Road Trip With Kids - How to Survive

Summer vacation means summer road trip. This year we are heading north...way north...to visit long-time family friends. The girls are so looking forward to hanging out with their friends. My husband and I are looking forward to getting out of the city for a few days. It is going to be fabulous. Of course, we still have to get there. Eight long hours in a car with 2 kids and a dog. Are we crazy? Nope, we are seasoned road trippers. A road trip with kids doesn't have to be a dreaded event. It can actually be enjoyable. Here are our survival tips.

The clipboard

I put together a clipboard for each of my daughters, filled with things for them to do. The benefit of the clipboard is that the pages are on a hard surface and they are all clipped together, not flying all over the place. I print off many, many colouring pages, crosswords, word searches and puzzles. Then I add to the stack a few car bingo and scavenger hunt pages. Car bingo and scavenger hunt pages have become a favourite in our vehicle. These games have pages filled with things you usually see from the car window...trucks, farms, animals, street lights, construction signs, etc. We use these cards more as a seeking game...no one really wins...we all do. Now, as for colouring tools there is a strict "no markers allowed" rule in our car - so crayons. Here are a couple of my favourite online sources for colouring pages and printable games.

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/

http://www.momsminivan.com/bigkids.html

The books...on tape (well iPod)

Before we go on any long road trip we head to the library and pick up a variety of books on CD. This year we picked up a few Geronimo Stilton books on CD and Berenstain Bears. We also own, thanks to my sis, a wonderful collection of Roald Dahl books on CD....read by various famous English actors. Last summer the girls were captivated by "James and the Giant Peach". We stay away from DVDs...we don't have a player in the car. We decided a long time ago that if we had to endure road trips as kids with only our imaginations to entertain us...our kids could too. (of course my parenting motto is "never say never" so - you never know)

Maps for Kids

Now that my girls are getting older I felt it was time for them to learn how to use a map. With the introduction of GPS I can see that the ability to read a map is going to become a lost skill. I took an Ontario map and highlighted the route we will be taking. I researched a few of the towns and waterways that we will be driving through. I put together some interesting facts on a sheet of paper that the girls can read as we travel.

The kid cooler

A fully stocked little cooler in the car is another key to our success. I fill the cooler with pre-cut fruit, my cheese crackers, cookies/muffins, veggies, whatever! As long as there is "one more thing" to pass back and hold them over until the next pit stop - we'll all survive. Don't forget the water...lots of water.

The secret toy

Everyone knows this favourite parent trick. When we get out of the city it is time to pass back a secret toy. Ever since LEGO created their line of mini-figures in individual bags, they have been our toy of choice. We recently discovered a Smurfs line of mini-figures..they will be making an appearance in the car for this trip. They are perfect because they are inexpensive, have to be assembled and introduce a whole new world of play to the back seat.

The books...on paper

Along with a secret toy, we always have a few secret books. This year things have taken a turn for the non-reading. My girls have developed and aversion to reading in the car. It seems to make them feel a little sick. So, I'll be including a couple of books...but I don't think they are going to be very popular. This is where knowing your kids comes in handy.

Keeping organized

What we sometimes forget is that not only do we have to get to the destination point, we also have to get home. This means making sure things don't get too unorganized in the backseat. Also, I usually hold back some colouring pages and game pages for the return trip. Thankfully on the way home the kids are generally tired and full of excited chatter about our trip.

The best thing about long car rides is that they are like an extended stay at the dinner table. You can't help but chat. Don't get me wrong there are times when we hear arguing and whining from the back seat. And it wasn't always sunshine and roses...my youngest daughter was one of those babies that HATED being in a car seat. She would scream for hours...on end. What I have learned, and will say over and over again, with enough distraction kids can do anything you want them to do. They won't even realize they did it!