Q&A for How to Entertain Yourself During a Long Car Ride

Read, draw, or write. Listen to music. Play games or watch videos on a phone or other device. Play a card game like Solitaire. Make origami. Make up a game or story in your head about the things you see out the window. Daydream. Anything you like!

Tic Tac Toe, MASH, and Guess What I'm Drawing are popular games. You can also play Hang Man, or write a story with the other person.

Bring a blanket and cushion, and if your muscles get sore, stretch a bit by moving your wrists and shrugging your shoulders.

Look at the horizon or at the clouds. The clouds move as well, so they should help you to take your mind off it. You could also swap with the person in the passenger seat next to the driver. Although the mind is complex, it has a hard time deciphering what is happening when you are in the back of a car because you see the front of the car move in a direction before you get there, which can make you feel nauseated.

Ignore him. He will soon get bored and stop if he does not get your attention.

Play verbal games, such a sharing stories together, I spy, guessing who am I?, and collecting car number plates. Talk to your fellow passengers, or download or borrow an audio book to listen to. Keep your head up and you'll stay feeling better.

Play the game sweet or sour. This is when you wave at the person behind you and if they wave back they are sweet, and if not, they are sour.

Pull over at rest stops to get out and move around. There are also many seated stretches you can do if you aren't driving, like torso twists, shrugging your shoulders to release your neck and shoulders, and stretching your arms and wrists.

Try some finger food that doesn't require refrigeration, such as crackers, chips, trail mix, jerky, dried fruit, or pretzels.

Keep his attention focused by playing a game together, or wear headphones and listen to music to drown out his annoying tendencies.

You should bring your books, devices, and some great music! Time goes by so much faster when you're listening to your favorite tunes.

Studies say that drowsy driving can be more dangerous than drunk driving, so don't drive if you're feeling at all sleepy. If possible, share driving duties with a companion so you can take some naps along the way. Be sure to have plenty of caffeinated beverages on hand to help get you through the drive as well.

Bring headphones and a device for listening to music or podcasts; make conversation with your fellow passengers; read a book or magazine, if reading won't make you carsick; sleep; watch the scenery pass by; or, bring a gaming device. Make sure that all your devices' batteries are charged before your trip!

Play an I Spy game or ask your parents to invest in a portable DVD player that will keep you both entertained. Special songs, hand clapping games and snacks are also good ways to keep a small child entertained on a long car ride.

Reading, listening to music through headphones, playing a game on your phone, or doing something else calm and quiet is best. If the adults are willing, you can talk or play a game together with them.

Before you go in the car, clean out the car with air freshener and open the windows as you are driving.

Bring portable games like magnetic chess or Scrabble. You can also read a book, sketch, watch a DVD, listen to music, or sleep.

See if you can stop at a rest stop to get out and stretch. If not, try sitting up straighter and move your hips back and forth a little bit.

You could listen to music, read, or even play a game with your parents.

Try to come up with a game you can play on your own, or make up a game in your head that you can teach to everybody else when they're finished doing whatever they're doing.

If some of your friends are going, chat with them! You could also bring cards and play games with your friends. If you won't really know anyone in the car/bus, you could bring a device to listen to music or watch something, or just stare out the window and observe the scenery, count different colored cars, play license plate bingo, etc.

Try to focus hard on something you want and close your eyes. Cuddle with your most favorite thing in the world.

You can use earplugs or headphones to help drown out the noise. You can also talk to her and tell her that you want to sleep now, but that you will play with her later.

Try to persuade them. If they cannot be persuaded, try something different, and if that doesn't work, try to play something they like.

Get a portable power pack for the journey. If it's a cell phone, iPod, or iPad, turn it to airplane mode with the brightness turned low which will help it last longer. Bring a book, sketchpad, or travel game in case it runs out of battery.

The car. The things outside the window that you see. Things you brought with you. Your family. Your dreams. Your random thoughts. ANYTHING!

See How to Avoid Car Sickness . If you get carsick, it's best to look out the window and avoid looking at anything inside the car. You could listen to music or an audiobook, daydream, or just take a nap.

Read a book, do crosswords/sudoku, go to sleep, or just look out of the window and enjoy the scenery.

You could play games like square game, tic-tac-toe, or take any game like snake and ladders, chess, etc. that is on a magnetized board or turned into an app for a tablet. Or, have a conservation, tell a story or play I spy.

Sing them a song, or try to get them to play a game with you, like I Spy. If you can distract them, they'll calm down.