>> fun activities
for car trips
A LIST OF THINGS TO FIND ON A TRIP
Our family just completed a two-week car trip that took
us through four Western states. The best car game for
our two kids involved finding certain things along the
way. I made a list of 10 things to be on the lookout
for: airplane, motorcycle, farm house, Greyhound bus,
cow, horse, police car, train, McDonald's restaurant,
and a mail truck. When their list only had a few items
left, I added a few more. Instead of creating competition
between the two kids, I told them that they were team
members. I paid the team twenty-five cents (which they
split) for every item they checked off their list. Another
option would be to pay $1 - $2 for the completed list.
This game proved to keep their interest the longest
during lengthy drives. (P.C., Portland, Oregon)
LICENSE PLATE ACTIVITY A few days
before leaving on our family vacation I made an alphabetized
list of all the states in the U.S.A. I left a large
space next to the name of each state. As soon as the
kids became bored in the car on our first day of driving
(the first hour, of course), I gave them a copy of the
list. The object of the game was to find as many license
plates as possible from different states. The first
child to see a license plate from that state would circle
the state on their list. I also asked them to use the
space next to the state's name to write down the day
and time of spotting the license and any state motto
listed on the plate such as "Ski Utah." The
other kids would check-off that state on their list.
You could give a prize on the last day of the trip to
the child who spotted the most plates, or you could
offer a dime per plate for spending money. The game
made traveling fun for the kids, and for the first time
in their lives they loved to get into traffic jams.
(J.L.A., Portland, Oregon)
TRAVEL BOX On long car trips I always
include a special "travel box" for my 4 year
old. It is a shoe box that I have covered with bright
paper (cover the lid and box separately). In it, I have
placed coloring books, new crayons, sticker books, markers,
and a few favorite toys. I also prepare a grab bag of
new items which I keep with me and bring out only when
my daughter gets restless. The flea market and garage
sales are a great place to pick up items in good condition
for a fraction of the cost. Stacey Lopez, Fremont, California
GRAB BAG TOY TIME Before setting off
on a trip, I purchase one toy per child for each day
we will be on the road. I wrap each toy in used Christmas
paper. The new toy would keep the children quiet or
amused until we arrive at our destination. Mrs. Jane
R. Kruger, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
PHOTO ALBUMS IN CAR One of the things
that keep my children occupied in the car during errands
or vacations is family photo albums. My young children
love to flip through the photos to see themselves during
younger days (especially baby pictures) and to remember
our family celebrations, vacations, and visits to our
relatives' homes. This is especially fun for preschoolers
who can't read books. (Jenifer Trautmann, Fleetwood,
Pennsylvania)
WALDO BOOKS FOR CAR TRIPS One of the
best activities to keep young children occupied during
lengthy car trips is Waldo or similar style picture
books. Even pre-readers enjoy searching for Waldo and
other characters among the detailed illustrations. (Astrid
Vuong, Walnut Creek, California)
BOOK LIGHT FOR CAR Before leaving
on a long car trip, I bought an "Itty Bitty Book
Light" for each of my two children so they could
read, color, or do workbooks in the car when it gets
dark. The lights also came in handy for my husband and
I. We used them to read in the motel room after the
lights were turned off so the kids could fall asleep.
(A.V., Walnut Creek, California)
AUDIO TAPES OF VIDEOS FOR CAR TRIPS
Make some audio tapes of your child's favorite movies,
videos, or television shows and play them during lengthy
car rides. Shows and movies that a child has seen several
times before work the best. My daughter's favorites
are "The Sound Of Music" and "The Wizard
of Oz." She loves to listen to the words and music
while she visualizes each scene. It keeps her content
for hours during long, boring car rides. (R.C., Salem,
Oregon)
20 QUESTIONS ON THE GO A popular game
that I used to play as a kid is now popular with my
own children when we travel on long car trips. Each
person takes a turn thinking of an item and the rest
of the family has to guess what it is. They can ask
a total of 20 questions which can be answered with a
yes or no. It gets the whole family involved and the
children learn how to ask good questions. (Dan Dubois,
Gaithersburg, Maryland)
WORD TRAVEL GAME A fun travel game
for long car trips involves using the letters on a license
plate to make a silly phrase. For instance, this morning
I saw the letters "CVH" on a license plate
and immediately thought of "Cold Vaseline Hurts."
