Vacations - Making Car Travel Fun
Even with higher gas prices, families are still taking road
trips. Or maybe because of the higher air fares caused by higher
gas prices, people are opting to take more trips by car. Kids
get bored riding in the car. If the children are bored, they
start to pick on each other or insist on asking the dreaded,
"Are We There Yet?" question that all drivers love to hear every
10 minutes. Below are some suggestions to keep your ride fun and
most importantly, peaceful!
Play the alphabet game. Assuming your children are old enough to
read or at least recognize letters, this is a great game to keep
young travelers occupied. There are a few variations. They must
find the alphabet, starting with A - on signs, billboards or
license plates. You can make up the rules if you'll use a
combination of sources or just stick to one (it's harder and
takes a lot longer if you limit it to just license plates.) The
next big decision you need to make is whether or not the word
must start with the letter you're searching for or if it just
has to contain the letter. For example, if you're looking for B,
and drive past a Burger King restaurant, then you have your B,
and can begin looking for C. If you decided it's ok to find the
letter anywhere within the word, then you could also claim the
E, in Burger King. The key is that you must find these letters
in sequence. You can't claim an E if you haven't found a D yet.
Nor can you say "There's a D on the street sign Doors R Us...
and there WAS an E on Burger King." There are no retro rules
allowed.
Another variation of the alphabet game is that you have to find
objects that begin with each letter. If you drive past a red
barn, you could probably claim either an R (red) or a B (barn),
depending on which letter you need next.
There's always the trusty I SPY game. I spy something green and
it's outside (as opposed to inside the car). Riders take turns
looking outside for something green. If you're driving, chances
are the object will pass by quickly - so participants have to be
alert. Or perhaps you spy something black and inside. Possible
guesses would be the steering wheel or Mom's purse.
Equally important to the entertainment is the intermission. Take
frequent stretch breaks. Even if you're on a tight time frame to
get to your destination, if you let others have a chance to get
out of the car, to tap a kidney, have a snack and get some fresh
air, your road trips will be much more enjoyable for all
involved! Have fun!