Many families like to take vacations over the summer months when the kids are out of school. Lots of families choose to drive to the city they want to visit. This may mean that a family spends several hours in the car. Sometimes looking at the scenery isn’t enough to keep kids occupied in the car. Fortunately, there are many activities designed to keep young children and teenagers busy as the family makes it way to a vacation destination. Here are some examples of activities for traveling in the car with kids.
Portable Games
Parents can find many popular board games that can be played in a car. The manufacturers of these board games have changed the size of the board and made other adjustments so they can be handled easily in a smaller space. These sorts of games can entertain kids for a couple of hours at a time.
DVDs
Some cars actually have a built-in DVD player that kids can use to watch their favorite movies as they travel. Parents without this type of automobile can bring along a portable DVD player for the kids to use. Also, many of these DVD players have earphones that kids can use so parents and others in the car don’t have to listen to the movie that is playing.
Audio Books
Now, kids can get their summer reading finished in one car trip! Kids traveling in a car can enjoy an audio book on the latest technological device or via a CD player. Parents who want to save a little money can take their kids to the library in the days before the trip to let them check out some audio books to listen to. Kids can select some of their favorite mysteries, young adult fiction or even a few biographies of famous figures in history. This is a great opportunity for kids to learn some new facts that they can take back to school next year.
Enjoying Snacks
Snacks are always appealing to kids. It’s a good idea to pack snacks that are high in protein and low in sugar. Some examples are peanut butter and crackers, carrot sticks, celery sticks, raisins, bananas and healthful trail mix. These types of snacks can tide kids over until the next stop for a meal. When a family arrives at its destination, the snacks can be stored in the little refrigerator in the hotel room. As an example, many Chicago hotels provide guests with a refrigerator in the room for refreshments.
Family Games
There are plenty of traditional games that family members can play together. Kids and parents can have a competition to see who can find a car with a license plate belonging to every state. Or, kids can call out as many facts as they know about a particular state they are traveling through. Twenty questions is also a good game for family members traveling in a car. These games can entertain kids and provide some laughter on a long car trip.
Finally, by providing games and activities for the car ride, parents can prevent a lot of the arguing that can go on during a long car trip. This lessens the stress level of parents and makes the trip more enjoyable for everyone.
This article was written and provided by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, the ultimate platform for all your travel needs.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