The sillier the phrase, the better. Older kids love
this game. (Linda Ingegnieros, Washington D.C.)
CREATIVE STORY TELLING A favorite
bedtime and car travel activity for my family is called
Creative Story Telling. It's easy. You begin by telling
a story that you make up as you go along. After a few
minutes you point to your child and she picks up the
story where you left off, making up her own story as
she goes along. Then she points back to you, and you
continue telling the story. It's fun to do with just
one other person or the whole family can play. For variations
you can have time limits for each segment of the story
or you can decide in advance how many turns each person
can have before the story is completed. It sparks creativity
and laughter. And it helps make dull car trips come
alive. (Paul Dulberg, Hayward, California)
"OFF DUTY" PARENT ON CAR TRIP
Within a few hours into our recent two-week vacation
by car, I noticed that my wife was not getting any relaxation
time since she was constantly attending to the requests
from our children in the backseat. This happened even
though each child had a small suitcase next to them
filled with books and activities and a small cooler
of goodies between them. So I announced, "Mom is
off duty for 30 minutes," and explained that they
couldn't ask either parent for any request unless it
was an emergency. If the kids can see the clock on the
dash, tell them what time the parent will be back "on
duty." Otherwise, use a marker to write "OFF
DUTY" on a 3X5 card and tape it on the back of
your seat. My wife and I were both amazed at how fast
the children adjusted to this new procedure. (T.L.,
San Diego, California)
ACTIVITIES TO GO My children keep a
small carrying case that has separate compartments (or
you could use a small fishing tackle box) filled with
travel games, note pads, crayons and markers, pencils,
and other small toys. They take it in the car for travel
activities and on camping trips. Small stocking stuffers
each Christmas replenish their supplies. Sharon Heimiller,
Baltimore, Maryland
AN APRON OF TOYS Recently, we took
a trip by car that took 12 hours. A friend made me an
apron that hooked over the headrest of the front seat
to hang down into the back seat. She put pockets of
several sizes on it. We filled them with coloring books,
crayons, travel-size games, snacks, wet wipes, books,
etc. It gave plenty of things for the kids to do on
such a long trip, yet it wasn't all over the seat and
floor, and stayed within easy reach. Sheryl Saxton,
Tekamah, Nebraska
THE BACK OF THE FRONT SEAT IS BORING
If possible, adjust the child's car seat so that it's
high enough for the child to see out the window. The
back of the front seat is bound to get old fast. Fred
Schroeder, Denison, Texas
TOY CHAIN LINKS FOR THE CAR To make
traveling easier for our family, I hang plastic toy
chain links from the hand strap or hooks above the side
window in the back seat. Then I attach a bottle of water
so my son can have a drink whenever he wants. Now that
he is two and no longer uses a baby bottle, I use a
bicycle water bottle for him. Toys or a pacifier can
also hang from the links and will keep them from getting
lost in the car. Erica Agesen, Omaha, Nebraska
COOKIE SHEET BECOMES A PORTABLE MAGNET BOARD
A cookie sheet can be used for many different activities
in the car, especially for long-distance driving: a
magnet board (5-10 small magnets offer hours of creative
fun), a raceway for small cars and trucks, or a platform
to hold legos or blocks. Arlene Stocking, Fremont, California
TRAVEL TOYS A deck of cards or flash
cards with pictures, etc., make wonderful travel toys
and are easy to carry in a purse or pocket. Pat Remmes,
Walnut Creek, California
POST-ITS ON THE CAR WINDOW One of
the things I have found to be most useful when taking
a trip is packages of Post-it removable stickers. A
child can spend quite a bit of time sticking the Post-Its
against the car window. Janet Romanchyk, Fulton, New
York
A PINWHEEL FOR THE CAR To easily and
inexpensively entertain an infant while driving, clip
a shiny pinwheel to your visor and direct your car's
air vents towards it to make it spin. Young babies will
be fascinated by the movement. Older children can hold
the pinwheel themselves. Susan Lowther, Glendale, Arizona
WE'RE IN FLAGSTAFF, TIME FOR A PRESENT
I made a cross-country trip at Christmas time with four
children ages 11, 6, 3, and 11 months. We packed a suitcase
full of sandwiches and planned to stop as little as
possible in order to get to my parents' place before
Christmas. The lifesaver for the long haul was another
suitcase full of wrapped surprises each labeled with
the name of the town (eg. Flagstaff, Arizona) or landmark
where it was to be opened. The gifts were small—a
coloring book and crayons, playdough, a new story, a
small puzzle, or origami paper for folding, for example.
