Dear Melissa:
Help! I
am about to take my children (4 and 7 years old) on a road trip to the
beach! Any ideas to keep us all sane for
a 12 hour drive?
So you and your family have
spoken to friends, consulted the internet ( possibly even Facebook) and have
planned the perfect family vacation. The
hotel is booked, the travel route planned, the car is packed. Then it hits you
like a rock in the pit of your stomach…you and the kiddos are about to be
“trapped” in the car for 5, 10, 15 hours.
What to do? It may be tempting to just use the ipad and DVD player for
entertainment, but you can do better than that!
Never fear! The following are
tips for keeping the whole family sane on those long road trips. While these ideas were created for children with
Sensory Processing Disorders in mind, they are great ideas for all kiddos stuck
in the back seat of your car:
1. Books on CD. Some favorites in my house are The Magic Tree House series, Junie
B. Jones and Harry Potter. These can be checked out (for free!) at most
local libraries.
2. Silly putty/play-doh in a zip top bag. This allows
the child to squeeze and squeeze til his hearts content without the putty
getting stuck in your floor mats.
3. “Drinking games.” This idea helps to keep your kiddos from
chugging down those juice boxes too fast.
Make it a game so that they can only take a sip when they see a certain
item. For example, the letter “T” or a
yellow car. An added bonus is that a slower
sipping time will also lead to fewer bathroom stops.
4. Origami. Check out an origami book
at the library, get a folder of paper and go to town. Voila!
Mess free art!
5. Aluminum foil animals. The
origami too complicated? Give each child
a sheet of aluminum foil, have them create an animal and see if the rest of the
car can guess what it is. More mess free
art!
6. Color wonder books. I know
these things are a bit pricey, but they are fantastic mess free fun and a great
treat for long trips.
7. Sing along. Yes, you could sing along
to the soundtrack from Frozen for the
hundredth time (today), but what about the songs YOU like? Download/make a CD of great sing along pop
songs from your youth. Some favorites in
my house include “Sweet Caroline,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “I Love Rock and Roll,” and “Funky Town.” There are also a lot
of great rock/pop songs from the Shrek
series and other current kids’ movies that will appeal to both the kids and the
adults.
8. Pencil pouch eye spy. Fill a
clear-sided pencil pouch with dried beans/rice.
Then add a few colored buttons or other small trinkets and have contests
as to who can find a given item the most quickly.
9. Gross motor at the gas station. When
you DO stop to eat/potty/refuel, take 5-10 minutes for gross motor time. If a small strip of safe area is available,
have the children “race” from one adult to the next, standing at each end of
the safe area. If this is not possible,
have the children do frog jumps, jumping jacks or simply just dance next to
the car for a few minutes.
10. Unwrap a mystery. Take
old scraps of tissue, wrapping paper or newspaper and wrap up any of the new
toys, sticker pages, trinkets or games I have mentioned.
Getting to choose and unwrap the mystery item will create double the
fun! These “presents” can also be held
back as rewards for good behaviors at certain check points if needed as well.
11. Sleep? Scheduling travel time
during nap/bed time can be tricky. If
your child always sleeps well in the car, then this can give you an hour or two
of blissful silence. However, if you
loose this gamble, you may well end up with an extremely cranky pre-schooler
for hours on end.
12. Pack a survival kit.
Must-haves include wet-wipes, napkins, snacks/drinks, sport bottles,
empty cups (for snacks) and lots of slide-top plastic bags. Also include the standard first aid kit with
Tylenol, bandaids, antibiotic ointment, Dramamine, Benedryl, etc. as your
doctor approves.
13. Stay buckled! Last,
but most important, keep each child in his/her recommended car seat/seat belt
at all times. Compromising safety is NOT
an option!
For more tips and ideas,
visit the following websites/links:
If you have your own fabulous
car trip survival ideas, please let me know!
