Boredom Breakers

Eileen from Rand McNally asked me to take a look at their line of Boredom Breakers- games and activities designed to keep your kids entertained (and you sane) on road trips. I’d not heard of them before but I’m more than happy to try out anything that might make traveling with my kids more pleasant. There are several different types of Boredom Breakers and a little bit of something for everyone.

	Car Karaoke – My girls think this one is great. It comes with a CD that has 12 songs on it. It’s a decent mix of music, there are some oldies as well as some more traditional kid music. This isn’t a Kidz Bop CD, the songs are sung by grown ups, and for that I’m thankful. Car Karaoke comes with song booklets that have all the words and cards you can hold up to rate each performance. My kids favorite part? The inflatable microphone.
	Story Starters – I liked this idea and have a sister-in-law it’d be perfect for. It comes with a CD and a book full of different story activities. There are mystery stories that you listen to and then try to solve. There are stories missing words and you have to fill in the blanks. If you’ve got a fourth grader this has the potential to be better than Mad Libs. My favorite were the “What Happens Next” tracks. You get the beginning of a story and then different styles of music. Take turns telling what happens next in the story to fit the music that’s playing.
	Magnet Message Makers – This is probably my least favorite. It comes with two rectangular magnets for the back of your car. You also get over two hundred stickers. The idea is for your kids to use the stickers to decorate the magnets. The magnets are reusable but the stickers aren’t. Knowing my kids they’ll bicker over who gets what stickers and then end up using the entire supply on their first magnet. If your kids are better sharers than mine you’ll probably have better luck.
	Car Game Countdown – This is my son’s favorite Boredom Breaker, if for no other reason then it comes with an electronic car shaped timer. He’d be happy if we just gave him the timer and let him set it over and over again. But for the rest of us there are 18 activities that you can do in the car. My favorite is the “Super Silly Nonsense Sentences”. You have one minute to make up a long nonsense statement without coming up for air. Thanks to the Pig Latin activity my seven year old has learned a new and useful life skill.
	Travel Card Games – This is my favorite Boredom Breaker. It comes with three different types of card games. First there is “Tough Choice”. Pick a card and choose between two things. For example, would you rather run down your block in your bathing suit or go to the mall in your pjs? My vote is for the pjs, my neighbors don’t need to see the alternative. Another card game is “30 Second Interview”. Draw a card and find out more about your family. Playing this game we learned that Dad’s favorite smell is new baby, if he could be any age he’d be 25 and his favorite cartoon character is Phineas. All very helpful information. Lastly there’s the “I Saw It First” card game. This one has you draw a card and try to spot what’s on the card so you can earn points. Spot a rainbow earn 20 points, a bicyclist earn 10 points. My favorite – a spaceship with aliens earns you a million points.

Thank you Eileen for sending the Boredom Breakers my way and giving me a chance to tell other iPhone Mom readers about them. If you’ve got a road trip planned this summer and you’re looking for an alternative to passing your iPhone around the backseat I’d suggest looking into the Boredom Breakers. They’re entertaining and creative and – if you can handle it – a chance to interact with your kids in between rest stops.

Click here to see Rand McNally’s Boredom Breakers