Ideas for LONG drive to WDW

[lilybeth11602]

We usually fly to wdw but this year it is just too expensive. we have a 10 hr drive with dd5 any ideas on things to keep her occupied. here's what i have already: color wonder books (glitter) and tracing
elmers mess free water paints
plastic tray with cupholder
leapster with games
dvd player

i know this seems like a lot but each thing other than the movie will only last about 5-10 minutes of her attention. any other ideas or games would be helpful.

 

[a1tinkfans]

We usually fly to wdw but this year it is just too expensive. we have a 10 hr drive with dd5 any ideas on things to keep her occupied. here's what i have already: color wonder books (glitter) and tracing
elmers mess free water paints
plastic tray with cupholder
leapster with games
dvd player

i know this seems like a lot but each thing other than the movie will only last about 5-10 minutes of her attention. any other ideas or games would be helpful.

Would she like hearing books on tape, you can get for FREE at library. Especially if a favorite theme/character is available.
What about a "surprise" box like a shoebox you can decorate with Disney things outside and then every 2 hours or so you can do a countdown to "pick" something inside. Trinkets of course, A pretty disney hair clip, sale stuff you can get at target or even disney stickers at AC moores (craft store), you'd need just about 5 things.
Have a wonderful Safe drive!

 

[lilybeth11602]

those are both great ideas. i love this site it is so helpful. thanks

 

[MapleGirl]

when my parents drove from VT to FL with my brother and I, they gave us some benadryl. We were able to catch up on sleep before the parks and they had a quiet ride. This was the early 80's.... so maybe this isn't a PC option. Just a thought. I also like the books on tape idea. Too bad she's too young for Harry Potter, they would last the whole trip!

 

[canadianmom2three]

LOL, we have about double that (20hrs) to disney, but we have never driven to Disney yet, we would be too tired by the time we got there LOL. We do drive all the time down to Fort Myers Beach which is another 4 past Disney, so a 24 hour drive, and we have 3 kids 11,8,5. We have been going down since the youngest was born. The thing my kids LOVE best and what has become a bit of a driving tradition is I go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of little things that will also be useful for the drive (ie. activity books, little mini lights, gum, glow sticks, small games and toys, small snacks, stickers etc....) and wrap each of them individually in tissue. We give the kids the little gifts throughout the trip, when they have been sitting quiet, or just whenever we feel like. They really look forward to this, and it amazing how much they love unwrapping the little trinkets their favorites have been window writers by crayola, window clings, tatoos, the lightsticks for at night and of course a new DVD to watch! I had made each of the kids an activity book, with some games like license plate checklists, roadside bingo, mazes and trivia etc. Also, I had made maps for my big kids showing them the route with the state lines and some main cities so they could track our progress. They would check off when we crossed state lines and could see how much farther we still had. My ds5 was a bit too young for the map, but is the most impatient and constantly asks if we are there. I made him a checklist with a picture of breakfast, lunch and dinner, then hotel, then breakfast, lunch and FINALLY a pic of the beach. He could check off after we stopped for each meal, and see how much longer it would be. We also have books on tape and a dual screen DVD player with headphones for all. We take the I 75 all the way down, so we bought this neat book that was all full of maps and trivia and the kids liked hearing about all the trivia for the areas we passed, it was interesting for DH and I too. Hope that gives you some ideas good luck with the drive!

 

[MapleGirl]

What about getting some Disney books on tape. She can learn all about the princesses she's going to meet and hear all the classic stories.

 

[born2cruise]

We are going to DCL in Nov. and we are planning on driving from the St. Louis area. I am making bags for Ds(5) with crayons, books, new leapster games, new movies, paper, bubbles, color wonder. Also I have been checking out target, right now they have alot of disney stuff in the $1 section. Tonight I saw a Nemo dry erase board. For Dd(1) I will pack books, little stuffed toys from the Disney store, and hopefully her brother will blow his bubbles for her. I don't plan on giving them everything at once or even letting them know that they have anything. I am also downloading music from various Disney movies and Island music to listen to on the way down to keep us all in the mood. I personally can't wait for the drive. We are also planning on stopping in Atlanta to see the aquarium and the children's museum, there are right next to each other. I thought it would give us a great break.

