PB Travels: Road Trip Boredom Busters

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Road Trip Boredom Busters

Do your holidays include a trip through the woods to grandmother’s house? The family road trip can be a time to bond and learn about each other’s interests and points of view — or an ordeal that makes you want to scream every time you hear “Are we there yet?” from your kids. A road trip can be a fun, educational, and sane experience with just a little planning, creativity, and preparation. Sure, electronic games, apps, and portable DVD players are great distractions. But don’t overlook these family-friendly games and activities that can keep everyone happy as the miles go by. Can-Do Cards - Don’t underestimate the power of a deck of cards. It presents endless possibilities for all ages and can provide hours of entertainment and concentration. If your kids are sick of the standard Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Rummy games, buy — or borrow from your local library — a kids’ card games book for new ideas. Or buy a deck of quiz or trivia cards to keep their brains busy. Contest Craze - Hold an official family spelling bee or trivia contest using index cards to write down words or questions. Winners can earn trinkets, stickers, activity or coloring books, trading cards, food treats, money (the younger the child, the smaller the amount), or extra minutes of hotel pool time or stay-up-late time. Good Ol’ Games - Use the fallback road-trip games — 20 Questions, the License Plate Game, and I Spy. Try the Alphabet Game - Pick a topic (for instance, animals) and a letter (A), then have everyone name animals that begin with that letter, like aardvark, antelope, ape. The best thing about this game is that kids can pick a topic of interest — cars, TV characters, countries, cities, foods, names, etc. — and there are 26 possibilities (one for each letter) for every topic. Make the games into marathons, awarding special treats or trinkets to whoever wins each round. Then have lightning rounds or finals for extra-special awards. Journal Jotting - Buy cheap but sturdy journals (or use plain notebooks or create your own from construction paper, hole puncher, and yarn) and have kids write down and describe what they see along the way. Have them collect something small (a stone, a seashell, a flower, etc.) or buy a supersmall trinket from rest stops (buttons, stickers, postcards, etc.) to glue into their journal, describing each stop and each location or landmark they pass.

Bring along a stack of old magazines and have kids cut out and paste pictures into their journals to illustrate some of what they’ve seen (cows, fire trucks, palm trees, deer, cars, etc.). Give each kid a disposable camera to capture their own memories and keep the pictures in their personal road-trip journals. Make It Magnetic - Stock up on a few supercheap magnetic games (like tic-tac-toe, checkers, etc.) at the local dollar store or at gift shops along the way. Map Quest - Bring a large map (or smaller map book that little hands can better handle) just for the kids. Have them use stickers and highlighters to mark each road you take on your journey. Silence Is Golden - When all else fails, use the standby game “See Who Can Be the Quietest.” After hours of singing and crafting, your little ones just might appreciate the challenge of not saying a peep. Make prizes worth their while, with incentives such as money (quarters, a dollar), gift-shop trinkets or games, or staying up a few minutes longer that night. Team Storytelling - Ask each family member to create a line for a story (e.g.,”There once was a boy name Hugh...”), then have everyone add a line until you’re all stumped (“who lived in the town’s biggest zoo” ... “he often had nothing to do” ... “so he decided to make an igloo” ... “with a big polar bear named Sue”...).

Wordplay

Have kids write down various words they see as you drive along (from billboards, bumper stickers, roadside attractions and stores, license plates, signs, the sides of trucks, etc.). Ask them to write a story, poem, or song grouping all of the words they see together. Have them read, perform, or sing their creation for everyone when they’re done. A little creativity and planning can cut down on the fighting and fussing and leave fond family memories of your time together — on the road and off.

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This information was provided by KidsHealth®, one of the largest resources online for medically reviewed health information written for parents, kids, and teens. For more articles like this, visit KidsHealth.org or TeensHealth.org. © 1995- 2021 . The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth®. All rights reserved.