Input requested: Occupying children on a road trip
Our family is going on a road trip in 1 week and I am looking for ideas to occupy the kids in the car (8, 6, 3, 2, 3 months). -TinaGreat question, Tina! I know that many people will be traveling - some very long distances - in the next two weeks, so I'm sure others could use some suggestions, too.
Before I open up the floor on this one, I thought I'd share a few things we did growing up on long road trips which worked well for us. Some of these are more applicable to older children, but hopefully these will spark some ideas for some of you.
1) Play the alphabet game or the license plate game.
Most of you probably know these but they are old standbys.
For the alphabet game, everyone races against each other to see who can find all the letters of the alphabet in order first by using signs along the road, license plates, etc. You could have every man for himself or have teams.
To play the license plate game, you want to be on a long cross-country trip. The goal is to find a license plate for every single US state (excluding Hawaii). First person to find all the states wins. Or, you could simplify it by sticking with a list of 10-15 states which are in the same region you'll be traveling.
2) Play a roadtrip "scavenger hunt."
Think of 15-20 items which you are likely to see as you're driving (animals, a bridge, a bus, etc.) and either cut out pictures of them and put them on a sheet of paper or make a list of them. Have a race to see who can find all of the items first. You could also use this idea but in a bingo format.
3) Sing a song for each letter of the alphabet.
Go through each letter of the alphabet and go around the car and have each person come up with a song which starts with that letter of the alphabet
4) Make up a folder of activities for each child.
My mom often did this when we would go on long trips. She'd include age-appropriate worksheets such as coloring pages for the young ones, crossword puzzles and mazes for the older children, etc.
One year she even included interview questions and we had to sit with a different person between each stop and interview that person with the interview questions she provided. We kept those interview questions and my sister found them the other day and we found the answers to be quite hilarious!
5) Listen to books on tape.
6) Plan some surprises.
My mom always did fun things like plan special surprises to keep things exciting. Every four hours we got to open a little present or choose a snack or she'd bring special activity books or books to read that were something new and she'd bring them out and hand them out when people started getting bored.
There are some other fun ideas listed here including I Spy, 20 Questions, and Name That Tune.
Those are just a few of my ideas. I'd love to hear from the rest of you on this. What do you do to occupy your children while on road trips?
Related: Lindsay has a great post up on making "restaurant kits" to make traveling easier. What a brilliant idea!
Graphic from Art.com
Labels: Family fun
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:31 PM
36 Comments:
There's a website we used for our vacation this year and the ideas worked great. There were 3 legs of the trip: 12,12,and 16 hours with a 5 and 2 1/2 yo. We did all but the 16 hours in a day each and the 16 hour day we traveled 12 one day and 4 the next. The website is www.momsminivan.com. There are ideas for toddlers on up. Good luck, Stephanie
We went from Georgia to Louisiana, a 13-hour trip) for Thanksgiving with our 18 month old. We do not let her watch tv or anything like that, but we did borrow a DVD player from a friend. That was a life-saver. She did not watch it the whole time, just a couple hours here or there. We could not have made that trip without it. And she still doesn't want to watch tv, so it didn't "corrupt" her!
I remember a few childhood games I used to play with my brothers when we had a long trip. One was a pre-trip activity: each child would draw a roadmap, complete with pictures of the scenery. This is a good game if the child has already taken this trip once and they can use their memory to remap the trip. The child can then use the map while in the car; it makes them feel like they know where they're going and they're helping out.
Another game we used to play (I think we made it up) was to take turns picking cars passing us on the road. We would go in an order, and when it was your turn, the next car to pass was "yours." This was fun if you got an especially goofy car or a nice exotic car. I also remember this game being a little loud, so take that as you will. However, it kept us occupied for awhile.
Our family, as a whole - have become pretty good travelers. My family lives 18 hrs away - so we've been car traveling since they were infants.
Hasn't always been easy - but it's become better as the kids have aged (5 and 8).
We've also taken various other long trips - our longest was from Missouri to New Mexico to California...and home again all this in less than 10 days...
Our traveling method is drive steady, with infrequent stops. I know the "Books" and "net" say to stop every 2-3 hrs with young kids...we don't do it. Except when we had infants that needed to be fed...but then we also would travel straight through the night to take advantage of them sleeping for long periods and needing less feedings.
