5 Unique Ways To Keep Children Entertained On A Charter Bus Trip

A charter bus service is a great way to shuttle large groups of people around, but like any long trip, children can easily get restless. While video games and movies provide plenty of activities, there are five unique ways to keep children entertained during the duration of the trip.

Not only will children be happy, but it can help add more to the experience. Children will also appreciate the journey along the way.

Street View Scavenger Hunt

When using charter bus services, it's pretty easy to map out the route that the bus will take to your destination. Days before the trip, you can use online mapping software and street views to find some cool landmarks and locations that you will pass during the trip. By making a list of these items, you can create an interactive scavenger hunt for children to play during the bus trip. The child who spots the most items will be declared the winner.

During the trip, a variety of ideas that you can add to the list includes cool landmarks like government buildings or museums. Unique restaurants or stores like Chuck E. Cheese and Toys 'R Us are also easy for children to spot. Along with the specific items, you can add general items that will be seen on highways and roads, such as a cell phone tower, a large bridge, or a yellow truck.

Citizen Story Maker

Encourage children to think creatively and expand their minds during the bus trip. With a citizen story maker, a child picks out a car full of people or someone they see on the street. Based just on visuals, the child creates a story and life for the person. For example, if a person sees a business man carrying a suitcase, the child can get creative and explain what's in the suitcase and what the man is really doing.

By asking the child questions, you can help them brainstorm new ideas. For that example, questions include "Where is he taking the suitcase?" and "What's under his hat?" Not only will it help a child be creative, but it can induce a lot of laughs and fun during the trip.

Food Log

One of the best things to keep track of on a long trip is the food that you eat and enjoy. By using a small spiral notepad, children can create a food log and include a number of different details.

• Restaurants: Children write down the restaurant names and describe the settings inside. A digital device can capture pictures of the menu or location.
• Food Choices: After writing down the meals that they ate, children can give them starred reviews and a brief statement: "The pizza cheese was great!"
• Snacks: Children can also keep track of local snacks and drinks they had during rest stops or other areas. This is a good way to remember favorite treats they would want again in the future.

Charter Bus Telephone

When the bus is filled with a majority of children, everyone can play a game of telephone together. Starting with the front of the bus, an adult whispers a phrase or sentence into a child's ear. The child then turns around and whispers it into the ear of a child in a seat behind them.

This process continues until it reaches the front of the bus again. The last child says the phrase out loud to see how close it is to the original phrase. It's fun to use different things like movie quotes or music lyrics during the game.

Souvenir Money Trivia

When a child wants money for souvenirs during the charter trip, they can earn it through some trivia challenges. Either through an app download or gathering questions on your own, a child can earn a quarter for every question that is answered correctly. It's important to bring enough questions so that the child can earn enough to spend on the trip.

To help raise the stakes, the child can also lose a quarter for getting questions wrong or wager money to earn a little extra. It's a good idea to formulate different trivia categories like sports or history so that the children can select questions in their strongest topics.