Traveling with Kids - Some Ways to Just Have Fun!
Mommy, are we there yet? Daddy, how long ?til we get there? Sound familiar? Traveling with children can be a joy as you see their eyes light up and their minds engage as they experience new places, new food, and new people. Sometimes it can be a wonderful adventure and sometimes a frustrating trip. We thought we would put together some tips to help minimize those frustrating times.
Prepare your child
Get a DVD about the trip destination. Or read a book together about the places you are going to visit or see along the way. When your child sees something that was in the book or DVD he/she will tend to get excited and want to talk about it and will probably have a stronger memory of it.
Starting a week or two before the trip, count down the days. Marking off the days on a calendar is always a fun chore!
Let your child pack or help pack their suitcase.
Have your child pack or help your child pack an activity bag for themselves ? tote or backpack. Have them include crayons or colored pencils, paper, small games, books, a favorite stuffed animal or doll.Pack
Kid?s love to have their own luggage, but will soon tire of having to carry a suitcase or duffle bag if traveling through an airport. Roller bags work great.
Pack some extra surprises, especially if driving or have a long flight to your destination. New coloring book or action figure or other small items. For an extra touch, wrap them and give them out throughout the trip. Be sure to save some for on the return home trip.
Packing a soft ball or Frisbee is a great toy to have when you make stops at a rest stop or for the evening. Allowing the kids to get out and run around a little will diminish some of the squirminess!
Of course, snacks are needed. We recommend packing fruit snacks and crackers, juice packs and bottles of water.On the road
If you are driving to your destination, you have the perfect opportunity to have some family time ? so talk!
Play games like I Spy as a whole group.
Tell stories ? one person can start the story and then each person has to makeup another part of the story.
Rent or purchase a book or other stories on CD that is appropriate for the whole family. Take time to talk about the story.
Everybody sing. Sing with the radio or a CD. Or sing songs you all love. Or make up songs about the trip.
Have your kids journal some each day. If they are old enough to write, have them write their favorite event, their feelings, a funny thing that happened ? whatever they would like to write about the trip. If you have budding artists, they may want to draw their journal. Or, if you have children that aren?t quite up to writing yet, drawing a picture would be a great way for them to journal. On that long ride back home, you may want everyone share part of their journal. This is a great way to start family discussion.After the trip
A week or two after the trip ? after the pictures are developed ? have a family night and put together a family scrapbook of the trip. Have everyone pick their favorite picture and share the story behind it. Use this time to start planning your next family trip!Family trips and vacations can be fun ? even on the way to your destination and back. A little planning ahead and you should have a great time!
Debbie is President of AquaNova Designs, Inc., publishers of WOW! eKids - a free, online magazine for children ages 7 ? 11. WOW! eKids Magazine can be found at http://www.wowekidsmag.com and is devoted to helping children have fun while strengthening their skills and knowledge in areas ranging from math, science, and geography, to reading, problem solving and social skills development. The magazine is continually adding new areas of interest especially for parent and educators. |
Debbie Tabisz
Article's keywords: Just have fun, travel, kids, parenting, family trips, family vacations, children
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