As the kids got older - we no longer drive straight through the night. But we do put in a full day of driving each day until we reach our destination.
The kids are kept occupied with books on tape/cd, books, and small games or toys I pick up cheap at the thrift store or garage sales. Like one of those little plastic puzzle squares where you move the pieces until you get everything in the right order...or a rubiks cube...or for my ds a new (inexpensive) Playmobil figurine.
When they were real small I'd wrap each item and every hour or two or when they'd get antsy - they could unwrap one.
Snacks. Good snacks - but not messy. Even if you usually try to eat healthy at home - give them some special treats they do not usually have at home.
We pack a picnic lunch and keep lots of edibles in the car that I know the kids like...everything from baby carrots, to pretzel sticks, licorice (limited), pop tarts etc.
There are also specified by mom or dad times when the kids need to "rest". Eyes must be closed and they at least need to "try" to sleep or pretend that they are. Other times are "quiet" times - where they don't need to sleep - but no talking.
The Lord has really blessed us with kids that can travel...it's especially amazing to me b/c when they are not car-bound...they are very active, very talkative and don't always get along with each other.
Sometimes we play games such as who can find certain things along the highway...or my dd will have an activity book.
If we are driving through an especially beautiful area - we sometimes "make" the kids stop what they are doing and tell them it's time that they just look out the window. These trips are for them too - and we don't want them to miss the wonderful creations of God b/c they are too into their books.
Have high expectations, cut complaining in the bud,and cut down the stops.
For our last trip, children ages 6, 4, and 2 (and baby), from the library we checked out CD story Because of Winn-Dixie. I will admit I slept through part of it but we all enjoyed it. You may want to listen to it first, it does discuss alcohol a little (but I don't think it condones it). Every once in a while one of us will still pipe up, "I see a bear out there" and then another will go, "No, that's my dog Winn-Dixie". :) Our kids also just enjoy looking out the window!
Classical music tapes/CDs have an amazingly calming effect and are good interleaving with more "active" activities.
Gilbert and Sullivan is also great fun and keeps a wide range of ages amused-incl parents.
Annaelisabeth
Bubbles in the car are fun, as long as they don't distract the driver! :-)I also know a family that has border parties (snack, drink, run around break) whenever they hit a new state.
I disagree with cutting down stops--I know someone who almost died because they sat still in one place for too long on a road trip and got a clot in her leg that went to her lungs (had it gone to her heart or her brain, she would not have survived). It's a very real thing and a valid concern, even with children. Embolisms and thrombosis aside, little bladders need frequent relief or changing, you can actually get "traveling" sores on your legs or rear if you don't shift and stretch every once in awhile, and no matter how many "different" activities and snacks you have, after awhile the car can be stifling and frustrating...fresh air and a change of pace is a good thing. :) I found that stopping frequently enough kept us sane and the kids from melting down. They aren't used to sitting still for such long periods of time, and their little bodies are wired to move!
So instead of cutting down or out mandatory stops, I suggest making them efficient, short, and to the point. Every break is a bathroom break for the younger ones, even if literally all you do is stop, go to the bathroom, and get back in the car. I image you won't need to worry about this much, as I imagine you are still nursing your younger one frequently, but I just felt it needed mentioning that stopping is important, not optional. It's just not worth all the health risks. :)
Other than that, I don't have a lot of suggestions that haven't already been covered. :)
We too are heading on a long road trip 20 hours. We made an investment a couple of years ago, portable DVD player. My children, boys 9 and 4, don't watch much TV so this is a real treat reserved for long road trip....must be more than 3 hours for DVD player to be put in the car. We take videos out of the library so they are new to them. It has been great. This week we have a season of Gilligan's Island, Hogan's heros, the Flintstone and the Jetsons on reserve, the boys are actually looking forward to the trip as well as the visit with the grandparents at the other end.
Shari
We travelled last year from South East Queensland to central Queensland and back when our girls were 4 and 2.
We limited what we took amusement-wise, as we had to pack our own bedding, and didn't have a lot of room. But we took a little back pack of their favourite Little Golden Books, a mini magna-doodle which they shared, and every 2 hours or so, we'd stop at a Macdonalds, for toilet stop, to rest our poor old car and to let our little ones run around and play. If we approved of the current Happy Meal toys we'd get them those as well to amuse them in the car.They were allowed 2 cuddle toys each from home and we used "pull-ups" while on the road to avoid accidents in the car seats in case someone needed to go in the middle of no-where.