 

[jennifer.myers]

We drive 16 hours to Disney every year. I personally love the drive. Since i work all the time this get me to spend more time with the kids. I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 10 year old. the 10 year old is bringing his hand held games and his mp3 player. The 2 1/2 year old I am opacking movies (DVDplayer built into car). I can't live without this. I am bringing books on tape. Also she loves the Disney sing along tapes. She loves singing to them. I also went to borders and brought her a doodle pad with a mickey mouse club house book attached. She can doodle on this on the way down. I also bring flashcards for her to learn her abc and for my 10 year to learn his division and multiplication. They are only a dollar at Walmart.

 

[Swoop1]

when my parents drove from VT to FL with my brother and I, they gave us some benadryl. We were able to catch up on sleep before the parks and they had a quiet ride. This was the early 80's.... so maybe this isn't a PC option. Just a thought.

Hahahahaha. That is the best suggestion evar!! I shall try that.

 

[moonpie85]

When I was a little girl my mother would always have a wrapped present for me every hour. It was never anything more than a couple dollars but it was always so fun!

You could hit up the dolloar store for Disney related items and wrap them in Disney paper.

 

[luvmk1971]

We will be driving for the first time in Oct. I got each of my kids, ages 5 & 3, their own travel activity bag. Inside I am packing: DVD's, Leapster and games, water wow books, color-n-carry books, invisible ink books, coloring books, crayons, markers, pens, pencils, journal/notebook, stickers, small toys (littlest pet shop, ponyville, disney pvc sets), little Doodle Pro, Books to read/look at, and magnetic playsets. Have a great trip.

 

[TheDshow]

If you go to www.themouseforless.com they have activity pages you can dowload and print off. They are listed under downloads. They have some cute alphabet pages and a bunch of other things.

 

[moonpie85]

If you go to www.themouseforless.com they have activity pages you can dowload and print off. They are listed under downloads. They have some cute alphabet pages and a bunch of other things.

Thanks for the link!

 

[nyyankeegirl]

LOL, we have about double that (20hrs) to disney, but we have never driven to Disney yet, we would be too tired by the time we got there LOL. We do drive all the time down to Fort Myers Beach which is another 4 past Disney, so a 24 hour drive, and we have 3 kids 11,8,5. We have been going down since the youngest was born. The thing my kids LOVE best and what has become a bit of a driving tradition is I go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of little things that will also be useful for the drive (ie. activity books, little mini lights, gum, glow sticks, small games and toys, small snacks, stickers etc....) and wrap each of them individually in tissue. We give the kids the little gifts throughout the trip, when they have been sitting quiet, or just whenever we feel like. They really look forward to this, and it amazing how much they love unwrapping the little trinkets their favorites have been window writers by crayola, window clings, tatoos, the lightsticks for at night and of course a new DVD to watch! I had made each of the kids an activity book, with some games like license plate checklists, roadside bingo, mazes and trivia etc. Also, I had made maps for my big kids showing them the route with the state lines and some main cities so they could track our progress. They would check off when we crossed state lines and could see how much farther we still had. My ds5 was a bit too young for the map, but is the most impatient and constantly asks if we are there. I made him a checklist with a picture of breakfast, lunch and dinner, then hotel, then breakfast, lunch and FINALLY a pic of the beach. He could check off after we stopped for each meal, and see how much longer it would be. We also have books on tape and a dual screen DVD player with headphones for all. We take the I 75 all the way down, so we bought this neat book that was all full of maps and trivia and the kids liked hearing about all the trivia for the areas we passed, it was interesting for DH and I too. Hope that gives you some ideas good luck with the drive!

LOVE the map idea!! I'm defin. going to do this for DS6 for our Sept. drive. He always loves for us to tell him when we've crossed state lines. This will be perfect for him!!

 

[thomasclan85]

 

[Astro Orbiter]

DD's 5.5 now - we haven't pulled that many hours with her since she was an infant, but 4-hour trips are pretty common.

Books! Even when DD was a pre-reader she'd browse the books we brought. New books are even better - new pictures!

