Keeping the Kids Busy on a Long Car Trip
Traveling in the car can certainly be an adventure. One thing you must remember when spending time in the car with kids is to be prepared for anything. We purchased a small car refrigerator for juice boxes and even took along all kinds of plastic forks, spoons, paper plates, napkins and trash bags. Start collecting small packets of jelly, honey and ketchup, too. Also, be prepared for motion sickness. Our daughter gets sick in the car. We bought her the Sea-Bands and made sure she had a good meal before traveling. We also made sure we had plenty of bags in the car just in case she got sick.
When you get ready to leave for your trip, try to keep the kids occupied so that your ride will so smoother. Here are some creative solutions for keeping your kids entertained while traveling this summer:
Travel Notebooks: Any time we travel, my kids take along a travel notebook. This is simply a large three-ringed binder with a zipper pencil bag. I make sure they have scissors, pencils, pens and crayons in the bag. Then, I include blank white paper, notebook paper and various colors of construction paper in the binder. Depending on the age of your child, you might include simple color sheets and stickers. For older kids, try printing off some maps of where you are going and have them study up a little on the destination.
Grab Bags: As soon as I knew we were going to drive on a 4000-mile car trip, I started visiting the dollar stores. I picked up inexpensive little gifts and put each one in a brown paper bag. If they were boy specific, I put my son’s name on the outside, and if the gift was for a girl, I labeled the bag with my daughter’s name. I had about 15 bags per child and when I saw that they were getting restless or bored, I pulled out a grab bag. They loved knowing that they were getting something new and it kept them occupied along the way. Some gift ideas to consider might be Hot Wheels, notepads, silly putty, a slinky, pack of stickers or even a glow in the dark stick (for traveling at night). You could even buy a couple of more expensive items that you know will keep the kids busy, such as a new book.
Craft Kits: My daughter loves making crafts. I knew that having a few in the car would be just the thing to keep her busy. I came up with some easy to do crafts and put everything she needed to make one craft in a Ziploc bag. I purchased glue dots so there would be no mess in the car. If you are not crafty, visit your local craft store and pick up a few foam craft kits. These are usually fairly cheap and the glue dots work perfectly with the foam. Some other ideas include items for making bookmarks, pom-pom creatures, and stick puppets. Your child can make a cute stick puppet out of craft sticks and pictures. Include funny family photos and googly eyes for the puppet face.
I-Spy: This was a huge hit on our last trip. I found two large plastic jars and filled them both with rice. Then I found 25 items per jar of tiny objects. Include a penny, a Barbie shoe, an army man, a Lego brick, a safety pin and buttons. Keep track of what you are putting inside each jar and make a list of what is inside each one. Along the trip, your child will have a great time shaking the jar to find the hidden items. You could also use birdseed or sand instead of rice.
Treasure Hunt: Here is another fun thing my kids enjoyed doing on our last trip. We gave them both large plastic jars with lids. Each time we stopped the car and got out, we encouraged them to find something that they could take home in their jar to remind them of where we were. By the time we got home, our kids had rocks from Abilene, a leaf from New Mexico, shells from San Diego, sand from the Mojave Desert and a palm leaf from Las Vegas. After each addition to the jar, give them a permanent marker to write what they found and where it was from. My kids both have their jars displayed in their room and it is a fun reminder of our trip.
Movies: As a last resort, there are always movies! Most of us now have DVD players in the car. While I did not want my kids to watch movies the entire trip, they did come in handy. Before you leave, you might want to purchase several movies your children have never seen before. This will make them excited about watching something new and you know you will get at least an hour and half of peace and quiet.
Most of all, while you are traveling in the car with your kids, relax and enjoy the time together. Our last trip is something that I know my kids will remember for the rest of their lives.