Claire
I agree with the books on tape or the read alouds.. they are a mainstay for us. We also do what we call "quiet practice" where everyone must be quiet, no talking or noises except to answer a grown-up. Things can get very crowded in a back seat for that long and even little folks need their personal space. It seems to help for each child to have their own things...maybe a small blanket, pillow and a tote bag to keep a few books or toys. We have even resorted to masking tape on the seat for a boundary, lol.
I remember one game that the kids still talk about.. they would take turns trying to get passing cars to beep their horn or wave... nothing obnoxious of course, just being cute and goofy. It got a little loud, but it sure was a hoot!
Have fun:-)
I also make up notebooks of coloring pages and stickers and such for my kids. I print off coloring pages from the internet about the states and places we will be seeing. then I put them in the notebooks along the way, not all at once. I also like to take a book on the states with us and as we cross over into a new state I read about that state to the kids.
Books on tape are great, as are videos if you have a VCR or DVD player, but you don't want to do that forever. lacing shapes have been a huge hit with my younger 2.
When we would stop at rest areas, we would make sure to get some exercise. We would find an out of the way picnic spot and stop there for a packed snack. We would all do jumping jacks, stretches, etc. Sometimes we would have running contests or each do crazy walks, which get everyone laughing and happy. Our goal whenever we stop is that we stay standing the whole time. That makes the sitting in the car better.
Also color wonder markers and books have been great. They are a little pricey, however we only buy these when we are traveling long distances. This means that there is never a marker mess in the car, yet they get to color with markers and they love it. good luck!
Some of the ideas you posted about are great. I particularly recommend making up a folder, or bag, of toys & activities that are given out only during the road trip. Thinking of a trip in one long chunk is so difficult for children, but telling them that they may have such & such when it's 2:00, or "as soon as we get to _____ town". And, maybe most importantly, frquent stops are a must, for everyone's sanity!! It does slow you down, but I think that just goes along with having small children in tow. Best of luck!
Brenda
If it is a day like the one in your picture we find "animals" or other objects in the sky....the clouds are wonderful art objects that the Lord puts for our children to enjoy. This game has saved many of our trips...and it is free.
Aluminum foil and scotch tape! We had tons of fun making ball caps, crowns, boots, even a 'bowl' to hold their french fries!
On one trip, I also brought lots of leftover twistie-ties (that come with trash bags), to make into chains, but that got a little messy, since they ended up getting scattered throughout the vehicle.
We used to travel for hours back and forth to visit family in Canada from Oregon, so we have a lot of experience with keeping the kids busy in the car. I wrote a blog post filled with ideas for one of Shannon's Works for Me! Wednesdays, when she was looking for "travelling with kids" ideas. You can read my post here. http://www.northofthe49.com/blog/?p=93
Michelle
www.northofthe49.com
Books on Tape
Portable DVD player!!!!!
Aqua Doodle for the littler ones. These are great!
Earplugs
Great ideas! I always loved the license plate game. I actually have a post on this topic, which might be relevant with your youngest:
How to amuse a one-year-old
We use a cookie sheet and different magnet games that we have made like hangman, tic tac toe, puzzles etc. It also makes for a good lapboard to write or color.
We have a built-in DVD player that is reserved only for road trips. Some, I'm sure, are 'against' these, but let me tell you, they are a sanity-saver. And my boys actually get TIRED of watching movies, so I don't let them watch it the entire time. We take movie breaks where they listen to music or books on tape (I've seen classic fairy tales ones at various dollar stores), color or use their Doodle-Pros, read books, play with their cars. Stickers or travel magnet boards (like the ones that make Silly Faces or various scenes--you can get these at Cracker Barrel and Walmart) are good ideas, too. My boys are 4 and 2, so some of the travel games I remember playing as a kid are too old for them yet.
And yes, occasional stops are needed. We will often stop at a McDonald's with a playplace so they can get out 15-20 minutes of energy. Those are lifesavers!
I agree with the MagnaDoodle and the Color Wonder suggestions. We took a 21 hour trip to FL with a 5 and 6 year old. We had a placemat sized map of the USA and showed our kids the route and they could visually see where we were. Another thing that was great was pillows!! Need those for napping and resting. My kids took small toys with them. Baby dolls for my dd and Matchbox cars for ds. Crayons and coloring books and plain paper. We took healthy snacks with little to no sugar in them and water (kept in a cooler) to drink. I should have mentioned this first: PRAY! God gives wisdom and grace for traveling with young ones.
