drive.

• If stopping isn’t an option, we’ll play the “Move When You See It” game:

  • Every time we see a cow, my four-year-old will stretch her arms.

  • Every time a truck honks, my eighteen-month-old will clap.

• If they still have extra energy, we’ll play a seated “Simon Says” game in their car seats with small movements like tapping their knees or wiggling their fingers.

How to Elevate for Older Kids:

• Add challenges like “Touch your toes without unbuckling” or “Balance something on your head while sitting” to make movement breaks more interactive.

• Incorporate a competition where they try to do the most stretches or movements correctly without missing a cue.

Why I think this will work:

This helps prevent crankiness by breaking up the sitting time. Even small movements can help kids release pent-up energy, making the last part of the drive more manageable. Plus, adding an interactive element keeps them engaged instead of just feeling stuck in their seats.

Hour 6: Quiet Time and Wind Down

As we get closer to our destination, I want to shift the energy to a calmer, more relaxed pace. The goal for this last stretch is to ease out of the road trip excitement and prepare for arrival with simple, quiet activities.

• I’m bringing out coloring books and sticker pads to keep my four-year-old engaged without requiring too much effort.

• My eighteen-month-old will get a soft fabric book to flip through, giving her something soothing to focus on.

• To add a little reflection, I’ll ask my four-year-old to draw her favorite part of the trip in a simple travel journal.

• We’ll also do a quick gratitude check-in by talking about the best and funniest moments of the day.

How to Elevate for Older Kids:

• Have them write a short story or comic strip about their road trip, encouraging creativity and memory recall.

• Challenge them to draw something they saw today from memory, testing their observation skills.

Why I think this will work:

This helps transition from the road to arrival mode by creating a sense of closure for the trip. It also gives kids a way to process and reflect on the experience, making the journey feel more meaningful instead of just something to endure.

Excited, Nervous, and Ready to Put This to the Test

I’m not going to lie. I’m a little nervous.

Six hours is a long time to keep two young kids engaged without screens, and there’s a very real chance that my well-laid plans will fall apart somewhere around hour three.

But I’m also excited.

I’ve been on this journey of limiting screen time for a while now, gradually making small shifts in our daily routines. This trip feels like the perfect test to put so many of those ideas into practice.

Can we really make it the whole way without screens? Will the activities hold their attention long enough? Will I regret not packing the tablet by the second gas station stop?

I have no idea, but I’m looking forward to finding out.

So enjoy your weekend, and I’ll be back on Monday with a follow-up post, where I’ll share what worked, what didn’t, and whether I actually pulled this off.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you.

What are your best screen-free road trip ideas?

Drop them in the comments, and maybe I’ll even try a few out on the way back.