The estimated reading time for this post is 6 minutes
Planning a road trip? Taking kids with you? If you have kids and you have a road trip planned, you need ways to keep them entertained. Last month, The Wonder of Tech took a Poll: How Do You Entertain Your Kids During Road Trips? According to the results, half of the readers use tech to entertain kids while on the road.
For readers who want to use tech in the car, apps are a great way to keep kids entertained. What makes an app a great road trip app? First, no reading. My kids get very carsick, so if an app requires reading, it’s not a road trip app in my mind. Second, the games have to be fun and help the hours pass by quickly (again, without any reading involved). Here are great apps to keep the kids entertained as the miles roll along.
1. Angry Birds – this addictive game by will entertain kids of all ages (adults too!). Many versions of the game are available, the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio, in free and paid versions, for iPhone, iPad and Android.
There’s a reason why Angry Birds is consistently one of the top apps in the App Store, the game can be enjoyed by those who just want to see the birds fly and wipe out the evil pigs, earning a star in the process, and by those who want to take the game to a higher level by figuring out the best way to get three stars on each level.
For those of you wondering why these birds are so very angry, this video explains it all:
2. Cut the Rope – this is a game by Chillingo with enjoyment potential for all ages. When you begin the game you are introduced to an adorable monster, Om Nom, (I won’t tell you how the introduction happens so I don’t spoil the fun) and the goal of the game is to feed him candy.
What starts out as a ridiculously easy game (cut the rope and Om Nom gets fed), quickly turns into a challenge of physics as various obstacles come between Om Nom and his candy.
Cut the Rope is available in iPhone, iPad and Android versions. The Android version was launched last week and is available free from GetJar. The iPhone version is $0.99 and the iPad version is $1.99. Free versions are available for both the iPhone and iPad (though trust me, you don’t want to head out in the car with the free iOS version).
Cut the Rope Holiday Gift, is available as a free iPhone and iPad app, though the holiday the game refers to happened about six months ago. It’s still a fun, free game that’s worth downloading.
3. Qwiki is an amazing free iPad app that provides information on a wide variety of topics by talking to you. Find places near you and have Qwiki show you pictures and talk to you telling you highlights of the area.
Qwiki is no longer available in the iTunes App Store.
I have used Qwiki in quite a few different areas I’m very familiar with. Qwiki gave me new information for each area, teaching me in a fun and entertaining way. We live near a Revolutionary War battlefield and the Qwiki entry for the battlefield is fascinating with lots of history, pictures and maps. We drive by the Battlefield every day, but the Qwiki app got my kids interested in what happened there over 200 years ago.
Qwiki has over 3,000,000 topics, not just local information, so you can surf through the app for hours and learn while having fun!
4. Peggle – As seen last week in Peggle: Take a Chance on a PopCap Game!, Peggle is an entertaining game that will keep kids of all ages engaged for hours on end. The miles will fly by as the kids watch the Peggle ball bounce around the screen lighting up pegs. You might want the kids using headphones so the sounds don’t distract you when driving!
Peggle is available in the iTunes App Store: Peggle for iOS and at the Amazon App Store: Peggle on Android as well as on many other devices.
5. Netflix – If you’re a Netflix subscriber, and have an unlimited data plan (see, Mind the Cap!), download the Netflix app now. You will be able to stream thousands of videos with selections certain to entertain the entire family. Netflix is available on the iPhone and iPad and was just updated on Android earlier this month. Netflix in Android Market.
6. Fruit Ninja – this game, available from the iTunes App Store and Android Market, is a fast paced game that’s easy to learn and love. There are many different modes of play, classic, Zen, and arcade, with single and multi-player options. Like Peggle, Fruit Ninja is easy to learn but challenging to master.
7. Audible – I’m a huge fan of audiobooks, as I wrote about in Audible: My Favorite Way to Read a Book. If your kids have a summer reading list for school, check to see if some of the books are available as audiobooks. Wouldn’t it be great to arrive at your destination having your kids entertained while finishing some summer homework? If it’s a book the entire family would enjoy, play the book through the car’s speakers so everyone can listen and discuss the book during rest stops.
Even if your kids’ school doesn’t have a summer reading list, listening to audiobooks is a great way to enjoy a car ride!