~Mrs. Johnson
Portable dvd player, coloring books and crayons, special snacks that they only have when you are traveling, special drinks that they only have when you are traveling.
When we traveled a lot by car when we were kids (we would spend 6 weeks out west and that is a five day drive 9 hours a day in the car and this was before computers, dvd players and portable tape players!) my mom taught us all to crochet, knit and embroider things so we would have a project bag with all the accessories in it for whichever we choose to work on at that point and we spent many hours knitting, crocheting and the like and do not forget reading, books on tape work well too!
Also for the older ones a disposable camera to document their trip (you get the coolest photos from their perspective doing this) I even hand my 3 yr old one and she loves it! Mine are responsible for their cameras and they have never lost one yet! My 6 yr old got a digital (cheap $20 one from Walmart) camera for Easter and he loves it! He even takes some better pictures than me sometimes and he always has it with him.
Give them a list of landmarks to find on the way and give small prizes to the first to find whatever, I can still remember my mom and dad telling us right outside of St Louis that the first one to see the Arch would get a dime (yep, I won!) and we all still talk about it today!
Also if you are going across states, mark out the route on atlases for them and let them follow along on them (our insurance agent gave us some for free when he found out what we were using them for) cuts down on the are we there yet questions too! We used highlighters like yellow for the route there and blue for coming back (made green lines and we had these for years after I probably still have some of them in the attic!)
Mine have even figured how to play Legos and matchbox cars in the car too! Now when we go on a trip they are responsible for packing what they want to play with in the car in their backpacks and they are 3 and 6! Let them have some input into what they would like to play and have a few inexpensive toys from the dollar store to surprise them with too!
We have a 9 1/2 hour drive to my parents with a 6, 4, and 2. My favorites over the years: a magnadoodle, or any similar toy, especially if they've never used it. My son at two occupied himself happily for the entire trip! A backpack each full of their own activities. Pipe cleaners. We made a pipecleaner craft today and my six year old spent the rest of the afternoon playing with pipecleaners and a bag of jingle bells (fold the ends over so that they aren't sharp). If you cans tand the mess a pair of scissors and construction paper make toddlers really happy. Patch the Pirate tapes. They're one hour song and story tapes with a Christian theme. Travelling into the night - bring glow bracelets. You can get big mulitpacks at the Dollar Tree and they will happily occupy your kids in the dark. And never underestimate the power of a lollipop to stop a meltdon and provide 15 minutes of silence. :^)
I do not remember who it was who gave me this idea, but bandaids and scotch tape....Two things they are not allowed to play with at home. They were busy for hours! We grew up traveling, it may be why I really dislike it.
When we travel we only stop for gas. When we stop for gas, you use the restroom and usually especially when I was pregnant, I would run or walk around the gas station several times. It is enough to prevent blood clots = ) It helps though to cut the travel time down so everyone does not just get sick of it!
I love maps, because you can see where you are where you are going next. When I was small, I held the map! We traveled across the US several times and all over, mostly northern US though. I did take the bus with three small children on a three day bus trip.....that was interesting!
My brother had a Leapster this last trip and that was fun, practicing math with games all the way!
we finally gave in and got a portable DVD player last year as we travel long distaces to see the grandparents, and here in Australia, the scenery is very boring indeed! Miles of flat nothingness. Especially for the youngest who can barely see out the window anyway! Looney Tunes cartoons and the Garfield movie kept them chuckling most of the way.
Recorded books are great too.
I'm making lap tables out of cardboard, a scrap fabric and some excess bean-bag beans.
There are some great paper cutout dolls available to print on the net. Cut them out beforehand and they can colour and dress them on the way, and draw their own scene for them.
I take some healthy snacks like fruit and muesli bars to make sure they get some fiber, so they can have Macdonalds guilt-free.
These are great ideas already mentioned! One thing I remember from childhood was that we had a couple of hand puppets (we only got to play with them on road trips) and we would make up little games with the puppets. Waving at cars nearby, just chatting about what "they" saw that we were passing, etc... This was always fun!