The anticipation of the next opening point increased
the children's interest in moving ahead and minimized
their desire for rest stops. Watching the map for progress
between unwrapping points promoted geographical knowledge
and map-reading skills. It also helped that each child
had specific responsibilities—the 11 year old
passed out sandwiches and snacks and fed the baby. The
6 year old was the tire checker at every stop (got some
wiggles out that way, too). The 3 year old was the special
watcher for various things along the way and he and
the 6 year old took turns opening the packages and disposing
of wrappings. Marge West, Lakewood, Colorado
"BOOKS ON TAPE" FOR CAR TRIPS
In our family, each child has a Walkman that they bring
along for lengthy car trips. The library offers children's
"books on tape" to borrow or you can purchase
them as well. It keeps the kids occupied for hours.
Vanetta Hayhurst, Farmington, Connecticut
A RECORDED ACTIVITY FOR TRAVELING
My son learned how to operate a child's tape recorder
when he was between 2 and 2 1/2 years old. I would prerecord
activities and stories for long car trips. I stacked
a pile of books and his tape recorder next to his carseat.
The recorder would begin by saying, "Find the book
with 3 kittens on it. Stop the tape until you find it.
Now, turn to page one. Do you see the baby black kitty?"
Then I read the words for that page. I ring a bell and
say, "Now turn to page 2." I frequently ask
questions as I read the story such as, "What color
mittens is the kitty wearing?" It's a wonderful
activity that also teaches them early reading skills.
N.S., San Jose, California
A TRAVEL DIARY FOR CHILDREN Older
children love to keep a travel diary, which includes
their favorite activities, time of food stops, gas amounts,
mileage, etc. It's enjoyable to them, it keeps them
busy and is good writing and calculating practice. Rita
Wilson, Fremont, California
BACK SEAT ENTERTAINMENT We have two
young children (5 and 2) with whom we occasionally take
on a 10 hour driving trip to visit family. When the
girls get tired of the drive, I move to the back seat,
sit between them, and read stories, sing and play games
with them. Even though I'm continuing activities which
I was doing with them from the front seat, my moving
closer to them stretches their patience and the general
level of peace in the car a long while. This works best
as a last resort. Nancy Lee, Pasadena, California
CAR TRAVEL GAMES There are two games
that keep our children occupied when we travel by car.
One is to have the children keep a list of all the different
state license plates they see go by. The other is to
have them find all the letters of the alphabet on road
signs. William and Sandra McNiff, Dracut, Massachusetts
A CAR TRAVELING SYSTEM FOR KIDS Make
a stop every hour and a half. In the morning, before
starting off, have the children pick out four or five
toys for the day, then give them one or not more than
two toys for a one-and-a-half hour spell. At the end
of the hour and a half, stop for a quick snack and stretch
the legs. At that time, put away the earlier toys, and
get out another one. At the end of three hours of traveling,
it is time to stop for lunch, or at least a place to
go to the bathroom for all, and another leg stretch.
After lunch, try to encourage a nap. You might take
along a portable tape recorder if your car doesn't have
a tape deck and play some quiet time music. If naps
don't work, and the traffic situation is so you can
devote some time and attention, play a game such as
"Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" or "20 Questions."
Or you might have a sing-a long. Mrs. Jane R. Kruger,
East Greenwich, Rhode Island
STOP AND HAVE A PICNIC We try to drive
3 to 4 hours before stopping on a long trip. If the
weather permits, drop the kids and one parent off at
a local park while the other parent finds a cafe with
takeout food. Kids play hard, eat good and can't wait
to get to another park for supper 3 to 4 hours down
the road. Jane and Bob Gustafson, Devils Lake, North
Dakota
RACING OFF EXCESS ENERGY During lengthy
car trips I would periodically stop at a park or grassy
area and have the kids run foot races. It helped to
stretch their legs and burn off excess energy after
sitting in the cramped car. Char Janzen, Hays, Kansas
SNACKS ON THE GO Cheerios, raisins,
crackers, and boxed juices make wonderful traveling
companions. Patricia R. Hersom, Walnut Creek, California
|
