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Post by jlschlangen on Jul 9, 2013 13:12:47 GMT -6
We are going to Wis. Dells early next month and I am already wondering how I/we are going to keep our kids happy or occupied in the car for the who way there. Note: my son gets car sick if reading or playing something like his gameboy. So how do you keep your kids happy or occupied in the car? Yes, we will stop to go to places to get a breather or stretch once in awhile on the way there.
I was thinking of making a I spy game. I was thinking of getting car games (those magnetic like ones). The kids will bring small toys or stuffed animals, snacks. I remember hearing ppl giving there kids small gifts every so often on the way to wherever they are going. My gf said to get books on tape. My kids sleep if they get bored in the car.
Thanks.
We don't have a dvd player we could use. We don't want to use one either.
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Post by bunsy on Jul 9, 2013 13:16:53 GMT -6
We listened to fun music. We talked. We played games like I Spy out the window. I had carsick kids too so there was no reading or game playing. Books on CD could be fun--not something we tried though.
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Post by apryllraye87 on Jul 9, 2013 13:27:02 GMT -6
I used to download free kids stories onto my ipod and play them in the car - DS LOVED that!
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Post by lilmermaid on Jul 9, 2013 13:27:37 GMT -6
We've been keeping track of all the different license plates we see. I bet you could google a check list!
ABC game: using all the signs you see along the way call out the letters of the alphabet in order. For example: A- Arby's, B- Block, C- city, etc. Anyone can call out the letter.
Flashcards from the dollar store for practicing math facts!
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Post by apryllraye87 on Jul 9, 2013 13:28:26 GMT -6
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Post by lilmermaid on Jul 9, 2013 13:37:43 GMT -6
You can also get books on tape/cd from your local library.
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Post by lilmermaid on Jul 9, 2013 13:44:56 GMT -6
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Post by sarahisis on Jul 9, 2013 15:32:13 GMT -6
DVD player.... that's it basically. Going cross country a lot, it's the only thing that has worked...
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Post by sarahisis on Jul 9, 2013 15:35:02 GMT -6
It's not too far luckily... I'd recommend only stopping for bathroom breaks and once to eat, otherwise it'll take forever.
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Post by healerarina on Jul 9, 2013 23:17:21 GMT -6
What about a toddler that likes to unbuckle her chest buckle when she is bored. She won't watch dvds , and is too little for most things. We are going to visit my mom and have a 7 hour drive in front of us.
Keeping a stash of McDonald's toys in the car has worked for dd1. Luckily, she doesn't have motion sickness. I used to color in a coloring book or sleep. Though that may not work with motion sick.
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Post by sarahisis on Jul 9, 2013 23:40:15 GMT -6
Heal, how about laminating a bunch of photos of the family, pets, friends... I did this for Preston when he was two and it kept him busy... you could even hole punch the corner and thread them through a binder ring... works well with flash cards too. I keep some busy hands activities in zipper pencil pouches... like pipe cleaners and extra large buttons for threading, bubble wrap, crayons and note cards... and also in those cases, matchbox cars, magnet letters (and I keep a cookie sheet under the seat for that too) and I put a few new dollar board books in the netting pocket behind the seat.
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Post by sharon on Jul 10, 2013 4:32:40 GMT -6
Ian does spend a lot of time looking at books and magazines, but I can't b/c I get carsick so I can relate. Other things he likes on car trips -
Audiobooks
Podcasts of NPR shows (Car talk, PHC, Wait Wait, etc)
A playlist of favorite songs on shuffle
Small toy animals
Zoobs
A playmobil guy or two (but we keep theses to a minimum b/c of all the teeny pieces)
Writing and art ( We put together a little travel case of mini notebooks, markers, gel pens, post-its, stickers and various colors of paper)
As far as games we've done the license plate one and also here's some others -
Have him keep of list of every animal he sees out the window and how many
Have him write a list of things he finds that start with each letter of the alphabet in order, so first he has to find something with an A, then a B, etc.
We have sometimes picked out an audiobook from the library that we would all enjoy listening to together. When we listened to A Wrinkle In Time on a 12 hour trip to Manitoba a few years back, Ian would rush when we had a pit stop b/c he couldn't wait to get back in the car so he could get back to the book. When we went to South Dakota last year we listened to a history of the Lakota in the Black Hills and all learned a lot.
Plenty of good healthy snacks help pass the time too and keep away the cranks (and also help avoid the temptation to get something junky along the way).
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Post by sharon on Jul 10, 2013 5:23:47 GMT -6
Watching Ian work on his friendship bracelets this morning reminded me he brought those along last summer too. With a clipboard to clip the end on and a bag of string, he was good to go.
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Post by dara1012 on Jul 10, 2013 7:22:18 GMT -6
Healer- they have buckle guards for most car seats, you might want to look into that.
Jodi - we regularly travel 4+ hours to get to my parent's lake house. DS is 5 and has always done well. We set expectations at the beginning like, "We will plan to stop at X location for a bathroom break and to get a snack" (he knows if he has to go to the bathroom he can, but when we tell him the plan he's usually fine - this also cuts down on asking to stop for DQ at each one we see). We also start off the car ride with something other than a movie and save that for later. We listen to music, DS brings a clipboard and draws pictures, colors in a coloring book, we make up stories like "If I were a ......pirate/dinosaur/animal, etc.", "When I grow up", etc. This past trip we practiced some basic addition.
I used to get carsick as a kid and falling asleep in the car always helped, if I didn't feel well I just closed my eyes and eventually would fall asleep.
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Post by jlschlangen on Jul 10, 2013 7:36:47 GMT -6
Thanks ladies. Those are lots of good ideas. We don't have electronics and don't plan to get any. We listen to music some of the time. I got med. size zip loc bowls for them to bring little things in to keep them occupied in the vehicle. So far I put in it: gum, pen, calculator. I will also put in a little notebook. I will make an I spy game.
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