My children have become fans of some classic rock, partly through exposure in the car. On the Crosby, Stills & Nash greatest hits album they sing along to Suite Judy Blue Eyes, Southern Cross, Teach Your Children Well etc. They can see CSN perform on YouTube
and also view versions of the videos with lyrics.
Use long car rides to expose children to good music, whether they initially like it or not
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I credit hundreds of hours of road trips from Washington to California when I was young, for my vast musical knowledge. It was pre-DVD and iPad and we would play name that tune for HOURS!
We drive a lot now, and my DS9, likes audio books best. His favorites when he was a little younger were the Ramona books and Harry Potter. The reader for Harry Potter is fabulous! If your library allows, you can check out e-audiobooks using Overdrive and put them on an iPod or other mp3 player.
We have a portable DVD but on an 8 hour trip, he might only watch one movie, depending on daylight. When he was 4-6 though, he would watch for several hours at a time. Now he'd prefer a new book.
I usually buy some random new junk from the Dollar Tree to dole out over the trip. We also take advantage of spoiling him on the road. We aren't a family of candy and junk but we love to stop at a gas station on a long trip and buy one junky thing! My son had his first Slurpee just a few days ago on a 3 hour trip. Sometimes we will stop and have lunch at a roadside attraction place or just eat a picnic on the way.
