Delightfully Inspiring Thursday: DIY Travel Games

So…this week’s post isn’t about organizing, but with summer approaching, I thought I would share the games and activities I’ve created for Reuben for our upcoming road trip to the beach.  I hosted craft night at my house on Friday night so I had a nice block of time to get started on these activities.  My friend’s family is also going on a beach vacation so we worked together…she did the printing and laminating and I gathered all the supplies.  Aren’t friends great?!?

I’ll direct you to the website from which I got the original idea so if you would like more specific directions, you can find them there.  I’ll give you the details of how I modified each activity to fit our needs.

Number Search

I got this idea HERE and modified it a little bit to make it travel friendly.  I got the cookie sheet at the Dollar Tree.  It’s a nice, small size…perfect for Reuben’s lap!  I made the number pages using Word, printed and laminated them, and then affixed a colored dot sticker to make the key along the bottom.  I found the colored circle magnets at Hobby Lobby.  The magnets are perfect because Reuben can do it in the car and we can do the same pages over and over again.

ABC Match

I got this idea HERE and just modified it to fit my rectangular tray.  I made the document in Word, printed, and laminated it.  I got the package of magnets awhile ago, but I’ve seen them at several stores and they are cheap.

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

I love this activity!  I got the idea HERE and modified it by attaching a magnet to the back of each stick so Reuben can do the puzzles on the cookie sheet.  (I just used a large roll of magnet tape and cut it into tiny strips.  I’m thinking I might need to go back and reinforce the magnets with a little hot glue.  We’ll see…)  I found all of the animal pictures in the images of Word.  Reuben LOVES puzzles and animals so I’m excited for him to do this activity.  I’m pretty sure he’ll love it.

Magnetic Puzzle

I got this idea HERE.  We’ll use this for our car ride, but I love the original idea which is to use it on the refrigerator to keep the kids busy while you’re cooking.

Clothespin Color Matching

I got this idea HERE.  I didn’t have time to run and get a bunch of paint samples, so I just created a Word document with colored squares, printed and laminated it, and then cut each square out.

Instagram Memory Game

I’m pretty sure this was my idea; however, if it isn’t my original idea, I would like to apologize now to the person to whom I owe the credit 😉  I’m loving Instagram and have a ton of pictures.  The nice thing about these pictures is that they are already square shape.  So I decided to print 2 sets of each picture in a 2.75×2.75 size, attach them to scrapbook paper (3×3 size), and then laminate them to make a personalized memory game.  This game isn’t magnetic so we probably won’t play it in the car, but I thought it would be a great game to throw in my bag to play while we’re waiting at a restaurant, doctor’s office, etc.

Craft Sticks and Velcro

I got this idea HERE and then only thing I did to modify it was to cut my own velcro and attach the pieces with hot glue instead of buying the precut and sticky velcro dots.  It was WAY cheaper to do it my way…took more time and not as aesthetically pleasing…but way cheaper.

Fishing Game

I got this idea HERE.  My version is not as fancy as the original, but it works!

Pom Pom Stuff It Game

I got this idea HERE.  This game will be SUPER easy for Reuben, but I think it is different enough from the other games that it will be a great option on our long road trip.  Plus, it will be a nice game to have on hand for Gabriella in a few months.

Other Activities for Our Car Ride:

• stickers/paper
• coloring books/crayons
• travel size magnadoodle
• DVDs
• iPod Touch loaded with educational games

And…here’s a peek at some of the other crafting magic that was going on around me at craft night.  I have some talented friends!

Joleen made this adorable wreath.

Kara worked on this amazing lampshade.

And Jamie and Jess are sporting some pretty sweet prom hair that Liz did in order to prepare for her busy day at the salon on Saturday.

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