ALT-1 Car Games

From 3arf

"TV/DVD sets are not for the benefit of the kids. They are for stressed-out parents, looking for a little peace and quiet," says Dorothy Rich in her column, This Summer, Leave the TV and Video Games Behind. I agree. Electronics are not the only way to get from point A to point B and still be sane.

For your next trip, plan ahead.. Give the kids time to come up with their own ideas of things to do during the car trip. "One of best ways to get your child excited about your trip is to keep him or her involved," writes Nicole for EducationalToysPlanet.com. Go to your library for books about the places you'll be going and things you'll be seeing. Books on forts, caves, mountain peaks, whatever it is you will be seeing and wherever it is you'll be going. Buy a kids atlas and highlighters to plan out your trip. The kids can then use this map to follow their trip.

Play age-old games of finding the alphabet, the license plate game, and Eye Spy. Bring along cards for games the kids can play solo like solitaire or together such as Old Maid.

For the artistic kids, bring along drawing paper and coloring books. Game lovers in the family will enjoy a dry erase board for hangman and tic tac toe.

Head to the library or bookstore and let the kids pick out a couple of books for quiet time in the car. Use the theme of the book to build ideas for other car games. If the book is a mystery about a missing dog, watch out the windows for intriguing places a dog might be hiding and have the kids make up their own story. When my daughters were 8 and 10 years old, they wrote entire newscasts and read them out loud as newscasters. Find books with jokes and riddles and some with short plays or monologues for some creative time. Bring along a few short books on tape or CD that you can put in the cars audio system.

Bring along some individually wrapped trinkets. Kids can chose one every hour or every 100 miles. These can be anything from silly putty, skin tattoos, and candy or gum.

Boys will enjoy Battleship and more physical games like Rock, Paper, Scissors, and slug bug. They can help Dad run the GPS, watch for exit signs, and identify road kill. A book of knot tying and some rope will occupy them for hours.

Get the kids outside whenever possible! Make planned and unplanned stops. Play kickball, throw a Frisbee or play Double Dutch jump rope.

Try journaling. Have them make entries of the time of departure, interesting things you've seen, and funny things that happened in the car. Use it to make a scrapbook back at home. Pull out the scrap book next year to remind the kids of the great time they had and to get them excited for their next trip.

Related Articles