1. Advance Prep to Reduce Parent Stress
A successful trip begins with packing. If I know that we will be stopping for an single overnight stay, I reduce parent stress by packing a separate bag with one day’s worth of clothes for everyone. Dad finds it a whole lot easier to carry one bag into our hotel room than a separate suitcase for each family member. We place luggage into the cargo area and keep the interior of the van as clear as possible—nothing more than a couple of pillows for naps, backpacks, a cooler, wipes, and CDs. Anything that you may use on the road, such as diapers or your overnight bag, should be packed last so that you don’t have to unpack the whole trunk to get just one item.
We like to leave early in the morning, so I have the children dress in their travel clothes the night before. This way, all we have to do is carry them to the van the next morning. This is easier than dressing six sleepy heads. Plus the kids get a kick out of wearing their clothes to bed.
2. Audio Books = Fun Family Activities
While "Barney" is OK while running errands around town, hours of kiddy music is enough to land Mom and Dad in the funny farm. Visit your library the week before your trip to check out the audio version of popular children's books. If you are feeling ambitious, call several weeks ahead of time to make sure they have what you need. If not, request an inter-library transfer.
We have listened to tapes such as "The Hobbit," "The Boxcar Children," and "Where the Red Fern Grows." The great thing about listening to books, rather than music, is that the children have to pay attention. Since they are engrossed in the story, they are less likely to engage in “she’s looking at me” and “he touched me” wars. Another benefit for us has been the children run to the bookshelf when we get home and rediscover the books that we listened to on our trip.
3. Back Packs
Glad-lock bags do the trick too. We let each child pack a pencil, a snack-size baggie with crayons, pad of paper (for drawing, tic-tac-toe, hangman, etc), a book or two, stickers, and a small toy. They also enjoy little books with mazes and mad-libs.
4. Travel Snacks
To head off the “I’m starving to death” complaint, we include fruit snacks and a juice box in their back packs (freeze juice boxes the night before leaving). We make sure to tell them that their snack and drink has to last for the entire trip, so they will not gobble it all down in the first few minutes. Try to pack treats that take a while to eat and are not too messy. We also avoid salty snacks such as chips or pretzels, to keep drinks to a minimum thus keeping potty breaks in check. In our cooler, we pack baby carrots and a couple of water bottles. Water is the perfect drink for quenching thirst, since soft drinks often contain salt.
5. Play Time
On long trips, we usually eat at a playland or a park, so the kids can run off some energy. Make sure they sit down and eat their meals before they play, otherwise you will be hearing “I’m hungry” a couple of miles down the road.
6. Stop Wisely
While we allow extra time for stops with small children, we do not want to pull over every few miles. Make each stop worth the time off the road. Our rule is that everyone must use the bathroom, whether they “have to go” or not. We tell our children that if they do not go it is ok, but they have to at least try.
If you are stopping for lunch, fill up on gas at the same exit, check your drink and snack supplies, clean out any trash, reorganize back packs, etc.
7. Car Games
Remember those old classic car games from your childhood days? Well, they still work wonders! Simple games such as "Counting Cows," "Twenty Questions," "I Spy," and "Rock, Paper, Scissors" still keep children busy.
We found some fun yet educational car games in "Family Fun" magazine. To reinforce geography proficiency try this simple game: Start with a place such as Lansing, Michigan. The next person has to think of a place that begins with the last letter of Lansing, such as Georgia. Whoever goes next needs to pick a place that starts with “a.” You can’t use the same place twice and it has to be a real place.
Encourage literary skills with a group storytelling time. Someone starts a story and after a couple of sentences the next person continues the story. It is really fun if you keep the pace up, and the more nonsensical your sentences, the better!
Develop math skills with a game of Buzz. Take turns counting, starting with one. Each time you get to a number with a 7 in it (7, 17, 27, etc.) or is divisible by 7 (7, 14, 21, etc.) say “buzz” instead of the number. Try to get to 100 without making a mistake. You can increase the difficulty of the game by saying “fuzz” - in addition to “buzz” - when you reach numbers with a 3 or that is divisible by 3, and “fuzz buzz” if it has both numbers (37, 73) or is divisible by both (21, 42, etc.).
8. Do Your Homework
While planning vacations, have the children read books related to some of the sites that you will visit. By having the children do some research on their own, they better retain the lessons of the trip. Encourage the making of a trip journal or scrapbook, filled with reports written, pictures taken, and materials collected. This is a great activity for many reasons: children are kept busy, their education is furthered, and you will have a beautiful keepsake for years to come.
9. Silly Songs
We often have impromptu sing-alongs as we drive. Relive your childhood memories by pulling out songs from your campfire and scouting days.
10. Rubber Snake
When all else fails and everything is going nuts, don’t blow your top. Pull the rubber snake out from under your seat and toss it into the back with the kids. Everyone will scream and laugh, and the tension will be broken.
Following these tips will help keep your trips organized and fun.
When she's not hitting the road, Maureen Wittmann spends her summer with her husband and seven children in Lansing, Michigan.