Car Travel Tips for Kids

by Renee Dietz | More from this Blogger

13 Oct 2006 08:53 PM

Chances are you have been on a trip with the family only to find the kids are bored and you are about to pull your hair out. While car travel with children can be somewhat of a challenge, with proper planning, you can actually make the trip far more enjoyable for everyone. Typically, kids start to become bored about 30 minutes into the trip. Instead of dreading your next trip, go prepared with games that will keep them occupied and happy.

For starters, you will need to stop along the way to use the restroom facilities, purchase gas, and eat. During these stops, the children will be ready to roam, often getting a little out of control. One option is to let each child know the amount of allowance he or she will be given while on the trip. With that, the child can break up the money according to the number of stops. Give the child a little bit of leeway, which would be an educational tool in handling money. However, the kids need to know that if they do not mind while in the car, the money will begin to decrease. This should be a little bit of encouragement for participating in the games and doing everything possible to get along.

Now, for a few dollars, you can purchase each of your children his or her map, eliminating the need to fight over something. As you travel, teach your children how to use a map, allowing them to find information. In addition, you might consider printing off a simple map from Map Quest and then providing each child with colored crayons to mark the path. You will be amazed at the attention most children will pay and after the trip, the map could be used for show and tell at school along with pictures of various stops.

Another option for older children is to ask them to keep a journal of the trip, focusing on the highlights, places visited, people met, activities participated in, and so. Again, once at home, the child would take the information gathered, writing a story about the trip. On a Friday night, gather the entire family for popcorn, snacks, and drinks, taking time to listen to each of the child's account of the vacation.

In addition to being fun for the child, you can learn a lot about your children. You could purchase scrapbooks, providing the children with photos, stickers, and colored pencils to create a masterpiece. We did this with our children and today, they have numerous volumes filled with exciting memories.

Learn more about Renee Dietz

I have been a successful, published writer for the past 26 years, offering a writing style that is informative, creative, and reader-friendly.

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