Frequent but quick stops helps our family. We also run - racing Dad to the light pole, etc. Our nephews traveled with their own tackle boxes for personal toys. They could choose what they wanted to bring, but it must fit inside the box. We introduced our kids to learning to name the books of the Bible in the car. For youger children, they can echo the parent; for older, taking turns saying the next one, or naming them all including one more (similar to the old "I'm going to grandma's house and I'm packing . . ." game.
You can buy a couple portable DVD player's. They are very cheap these days.
Or the best alternative. FLY! I refuse to go anywhere in a car if I can fly.
Get an airline miles credit card and put all your purchases on the card. Your miles can add up fast. You can do this for Disney as well. Right now we have hundreds of thousands of miles. I still buy tickets, but sometimes I cash in the miles as well. You can save your miles up so the whole family can fly first class somewhere on vacation. First class is really the best way to fly!
You really can't cut down on stops when traveling with a 3 MO baby who is nursing. We did a 3800 mile travel loop last November to visit both our families before DH deployed...our children were at the time 6, 2.5, and 3 months.
For entertainment we brought crayons along with buying new coloring books, played the alphabet game as mentioned, listened to books on tape, and did use a DVD player, letting the girls pick a movie every so often (borrowed some different movies from friends and the library for variety) for a treat. We also stopped about every three hours for potty breaks (necessary with a 2.5 YO with a small bladder) and to nurse the baby.
Cathy
One thing that hasn't been mentioned (and I like most of the ideas posted already)...3 words "Adventures in Oddysey"! I think this is an international thing, not just Canadian -?.
Kim from Canada.
We have been traveling with our little one (now 3 1/2) since she was an infant. We did get a portable DVD player, but won't pull it out until we're at least part way through our trip. We also have recently started stopping at rest stops, rather than restraunts for our food and rest breaks. We make these breaks every 2 hours, otherwise my back gets sore and the little one gets very antsy. We pack bubbles in the car, and have her chase bubbles for a few minutes, then we go potty and get back in the car. Besides our lunch break, none of our breaks take more than 10 minutes.
I remember liking books on tapes and making up silly songs with my siblings when we went on road trips.
We're also much more lenient in the car. We may watch more movies or eat more junky food. She also isn't required to eat her lunch when we stop, she can eat it in the car, but she can't run in the car. So our goal for stops is to get the wiggles out. Healthy food and regular meals and less tv resume when we get to our destination.
I had friends who used to leave in the afternoon and take turns driving through the night so their kids would sleep.
We've done the same without kids and it worked well driving back and forth from Seattle to Los Angeles.
I'd take driving ANY day over flying. Any suggestions for entertaining a 3 yr old and a 10 month old on a plane for 14 hours?
:o)
~ Cat
Bring along some bean bags and a Nerf basketball hoop--one person holds the hoop while the others make baskets or play catch. (Be sure the hoop isn't near the driver, obviously) Also, velcro-balls and a dartboard can be hung somewhere and people practice their aim. These are some non-intellectual games that give the kids (and parents) an activity in the car that makes it seem like they're not just sitting, and the miles go by quickly. It appeals to young and old alike.
Yes, "Adventures in Odyssey" is wonderful. It comes through Focus on the Family and can be ordered from their website or bought at most bookstores. The classics are the best and their Bible stories are terrific! Today, books on tape are the best entertainment for long trips for ANY age!
My parents incorperated the trips into our home schooling. On one trip (a vacation to Florida) we had to write the Chamber of Commerce for fliers from each state we would drive through. We also kept a journal that we could log important events of our trip in and tape in post cards and pictures from ads.
When we drove from Virgina to Alaska in a truck camper, organization was extremely important. We each had a plasic case with a snap lid that contained puzzle books, blank pads of paper and colored pencils, and other things to encourage our imagination.
As a little girl, I remember riding on the train while we traveled through France. I received my very first (and one of my only) Barbie dolls. It was a very conservatively dressed "Heart Family" mother doll with her little son. I loved traveling with my mother because I never knew when something really special would come out of her bag.
My mom used to take us to the library before trips and have us pick out 3-5 books each. With 5 kiddos she wanted us to be quietly entertained :) I have pre-readers so we use the portable DVD player and sing lots of songs. Lots and lots of songs!
I posted on this a while back about what we enjoy doing with our kids im the car. Here is the link : http://proverbs31living.blogspot.com/2007/11/traveling-with-kids.html
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