8. Family Car Games – this app is all about classic car games and has over 100 available for you to play on your road trips. There is some reading involved, but you can read the rules before you head out, no reading is required as you play the games in the car. The Family Car Games app is available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch in the iTunes App Store.
9. Road Trip Bingo – sure, you don’t need an app to play Road Trip Bingo, but if you have an Android or iOS device, it’s worth it to get an app. There are a lot of Road Trip Bingo apps out there for Android and iPhone. Check them out and pick your favorite!
10. Pictureka!– I’m a big fan of hidden object games (see, Peekaboo HD: Educational, Fun and Free!) and Pictureka! is a fun game that will keep the kids entertained for a long time. This game has a pass and play mode for the kids to share in the back seat or they can have fun playing it on their own.
Pictureka! is no longer available for the iPhone and iPad, but a similar app is available in the iTunes App Store.
Bottom Line
If your road trip includes long stretches of boring terrain, check out these apps to avoid hearing, “I’m bored! Are we there yet?” every mile.
Do you use apps to keep kids entertained on long car rides? What are some of your favorite apps for kids that don’t involve reading? Let us know in the Comments section below!
* Image by Aaron Stroot
** Image by Johan Sterenberg
I thought about entertaining young people and children. I would definitely give them a digital camera and maybe a list of things to photograph. I took some photographs earlier just because I was waiting for a hospital appointment and had nothing better to do. even photographed the hospital – a picture I will probably use to head up a blog!
Hi Mike, Great idea! My older daughter loves taking pictures with her digital camera when we go on scenic car trips. But yesterday I drove for hours on the New Jersey Turnpike without seeing anything scenic, other than tail lights as far as the eye could see. I’m a big fan of New Jersey, but not the Turnpike when it has long traffic jams! (By the way, I’m also a big fan of the Isle of Jersey an amazing place to visit!).
I’m looking forward to seeing your pictures in a future blog post! Thanks for your visit and your comment!
There are a bunch of puzzles on iPad/iPhone. One of them is tangram puzzle: Letstans deluxe. (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letstans-deluxe/id377665828?mt=8)
My 2.5yr old is quite good at it, and I think its a good way to be engaged during a trip as well as be thinking and solving the puzzle.
I am sure there are other tangram apps that are good too, but I just have come across this.
(BTW, I have no affiliation with the makers of the app)
Hi iRewardChart, I love puzzle apps as well and have Letstans (though not deluxe), it was one of the first apps I bought. Your very bright 2 1/2 year old might also enjoy one of my favorite apps, Trism, which is one of my all time favorite puzzle games: Trism. In fact, you might enjoy it too!
Thanks so much for your visit, comment and tweet! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
This is perfect timing. I am going on a vacation with my kids soon, and I need some new apps for my iPhone to keep them busy in the car (well, they have their Nintendo DS, but the iPhone is a lot more fun these days).
They are playing Angry Birds, and I have also downloaded a car game. But I need something else to keep them quite as well 🙂
Thanks.
Hi Jens, I’m glad the timing works out for you and your family. We have a big holiday weekend coming up in the US and I wanted to publish this list before the weekend (and the summer trips). My two top suggestions for your kids would be Cut the Rope and Peggle, though Pictureka! is great too! Actually, they’re all great, though I know Netflix is US only.
Thanks so much for your visit and your comment! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for a couple of new apps to add for our upcoming trip. I polled my two boys for their favorite top 3:
My older boy’s favorites are Angry Birds, The Amazing Race, and Infinity Blade.
My younger boy’s favorites are Pocket God, Angry Birds, and ZooWho. Check ZooWho which is by ZooBooks … a nice app for the younger kids.
Other favorites … Harry Potter Spells where two players can battle; Scrabble, one of my favorites; and Burn The Rope .
Carol
Hi Carol, You know I had Infinity Blade in this article and I traded it for Fruit Ninja. Infinity Blade is like Fruit Ninja but with better graphics. I listed Fruit Ninja instead of Infinity Blade because the latter has a 9+ rating and I wanted to make the apps as universal as possible. But Infinity Blade is a great game! A little violent for some, but not gory at all (at least not on the levels I’ve attained!).
I also love Scrabble and almost included that, but it violated my “no reading” rule for apps, lol!
Thanks for sharing your kids’ favorites, I will definitely have to check them out! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Hope you get a chance to check out Creople [creature+people], a fun drawing app. My kids inspired me to have an app created when they were playing the paper version of drawing body parts – head, torso, legs and feet. Hide each section until a funny character is finally revealed at the end!
