Children spend lots of time in cars between vacations and being driven to activities. Make the most of the time and let it be an opportunity to build their faith.

• Devotions On the Go
Let your child read a devotion or a Bible verse. Talk about it. Turn it into a scavenger hunt by thinking of items related to the Bible passage to find while you travel.

• Twisty Bible Figures and Creatures
(need chenille stems, scissors or nail clippers, and a pencil)
Pass out a package of chenille stems for children to create creatures and figures from the Bible. Make the feet or stand by folding a chenille stem in half. The remaining folded part of the stem is the basis for the body, tree trunk, etc. Twirl both ends into small circles and twist up to be standing feet. Twirl another stem or half stem around a pencil, slide off, and slide onto the body. Add other twisted stems to shape the design.

• Crosses on a Trip
See how many crosses children can find on a road trip. Four-way intersections, crosses on churches, t’s on signs, etc.

• Christian Symbol I Spy
Look for church steeples, God’s creation, light, and various symbols related to God and the Bible. Let each person guess the object, and then someone needs to tell a related Bible story or Scripture.

• Magnetic Bible Map
Print out a map of a Bible area and glue it to an old metal cookie sheet. Make some magnetic place markers shaped like feet and let children travel around the Bible area.

• Magnetic Books of the Bible
Cut small, magnetic rectangles for book spines. Write the name of one book of the Bible on each spine. Have children use a metal cookie sheet to arrange the books in order. As they grow, ask them to name a Bible story or verse from each book.

• Magnetic Bible Puzzles
Buy a Bible jigsaw puzzle or cut up a Bible picture to make a puzzle. Put a piece of adhesive magnetic strip on the back of each puzzle piece. Let children put the puzzle together on a cookie sheet.

• Bible Numbers
Place one or two dice in a clear container with a lid. Shake it to roll. Look at the number rolled and spy for that number as you ride. Then name some group of that number in the Bible (two of each animal in the ark, the Ten Commandments, etc.).

• I Spy Story Jars
Find tiny objects that represent parts of a Bible story, like a small boat, tiny people, and animals for Noah’s ark. Put them with rice in a plastic jar and seal the lid. Have children find the hidden objects and talk about the Bible story.

• Scriptures That Stick
Learn Scripture with stickers (colored circle dots) and index cards.
Write each word of a Scripture verse on a colored dot in a scrambled order. Have children put the dots onto an index card in the correct order and read it. Use different colors for different verses.

• Creation Sightings
Let everyone look for signs of God’s creation. Make it tougher by focusing on one thing at a time, like water (lakes, rivers, ocean, rain, drinks) or land (mountains, valleys, grassy land, dirt).

• Foil Armor
Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and let children use foil to make the armor. Make sure to include praying hands for the last verse as a reminder that even with the armor, we need to pray.

Karen Whiting  is an author and speaker with thirteen published books, and hundreds of articles and short pieces for over four dozen publishers including Focus on the Family Magazine and Christian Parenting Today . She was a contributing writer for Focus on Your Child 2008-2009, writes a quarterly article for Enrichment Journal for pastors and leaders of the Assemblies of God, a quarterly column for Discipleship Ideas magazine, and writes a family page for a monthly denominational newspaper. Whiting has also been the community producer and host of the television series, Puppets On Parade , for Miami educational TV.

Whiting has a heart for families and encourages families to connect and live more fully for God. She is a mother of five, and a grandmother.