Have Fun While Having Car Travel
It is fun when you are taking road trips. Even the gasoline's
price is keeping rising, 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!
Assuming your children are old enough to read or at least
recognize letters, alphabet game 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!