Road trips can be either very boring or tiresome for kids depending on the age group involved. However,
there are ways to make the trip more entertaining for every family member no matter which age of the
family member. In the process, it can provide some great vacation or trip memories for yourself and
the kids.
Have your car checked out by a mechanic before leaving on the trip. Have them check the oil, fluid
levels, tires being properly inflated and in good shape, and mechanical parts of the car. It will
lessen the chances of your car breaking down on the road.
Involve your kids in the trip planning process. If you were planning on bringing snacks or a
picnic lunch, plan the meals or snacks together as a group. Any movie or game ideas that require planning
should include the kids, too. If the child is young, it should be a choice between a couple of choices
that you or your spouse agree on between yourselves. It helps them feel at least having some control
or decision making in the entire trip planning process. The meals and snacks should not be too salty
because it will cause a large amount water consumption. The best thing is that it can save you money
on the cost of the trip since you do not have to buy snacks or meals along the way.
Plan your trip in advance with a trip planning software or internet site such as Mapquest and print
out the directions. Sometimes a hotel reservation service will have the trip planning software. The
driving time given is based on no traffic and if the person drives without a break (probably). Plan
on at least tacking on at least 15 to 30 minute breaks for every 2-3 hours depending on the age and
abilities of your children.
During rest or gas stops, plan on some sort of activity in the area. For younger kids, an idea
might be to explore a local park or playground. Older kids might enjoy window shopping at a local mall
or shopping center. Most interstate highways or communities have signs noting where these places are
within a community.
A portable DVD player or one installed in the van can provide hours of entertainment to the kids.
Plan on bringing more DVDs than you have driving time in case your car or van gets stuck in traffic
along the way.
Bring minature board games. The stores have a large selection of family favorite board games on a
smaller hand held scale and are pretty affordable in price.
I have a new twist to answering the age old kid question of are we here yet? At the beginning of
the trip, write down how many miles are on the spedometer. Every time they ask, remind them how many
miles are in the trip one way. When they ask, are we there yet, have them subtract the total miles
from how many miles have happened already. It gives them a chance to find out on their own how many
miles are left in the trip before you reach your family's destination.
Pack plenty of batteries or the recharger for your cell phone and any hand held video game units.
For the cell phone, it comes in handy in the case of an emergency. The batteries and recharger for the
hand held video game units will prevent having bored or upset children if the batteries or charge
runs low sometime during the trip.
Observation skill type games make for a great opportunity for learning. A good game of I spy does
wonders with working with description skills, and it is a game where one person picks out an item and the
other players have to ask questions to guess what it is.
Activity type books can provide hours of learning fun, too. It could be soduku, crossword puzzles,
word finds or more. Workbook type books can help them review old skills that they learned during the
previous academic school year to keep it fresh in their minds or could be used to prepare them for
the next academic school year.
A road trip can provide a family a lot of great and fun opportunities for all ages. The key having
a successful road trip is in the planning, and the kids can be involved to their ability level.
