We are less than a week away from Christmas eve. For some families this can mean hours in a car, plane, bus, or train. What can be done to keep the kids entertained? Not only are they excited to be visiting relatives, but it is almost Christmas, and we all know, no kids can resist that excitement! This can make for some really hectic travel, and quite a few “Are we there yet?” questions.
I have put together a basic plan for getting through Holiday travel with the kids. I know we will be using this this year, and are really hoping for a quieter ride.
Snacks… These are a must have for kids of all ages. A few granola bars, some water or juice, cut up veggies, and you are good to go. Having these snacks with you will make it harder to decide to stop at the Tim Horton’s along the way. Well, okay, a coffee or tea, and a bathroom break, but you won’t be tempted to get any sugar filled snacks for the kids. Those of course will just work them up even more.
If you are going to be in the car for a while, and you know you are going to be making stops. Why not try to schedule them? We go away every year to the same place, for a much needed camping trip. We know that we are going to stop once along the way, and always tell the kids that we will be there around this time <insert time>. So, why not try that? If you have been to your destination before, it should be pretty easy to think of Tim Horton’s, gas stations, etc, along the way that you may stop at for a stretch. If you have never been, try researching the places you will be able to stop. Most chain stores have store locators on their websites, and most mapping apps have some sort of a system to show gas stations, restaurants, etc..
Just explain to the kids like we do. We look at the time we are ready to leave, and say ” We will be to our break point at about 3:30.” We also explain it may not be right at 3:30, but it will be close. This way our kids (who are old enough to know the clock) know that we are getting close to our stop and they can stretch their legs. This may or may not work for everyone, but it certainly works great with our family.
So, we have “I’m hungry” covered, what about “I’m bored!”. There are lots of magnetic game boards available for purchase. I believe we actually have a travel Scrabble and Sorry. I don’t think we have actually ever used them, and am not sure where they even came from, but they are there if we need them. We tend to stick to the classics – I Spy, Licence plate games, can you find games, and then if we have to, we will turn the DVD player on. We really try to limit the electronic usage.
Here are a couple of examples of games that you can play on the way to your destination.
Something else to try… Brush up on your local history. Is there anything interesting or cool about the place you are headed to? Or that you will be passing by? Great examples of this can be found all around Southern Ontario. We have castles, interesting town names, some wonderful, and even some wild, local histories.
There are plenty of things that you can do to keep the kids occupied, you just need to figure out what works best for your family.
Travelling with Nichole 