My husband (smart guy that he is) has a real way with the kids let me tell ya. He has learned how to speak their language. When we are traveling to grandma and grandpa’s he screams reasons with them by telling them either one of two things.
1. “Ask us one more time and I am going to pull of the road”
2. “We will be there in 3 more episodes of Dora” (i.e. an hour and a half)
Usually, the first one is the most useful. That along with a couple of good snacks.
AAA is forecasting a rise in holiday travel this year by as much as 87.7 million Americans traveling 50 miles or more between December 23 to January 3…of which a whopping 88 percent will travel by car. That is a TON of Dora episodes! As holiday travel begins, many parents are faced with the “Are we there yet” scenerio. Children are not always developmentally capable of understanding the concept of time and long trips often-times equate to large dramatic events. It can be stressful and tension-filled, but does it have to be? No…there is hope! There are many educational games that are suitable for children of varying age and development levels during long trips…that may makes things not only more manageable, but enjoyable for all!
Here are some games and activities that work great for long road trips AND they are cheap, green and full of learning opportunities for your child.
1. Aluminum Foil Art: http://www.momsminivan.com/aluminumart.html
2. String Figures: http://alysion.org/figures/main.htm
3. Sewing Games (chess, checkers, tic-tac-toe): http://www.momsminivan.com/sew-travel-game.html
4. I Spy and other brainy-games: http://kids-games.suite101.com/article.cfm/travel_games_for_children
5. The License Plate Game: http://itsallkidsplay.blogspot.com/2009/10/259-alphabet-license-plate-game.html
6. Finger Plays: http://www.naturallearning.com/fingerplays.shtml
7. Travel Journal: http://www.familycorner.com/family/travel/trip_journal.shtml
There are many ways to occupy your children while traveling. And though it may seem like a daunting task, as with all things, a good plan is all you need. Even though “over the river and through the woods” sounds quaint, being practical and prepared for a long road trip does have it’s advantages….for the wee ones and for YOU!
So grab some yummy healthy snacks, fill up a bag full of playing cards, crayons and coloring books – and breathe. Three episodes of Dora isn’t THAT long!
You are so smart! What great ideas!!!
I love the idea of having kids play games and do activities rather than watch television. I love looking back on my childhood remembering all the fun things my sister and I did to entertain ourselves on road trips. Unfortunately for our parents that did include some fighting, and a little joy at knowing we were getting under our parents skin with the “Are we there yet” question.
Haha! Ah, the days of being a kid and fighting with your siblings
Those were good days indeed! You have such a great point…we did not even have car tv’s, electronic games and such – we had plenty to do on road trips bc we there was no alternative. I love how you can admit to the “joy” of irritating your parents…it WAS sorta fun huh! Now every squabble that arises I am going to be thinking “Are you two enjoying this”??? LOL
*blushing* LOL – thank you {{hugs}}!!!
We went to Boston this summer and the DVD stopped working 2 hours into the trip…nice! I can’t even begin to tell you how many games of “I spy” we played.
I have to admit, it was a little frustrating at the time, but after the fact, a small part of me was glad the DVD stopped working! 
Ooooooh Yikes! Isn’t it funny when things like that happen
Last summer, our kiddos kept asking me to play with them out back and I was always busy doing some chore or whatever. Finally, I thought to myself “this is not what life is all about…they are”!!! So I ran out back and grabbed the t-ball stuff and we played a game of baseball. It was soooo fun and I too was really glad that I played. I had a blast!
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Thanks for sharing this helpful info!