Screen-Free Family Road Trip

If I can manage an 8-hour (or longer!) drive as a single mom with five kids, I’m confident you can too—and I’ll help you make it fun along the way! On our first long road trip, we weren’t just packed with kids—we also had three cats, two budgies, and a car full of plants. Since then, we’ve learned to leave most living things behind (except the kids!) and have gone on many long drives together.

Here are some fun, screen-free ways to make your road trips with kids enjoyable, in shaa Allaah!

Freeze Mini Water Bottles

This has been a game-changer for our summer drives! We filled plastic bottles with water and froze them. The smaller bottles worked best. They kept drinks cool, doubled as ice packs, and helped keep treats fresh. Plus, we didn’t need to stop at petrol stations to buy more water bottles.

This brings me to my next tip – Limit Snacking

Trust me, it’s easier when kids aren’t stuffed or constantly snacking. I’ve been there and tried it! You’ll have fewer bathroom runs, less squabbling, and a cleaner car. For our drives, I prepare healthy, filling snacks like sandwiches, pizza, or burgers, along with drinks and treats. I divide these among my five kids and pair an older child with a younger one. That means the older one gets to keep the younger one’s snacks with them, and help distribute it when we all eat.

Eat Before You Leave

During our recent trip from Madinah to Riyadh, we did something new: we fasted on the Day of Arafah, even though we were traveling (recommended by scholars to fast on Arafah day even if you’re traveling). We prepared everything the night before, slept after Isha, and then woke up for sahoor. After cleaning up, we hit the road early. It was one of our smoothest trips – no bathroom stops, no snack requests, and a mess-free car. Everyone was content, Alhamdulillah! Allaah definitely makes things easy when we try our best to please Him.

General List

Choose Interesting Talks, Qaseedah/Poetry

I’ve made yet another group called “Trips”; one of the subgroups is “Lectures for Trips”. My children post any talk or poetry they find interesting on this group. We choose and listen to the ones we want along our way.
Some of our favorite sources where we search for Islaamic lectures:
Salafi Audio Unlimited
Salafi Sounds
Troid
Learn About Islam
Markaz As-Sunnah
Al Baseerah

Separate Kids Who Fight the Most

Pretty obvious, but if you’re like me, it might take a few difficult car drives before you start realizing it…

Family Games

I’ve recommended some really fun games below, and if you’ve any other suggestions, please let me know in the comment section below. Also, my younger kids love to play I Spy, and, sometimes, right before we reach a destination, they (with the teens) go on an extremely loud countdown (that can last some very long minutes), and according to them, is really fun.

Take the Younger Ones When They’re Sleepy

When we’d travel before, the kids’ father used to like leaving when it’d be the kids’ bedtime. So, for the most part of the drive, the majority of the kids would be sleeping.

Know Where the Petrol Stops Are

Some stretches of highway can go on for miles without a single petrol station in sight. Before any trip, my eldest son helps me map out where the petrol stops are and roughly how far apart they’ll be. It makes a big difference—nothing’s more stressful than running low on fuel, having kids who need a bathroom break, and not knowing when the next stop will appear.

Another Obvious Tip – Book Hotels in Advance

On a few of our earlier trips, we made the mistake of arriving at our destination before figuring out where to stay. Needless to say, that didn’t do any favors for anyone’s mood. Now, we always book ahead—it saves time, stress, and a lot of frustration.

Some Other Must Haves-

Some Recommended Games, Activity Books

Young Kids

Hidden Picture Book (Arabic – English)
Paint By Sticker Book
Crayola Twistables Crayons (No sharpening needed, & washable)
Rainbow Scratch Paper (With stencils)
Erasable Doodle Drawing Board
Reusable Waterproof Stickers

Older Kids/Adults

Uno Flip
Face Change Rubik’s Cube
Wooden Pattern Tangram Magnetic Puzzle
Best Hidden Pictures Puzzles
Train of Thought
Would You Rather – Laugh-Out-Loud Game for Road Trips

I’ve also a written an article recommending different types of games for babies and toddlers, including travel car seat toys, which may also be of help to you on long drives. Click here for the article.

So I hope this article helps you in your travels this summer and other times, in shaa Allaah. And as always, if you’ve any suggestions or questions, please feel free to message me in the comments below, or email me here ♡