By Elaine Whelan
Road trips and travelling sounds exciting to your kids until they’ve been sitting in the back seat for three hours and are downright bored. That’s when the fighting or screaming kicks in (if it hasn’t already). For kids who love movies or playing games on your phone, it can be hard for them to understand that they can’t do so on the road. No Wi-Fi means we revert back to the classics like I spy or memory games. These are fun for the first ten minutes until the novelty wears off. However, there are a number of mobile games and apps that work without Wi-Fi so that your little ones are entertained no matter how long the journey.
Netflix
Now I’m sure everyone is very familiar with the popular streaming service. However some people may not know that you can download films or shows that you can view offline. Download the app and before starting your journey download some of your kid’s favourite movies or cartoons to keep them entertained or even put them to sleep. Netflix is free to download for both ios and android but subscription for endless entertainment costs a minimum of €7.99 a month
Temple Run
An infuriatingly addictive classic, ducking and diving in temple run is Wi-Fi free. Your kids can take turns seeing who can get the furthest or competing who can collect the most coins. Turn your backseat into a jungle maze for hours of endless fun. Temple run is free to download for both ios and android.
Candy Crush Saga
Similarly, Candy Crush Saga is another addictive classic. Swipe, crush and pop all the colourful sweets without wifi to climb the ranks. You can also download Bubble Witch Saga, Farm Heroes Saga or any of the other apps made by King. All the apps from this developer work perfectly without an internet connection. All of the apps are free to download on both ios and android. There are some optional in-app purchases but nothing necessary to play the game.
Toca Life
Toca Life has a series of different games that will keep your child engaged for ages while travelling. You can choose to download the Toca Life: City, Office, Vacation, Hospital and many more different worlds or allow your kids to explore them all in the Toca Life: World. Here, they can create and design their own virtual world. The app sparks the imaginations of little ones in a safe and fun experience. All of the Toca Life apps are free to download for both ios and android.
Heads Up!
Created by Ellen DeGeneres, Heads Up! is a group game that all the family can play together. This app is a reinvention of charades for the app generation with over 40 themed decks of cards to act out in categories such as movies, animals, accents or celebrities. It really is a barrel of laughs and giggles for the whole family. The app is compatible for both ios and android however it costs €1.09 to download. The price is worth it though the hours you will be playing this.
Minecraft
Minecraft is a favourite with little ones where they can build everything from a simple house to a grand castle. The familiar block visuals of the Minecraft app however can be played in offline mode so the building doesn’t have to ever stop. Once you have registered for the game while connected to the internet, you are free to use it offline. The app is downloadable on both the app store and the play store but will set you back €7.99.
The Hungry Caterpillar – First Words
For the smallest of your clan, entertain and educate them with The Hungry Caterpillar- First Words. The app helps small children learn to read their first words. The app introduces little learners to over 80 words from farm animals, family and foods. If your kids are already capable of reading along in English, you can change the language settings and have your child learn how to read in a second language. There are a number of Hungry Caterpillar apps to choose from. The app costs €4.49 and can be downloaded on both ios and android.
Life Hack
For little ones love to entertain themselves on their parent’s iPhone or iPad but often finds themselves pressing buttons or making phone calls that they shouldn’t there is a life hack for this. If while travelling, your child is using your phone to play their favourite game, you can lock your screen on one particular app so that they can’t go snooping elsewhere. Simply open the settings app, select accessibility and scroll down until you find guided access. From here, turn on guided access and enter your passcode. From then on if you wish to lock your screen on one app, click the home button three times while using the app. No more accidentally deleted pictures or facetimes to your co-workers.