Comfort item - with us it's Dolly. Keep it with up front, but you'll have it if you need it.

Wikki sticks - wax-covered string, can make all sorts of shapes.

Silly putty - better than play-dough as it doesn't crumble and if you bring pencil/paper she can do transfers.

Magic ink books (with the special marker)

Magna doodle. DD and I used to make pictures for each other and pass it back and forth. (I like the travel one though the big one allows for a larger creation.) Now we just use paper.

Coloring books / plain paper / stickers / post-it notes / twistables crayons / clipboard. (I haven't bought into color-wonder.) I bring a plastic cup that we put the crayons in, then the cup goes into a cupholder. (My Target used to stock the cupholders that slipped in between the door trim and the window.) I have a clipboard with built-in storage. I don't like lapdesks in cars; don't trust them to fly out of the way in a crash.

Littlest pet shop or Ponies and large accessories. Play with them in a large, shallow tupperware container or metal baking pan. (Something with an edge to minimize falling to the floor.)

Crafts? You can pick up kits of small crafty-things for cheap. Pompom pictures, lacing cards, etc. Just swap out the tube glue for a glue stick. Not something we've done in the past.

Car blanket. Daddy keeps the car too cold for us girls. Also good for hiding under when you're mad.

And, accident prevention: I always put a big piece of plastic under the car seat (if it slips put rug-gripper between it and the seat and it and the carseat). Better safe than cleaning up a nasty mess.

A bit baby-ish, but you may want to consider a window shade. Setting sun's often a reason for covering up with the car blanket.

Deb

 

[Tramp68]

We made binders filled with hidden pictures that we printed for free from Highlights.com. Word searches can be made for free online as well and you can make them vacation/Disney theme words....

The best tip of all though is what we did for our 20 hour ride....

I went to bed at about 2PM and slept until 10 or 11. My wife kept the kids up and running around so they were wiped out (5 and 10 yo). We got in the car and left with the kids in their pajamas, pillows and blankets.

My wife and kids slept while I drove for 8 hours. Not only did it make for a quiet ride, I massed all of the major traffic jam spots/Times. We then had breakfast switch drivers and the kids started their activities while I slept.

Since you only have 10 hours to drive you should be close enough that the excitement will keep them occupied.

I cannot tell you how much stress this took off of us for the drive. The only drawback was that you would have to sleep for most of the day when you arrive.

 

[WDWFreakOfOklahoma.]

Ok here is a couple of ideas:

Let him/her stay in there pj's(i love going on trips in my pjs its SO comfy!)
Bring a pillow and blanket and leave early in the morning so he/she will be tired and will sleep for a while. When he/she wakes up give her breakfast,or lunch(if she has had breakfast and its not lunchtime give her a snack if she is hungry)
Snack ideas like little gummies that are shaped like disney characters.
Bring coloring books that have disney characters in it like mickey mouse and stuff. Like other people have said like every thirty min give her a dollar toy or something. Bring paper and pencil so she can just doodle. Bring toys like ( if she plays with them because i have no idea how old your daughter is) barbie dolls. Bring a craft that she can do like is you make me a drawing that looks like this ( pull out a picture of mickey mouse or disney character) then i will give you a prize (dollar prize) Just something to keep her busy and motivated.or buy some of those disposable cameras or buy a plastic fake camera and let her take pictures along the way haha. Just get out a fake or disposable camera and say can you take pictures for me im getting tired? If she wants to then let her if she doesnt then dont make her. If she likes dora then buy her a couple of dora dvds that are like an hour long each and let watch them along the way. Make sure you bring her favorite stuffed animal.
Bring like little polly pockets and stuff like that. Well i could list a whole alot more but i better not haha i hope this helps

 

[3mickeymom]

We play the game favorites. We pick a topic-favorite food or favorite whatever. Then we guess what each person's favorite food is. Then we take turns talking about our favorite and you have to say why it is yoour favorite. Sometimes we go to second and third favorite. This game leads to endless discussions and insight into everyone in the car. Favorite disney character, favorite birthday party, favorite teacher etc. I love the forced family togetherness that car rides provide. My family has many happy memories of our long car rides.