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Long car trips can be very tiring
and stressful in and of themselves, but if you have to battle rush hour traffic
or bored, screaming children
in the backseat they can be downright torturous. Unfortunately, finding new
ways to help your little ones stay entertained so you can concentrate on the
road can be tedious, time-consuming and create a mess of your car. Before you
head out for your next road trip with kids,
here are a few easy ways to keep your kids entertained, your head clear and
your car clean.
Books on tape:
Take your kids to the library and let them choose
a book on tape. Your local library will have (or have access to) many
age-appropriate books on tape for your kids. Allowing them to help choose what
they want to listen to will nearly eliminate all fuss and grumbles when it’s
time to pop the audio book in your vehicle’s CD player. If your family can’t agree on anything at the
library, Amazon has a wide selection of books on tape here that is conveniently
organized by age group.
Car games:
Teach your kids the alphabet game
– finding all of the letters of the alphabet on road
signs, licenses plates and trucks – the person who reaches letter Z first reigns
supreme. You can also try 20 questions or “I Spy” for a tech-free distraction zone.
Sing-a-longs:
Nothing makes a road trip as fun as a good round of sing-a-long
songs. Let your kids choose their favorite songs and give your vocal chords
a workout. It’s not important if you are in tune or even if you get the words
right! What is important is that you are spending time together and having fun
as a family. You can make a game of it by encouraging the next person to choose
the next song that starts with the same letter as the last letter in the last
song or choose another song that has one word from the previous songs title
(For example: Old McDonald had a Farm
to Down on Grandpa’s Farm.)
Car art:
When you are driving a
particularly long time, having several activities to keep the little ones
entertained will go a long way to eliminating the “Are we there yet?”
complaints. A car activity organizer, like the one found here, will help keep all
of your children’s activities in one place. The fun thing about this particular
product is that it unzips and folds into a lap table so your kids can color or
draw on a sturdy surface. Simply slip
it over the back of the front seat and your kids have access to whatever games
and activities you have prepared.
Portable DVD players:
If you run out of non-tech entertainment, don’t feel too
guilty. Consider investing in a pair of portable
DVD players for your car or van.
Since this technology has been available for a few years now, the prices
on these items are very reasonable (remember: silence is golden). Allow each child to choose a movie to watch
before switching it off and redirecting to other activities. Bring headphones
for each child and you may even be able to listen to your favorite CD once or
twice during your trip!
These are just a few tried-and-true techniques to keeping
your children occupied during a long car ride.
If you have any other tips or tricks not mentioned, be sure to let us
know down below in the comments!
Author Bio: Hank
McKinsey is a lifestyle how-to blogger and SAHD located in Central
California. When he’s not at his
computer blogging, he can be found at the park with his two Maltese or on the
tennis court with his wife. Follow him
on Twitter to see what he’s up to.
