If there is one thing I dread most about going on car trips its how quickly bored the kids get. When kids get bored they often end up bickering with one another. That makes the car ride even WORST!
I remember when I was a child. Even a half hour car ride seemed like torture. As an adult I can sit in the car for hours at a time and not give it any thought. I guess kids just have a different perception of time then adults do.
When I was younger my cousin and I had this game where bad people were after us and whenever we saw another car we would have to duck down in the seat until it was gone. My cousin lives in Pennsylvania and the roads are usually deserted so when we saw another car we pretended it was the bad guys. It seems so silly now but back then we had a blast.
We also used to love to make the truck drivers honk their horns at us. That is until I did it one time and it scared the heebie jeebies out of my Father and he got mad at me. So I never did it again.
I think its important to have a “Car Trip Kit” to not only keep the kids occupied but also to keep YOUR sanity. Ha Ha. Personally I always make sure the kids have their iPods and that they are fully charged before we leave our home. This helps to avoid all the fighting over what to listen to on the radio.
A portable DVD player also used to come in handy for my kids, for a while anyway. That is until they started to fight over what DVD to watch. So we tossed that idea.
I wish they still made Color Forms. Anyone who around my age (42) probably remember them. They were vinyl reusable “stickers” that you could set up on the scene that was found inside the box. Those were fun!
Portable games are always handy as well as drawing paper, crayons, coloring books, reading books and of course small toys. I used to rotate the toys that went in the car so that the kids didn’t get bored with them.
Books on tapes were another great idea. We had this one tape about a train (I forgot the name of it) that my son would want to listen to over and over and over again. So much so I think I dreamed about it in my sleep!
Going on a car trip with your child doesn’t have to be “torture” as long as you bring along plenty of fun things to keep him/her busy.
A Nissan Dealer here in the Northeast would love to help you keep your sanity on your next long car trip. They would like to give a lucky She Scribes reader a fun car activity kit valued at $40. The kit includes…
– 2 coloring and activity books with over 100 pages of coloring and drawing exercises.
– One pack of crayons for coloring and activity books.
– One toy (toy motorcycle for a boy or a small stuffed animal for a girl).
– One travel friendly Milton Bradley game (for example, Hungry Hungry Hippos or Connect Four).
– One Johnson and Johnson First Aid kit which includes 70 items in case of emergency bumps and bruises, including 54 band-aids of assorted sizes, 6 hand cleansing wipes, 4 gauze pads, Tylenol, 3 antibiotic ointment, and a compact carrying case.
– One Johnson and Johnson supplemental First Aid kit with 12 more assorted items in a smaller case.
To enter please comment on other fun ways to keep kids occupied on long car trips, or even trips around town while running errands.
For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each you have done. Extra entries are optional. Most options are found on the right side bar.
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This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on September 12, 2010 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be contacted via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name and mailing address (no PO Box) or a new winner will be selected.
Other great giveaways are found on the right side bar under “Win It”.
Interesting car, isn’t it?
Kimberly
*I was not compensated in any way for this post. I posted this for the benefit and enjoyment of my readers. A sponsor will be supplying the prize.
Tanya N says
My kids like to listen to music in the car.
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polly says
i remember colorforms…loved them!!!!
another fun thing if you can find them is car bingo. it really keeps them occupied looking for objects. and it’s fun!
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Jennifer T says
We try to keep the kids entertained by pointing out different cars. My son is obsessed with cars and can name more cars than I can (he’s only 5). My 3 year old likes pointing out things we see that we pass (ie. water, boats, farms, animals). This would be perfect for us, we drive almost 2 hours away to visit family and we do this at least once a month. Thanks so much for a chance.
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Kristie says
On our trip this summer, my parents’ laptop came in handy for the kiddos to watch movies!
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Jackie says
OMG…I loved Color Forms! I wish they still made them too! When my kids were little, we’d make up stories when driving. We’d go around the car and everyone would add a sentence to the story.
Thanks for the giveaway!
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Soha Molina says
I like to keep a pillow and book in the car. My daughter just lays down and reads.
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Cassie M says
It’s easiest if the kids sleep on long car trips, but they also stay occupied singing along to soundtracks from musicals, playing car games, and coloring!
Cassie
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Karen R says
We like to play a memory game. Start by saying, “I went to the zoo and saw”, then name an animal. The next person says the phrase with the first animal and adds another animal and it goes on from there. If you make a mistake, you leave the game and it continues until there is a winner. Then we start over or play, “I went to the grocery store”, or whatever.
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Susan M says
Mandatory – Play I-Spy or other “find the item driving by” games.
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Jennifer G. says
During car rides I bring the portable DVD player and we rent videos from the library. The videos are different so they love them.
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Jennifer says
We sing songs while we travel anywhere! The kids love it!
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Ladytink_534 says
Have a good music playlist put together that everyone enjoys
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deb c says
We play the Alphabet Game on trips. We look for letters in order A to Z on signs, license plates, ect. We have played this over and over for hours.
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ShootingStarsMag says
a snack. mental games like “find a certain color car” or “find a car from a different state” etc. if they are older.
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Patti Hess says
We have them read or watch their favorite DVD, or listen to music
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Marci says
My daughters have mini travel writers.
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Jaime P says
We just came back from a 3000 mile vacation with a 6 year old and his favorite “game” to play was to see how many water tanks he could find along the way. He was fascinated with the different sizes and shapes
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nancyhat says
Punch Bug is getting old!!
phxbne says
we tell stories, with each person in the car doing a sentence or two
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Lindley A says
We look for all the letters of the alphabet in license plates or see how many different states we can find on the plates- thanks!
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Candace says
I like to play word games with my kids on short trips or we tell stories to each other. On long trips, our dvd player is very helpful!
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Cori Westphal says
I like to take that time to talk about our day or what’s coming up. And answering any questions they have (cuz you know kids don’t stop!)
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Lisa L says
My son usually watches DVD’s or we sing songs
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katklaw777 says
We like to sing songs like The Wheels of the Bus and Down by the Bay. I also bring lots of books, thanks.
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trixx says
My daughter has a tray attached to her carseat & enjoys coloring and playing with Play Doh.
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