Are we there yet? Backseat gadgets to keep kids entertained on long journeys

Forget I-Spy and number plate cricket, today’s kids would rather keep their eyes on an iPod Touch or a portable DVD player than watch the roadside on long car trips.

So, if the recent half-term was a nightmare of squabbling siblings, cries of are we there yet? and bolshie backseat drivers, think about getting the kids a gadget before you set off over the summer holidays.

That’s the conclusion of a study by online retailer PIXmania, which studied 28 families, covering more than 22,000 road miles and more than 500 driving hours. And with more families expected to holiday in the UK this year thanks to ash cloud disruption and the weak pound, getting to your holiday destination without major ructions is going to be more important than ever.

The study compared the entertainment value of traditional games such as I-Spy, 20 Questions, the Alphabet Game, Number Plate Game and Word Association with the electronic entertainment of PSP Go, iPod Touch 3rd Gen, Sigmatex 1782 TV Portable DVD Player, Nintendo DSi XL, Samsung N220 Netbook and the iPod Nano. Families taking part kept a log over three weeks.

The iPod Touch and the Sony PSP were the most successful gadgets put to the test, keeping kids entertained for just over 3.5 hours or 201 miles – the entire journey from London to Manchester (depending on traffic jams of course!).

The portable TV DVD player distracted children for just over two hours (or 113 miles) (or about 25 miles if you drive in London!). Next was the Nintendo DSi XL, keeping the peace for more than one hour 40 mins or about 79 miles. Recent sales figures show that three in five families in the UK has a Nintendo DS console.

Netbooks (the lighter and cheaper cousin of the laptop) had an average distraction time of one hour 20 mins or from London to Cambridge.

The nano iPod came in last, keeping kids occupied for an average of 45 minutes or 37 miles.

Traditional games held children’s attention for an average of only 16 minutes – that’ll get you down London’s Oxford Street in rush hour!

And if you’re driving in heavy traffic, the gadgets also came out tops, with the DVD player helping to keep kids engrossed – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Disney’s Cars came top of the DVDs tested.

And James Bradley, whose family took part in PIXmania’s digital miles test, said: “Like most youngsters, my children are easily bored, especially in the back of the car. It really does take something as impressive and varied as the Sony PSP to keep them occupied for over three hours. Traditional games such as Eye Spy were great for getting all the family involved but they just didn’t hold the children’s attention for long. The traditional games often proved too hard for my toddler – whereas she’ll sit and watch the right DVD for hours.”

Interestingly, the study didn’t put the gadgets up against small toys, books, magazines or colouring books, something we always pack on a long car journey. Let us know how you keep the kids distracted on car journeys – do you favour the latest gadgets or more traditional entertainment, or a combination of the two?