Top tips for keeping kids occupied on car journeys {i-SPY giveaway}

Later this month we are driving through the UK, taking the Eurotunnel to France and then driving on through Belgium to the Netherlands. We are so excited about our week away and have been planning and packing for what feels like weeks. Our holiday involves a long car journey so we will be packing items to keep the kids occupied in the car. They are 6 and 8 and we’ve done quite a few long car journeys so I thought I would share my top tips for keeping kids occupied on car journeys. Read on for an i-SPY giveaway too.

Top tips for keeping kids occupied on car journeys

It’s obvious but pack plenty of water and snacks. One of my children has a healthy appetite the other prefers smaller meals throughout the day. I make sure to have a variety of fruit, snacks, crisps and BEAR YoYos to prevent them getting hangry.

Make sure to take regular breaks for the driver to rest and everyone to have toilet breaks. Sometimes it feels like we’re forever stopping for a toilet break!

Make a scavenger list or use i-SPY books. We’re big fans of i-SPY books, little books where you can score points by ticking off things you see. They are great value little books which you can find in Smiths or at service stations but you can also find free printable scavenger hunts on Pinterest or make up your own.

Build in some screen time. My children love their screen time but they turn into monsters if they get too much. We try to balance it out with time spent on activity books, reading magazines and playing games as a family.

Play games as a family. So I spy is the easiest game to play but my children made up a similar version where we look for a certain colour. You can also play this with types of car or vehicles on the road, the list is endless!

Win a bundle of i-SPY books for kids

This year i-SPY are celebrating their 70^th Anniversary. The iconic spotting guides, beloved by children and parents were first published in 1948 when creator, Charles Warrell, began selling small paperbacks versions in his local Woolworths. The simple, enduring formula remains unchanged – look around you, tick off what you see and once completed send off to receive a certificate and a badge.

To celebrate 70 years of i-SPY Collins are giving away limited editions of i-SPY badges to customers who complete their i-SPY guides. This is an exclusive limited run of 500 collector’s edition badges.

There are currently over 50 i-SPY books, including new guides for 2018 – i-SPY at the shops, i-SPY garden birds, i-SPY butterflies and moths and i-SPY In the city. i-SPY books are co-published by Collins and Michelin and are available at £2.99 from collins.co.uk and all good booksellers.

I have a bundle of 4 i-SPY books to giveaway to one winner, these are great boredom busters for kids! To enter my giveaway you must answer the question via the Rafflecopter widget below, there are some bonus entries too. The giveaway is open to those with a UK postal address only and ends on 8th August. The winners name will appear on this post. Good luck!

Don’t forget to check out my other giveaways on my competition page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway