Things to do with kids who like cars during the lockdown

Car loving kids - big and small - might not be able to indulge their hobby in quite the same way at the moment, but there’s plenty of fun things to do out there to help you while away the hours during the coronavirus lockdown.

From activities, crafts and car toys, to games and challenges, we’ve scoured the internet to bring you the best car-based things to entertain your children…

Car colouring

8

Age 3 to13

Kids love a bit of colouring, and it can be rather therapeutic for grown-ups, too. But if you don’t have any colouring books, there’s plenty that you can find online.

Design maestro Ian Callum has created three illustrations of the Aston Martin Vanquish 25, a project which has seen Callum revisit one of his most iconic designs. Plus, sharing your colouring work on social media with the #colourwithcallum hashtag puts you in with a chance of winning prizes. 

• Download colouring book sketch page 1
• Download colouring book sketch page 2
• Download colouring book sketch page 3

If you’re looking for an altogether more rugged look, Isuzu has plenty of illustrations to complete on its website, at Isuzu.co.uk/kids. Several pictures of the Isuzu D-Max pickup are available to colour, plus there’s join the dots, wordsearch and a spot the difference to keep the kids entertained, with more promised in the future.

Car papercraft

8

Age 5 to adult

For kids - or adults - looking for a bit more of a challenge, Mazda has produced ten cars which can be printed out and assembled. The cars are helpfully graded according to the level of skill involved, and include a number of current and historical models including the Mazda MX-5, Cosmo and CX-3.

Toyota is offering a different twist, with half a dozen papercraft illustrations of its retro-livered GT86s. Models include versions of the coupe in Castrol and Esso colours, and should keep kids big and small occupied for hours.

The car spec challenge

8

Age 6 to adult

Spending a few minutes - or a few hours - speccing up your dream car can be great fun; more so if you set yourself a challenge to come up with the most expensive, wildest, weirdest or coolest cars. Pretty much every car manufacturer has an online configurator of some description, but here’s our starter for ten…

Ferrari configuratorCaterham configuratorLamborghini configurator

And if you want to add an educational element, why not ask the kids to work out how many Renault Clios they could buy for the cost of those pieces of carbon fibre or leather bits.

Scalextric and slot cars

8

Age 6 to adult

Who doesn’t love an hour setting up a slot car track for an afternoon’s fun? Most of us have probably got a set up in the loft, but there are plenty available to buy online to suit most budgets.

We have put some of them to the test, so if you’re looking to invest in a new set, check out our Best Scalextric and slot car sets feature.

Ride-on cars

8

Age 2 to 8

Just because families are being asked to stay at home, doesn’t mean the garden is off-limits. And what child wouldn’t love a ride-on car to cruise around in? We’ve taken a look at a wide range of cars, bikes and buggies suitable for children aged from two to eight, ranging in price from £75 to just over £300.

Radio controlled cars

8

Age 14+

And because kids shouldn’t have all the fun, how about radio controlled cars? We’ve put eight RC cars of varying shapes, sizes and prices to the test to see which one is worth your time.

Once you’ve bought one, and built it, you’ll want to race it. Repurpose the garden path for the start-finish straight, hosepipes can mark out corners or chicanes, and garden furniture can be used as obstacles, while an old bit of wood can make an excellent jump.

Check out Lego's Dodge Charger from the Fast and Furious films here...