Link: http://itunes.com/apps/creople
Thanks,
Kathy (@2cre8)
Hi Kathy, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Thank you for letting us know about your Creople app. I hadn’t heard of it before and the app looks like fun for kids of all ages, to be played alone or with others. The screen shots in the iTunes App Store are very funny!
Kudos to your kids for inspiring such a great app and to you for developing it! Thanks for your visit and informative comment. 🙂
Great post!
I don’t have kids (yet :)). But hey, games aren’t just for kids! :D) Games can teach you many things. They are more than just a source of entertainment for me. I sometimes learn a lot about myself through games. 🙂
Mouh
Hi Mouh, Welcome back to The Wonder of Tech! I have to agree with you, games aren’t just for kids! I admit, the games I recommended are all favorites of mine too. Games can keep the mind sharp, teach new words, hone analytic skills and be a welcome diversion.And they’re fun!
Thanks so much for your visit and comment. Always great to see you at The Wonder of Tech! 🙂
We play games from the Family Car Games app all the time–the “techiest” games are the ones where you use the Scan function on the car radio. Our family created this app a couple of years ago (on a long cartrip to go on factory tours), and we created a >lot< of new games, in addition to old faves and some interesting ones from England. Now people from Australia to Albany are finding that you don't need "stuff" to have fun…and that the driver can play along, with most of the games. Thanks for recommending our app! You sound like someone we'd love to have along on our cartrips, adding your lines to 10-Word Stories or guessing Pica Firma Nada words.
Hi Ruth, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You sound like you and your family are a lot of fun to travel with, especially on road trips! How clever to develop an app with your family to help others who need help in the Road Trip Entertainment Department. 🙂 We greatly appreciate your app!
Thank so much for visit, comment and developing your amazing app.
Visual Math is an adaptive iPad app that is designed to help 4-6 year olds master six topics of elementary math through the dynamic presentation of a diverse range of visual math activities.
The designers at Weily Apps integrated this data and produced an app that kids love and is aligned with national core math standards for kindergarten. Visual Math Level 1 is a rich, fun, interactive experience. Feedback, animated intros and a range of background themes are just some of the features that promote varied game play that keep the game fresh and engaging.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visual-math-level-1/id435836850?mt=8
Traveling for 4th of July? Upload family pics in this match game .
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-photomatch-memory-puzzle/id342125708?mt=8
Hi Anita, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Thank you very much for sharing links to your apps. These apps look very useful anytime, but would be especially good on long car trips because they are entertaining and require no reading! I very much like that Photo Match allows you to use your own pictures!
Thanks for your visit, comment and links! 🙂
Great post Carolyn. My kids are a little older now, 19 and 22, but even so these aps are a great way to keep them entertained. Heck, I even use it myself, the last time being at the airport while waiting for our flight.
Angry birds is cool but I also like Vampires, Doodle Jump and NinJump.
Couple of ideas there I plan to check out. I have three boys between 8-11 and long road trips make me never want to leave my house
Hi Greg, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I completely agree, long road trips with bored kids are a nightmare. I know because I used to be one! I hope these apps help your family enjoy your next trip. 🙂
Thanks for your visit and your comment.
Here am I again!
I just want to tell you about a very cool game I like. It is Tiki Tower! I just love it!
Hi Mouh! A warm welcome back to The Wonder of Tech! Tiki Towers looks adorable and fun. I love when puzzle games teach physics while entertaining. Here are links to Tiki Towers in the iTunes App Store and in the Android Market.
Thanks so much for your visit, comment and helpful suggestion! 🙂
I wanna try Fruit Ninja!
My wife and I were so taken with audiobooks for car rides with the kids, we started a company. Others have called us a must-have travel app, which btw, is also a great tool for getting kids excited about reading. We stream nearly 2,000 audio books and stories from leading publishers and storytellers to Apple mobile devices; you can download the app for free from the Apple App Store – it initiates with a 30-day trial.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tales2go/id458539653?mt=8
Hi William, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! What a fantastic idea for an app for kids. I would like to contact you regarding a future review of your app. Thank you very much for letting us know about your app. I am a big fan of audiobooks and I love the idea of an app with audiobooks for kids.