Traveling in the car can sometimes be a nightmare with children. The all too famous line of ‘are we there yet?’ playing over and over like a broken record… So for the next school holidays road trip, I’m getting prepared early by making this DIY travel chalkboard clipboard.
I decided on the travel chalkboard clipboard for 3 reasons:
- they’re super-easy to make, big thumbs up there!
- although chalk can get a little dusty, it won’t stain the upholstery of the rental car, and
- the kids can use the clipboard with other paper games, such as car bingo and travel scavenger hunt.
It’s also a great feature at home for the kids to play on when they’re not traveling. Or, you can use the clipboard to display the kids artwork they bring home from school or kindy. I also find it useful to write messages or shopping reminders on.
DIY travel chalkboard clipboard
What you need
One clipboard
A white Primer
Chalkboard paint (we used Resene Black Chalkboard Paint)
A thick paint brush
Light sand paper (optional but you’ll get a better finish)
Painters tape
What to do
- First tape off the edges of the clip on the clipboard.
Paint on one coat of white primer and let this dry.
Once the primer is dry give it a very light sand with your sandpaper.
Paint your first coat of black chalkboard paint onto your clipboard. You will need to leave a 3 hour drying time between coats. For best results I always suggest 3 coats of chalkboard paint, giving it a light sand between coats.
Let this dry completely.
For traveling purposes tie a piece of chalk and a pen to the clipboard.
I also created two travel game printables; Colour car bingo and Road trip scavenger hunt. Click on either of the images below to download the free pdf:
Colour car bingo
If you want the printables to last longer, you can laminate or plastic seal them with a clear plastic. Then they can also be written on with whiteboard markers and wiped clean. This means you can reuse them and start to create a ‘road trip game’ box, where you keep all the car games together.
I hope you like the DIY travel chalkboard clipboard and free printables. If you have any favourite car games that we can turn into printables, just add them to the comments below. We’ll have a go at creating them and update this article.
Looking for more ideas to keep your kids busy during those long drives, check out 15 Travel games to keep you sane
