Keeping Kids Happy on a Family Vacation!
I have many times empathized with a young child on a long
car trip. They must sit, often dangling
tired legs while strapped in to a car seat for hours, not knowing how long the
ordeal will last. With no understanding
of miles nor much concept of time, they must endure the monotonous trial.
Still, there is much that wise parents can do to break up
the time and make the trip enjoyable. It
takes some advance preparation, but some good ideas help pass the time and keep
every member happy.
1. Anticipate the Trip!
While Dad has the oil changed and the tires checked, the
kids can prepare for a trip too!
Anticipating a family trip is half of the fun!! Let children begin to pack way early. Make a packing list and leave it taped to the
kitchen table for all to check off the number of underwear and socks, which
kind of shoes would be required, and how many changes of clothes. Make sure to include hair things and
toiletries, as well as personal scriptures.
I like to rubber band the scriptures, so they don’t get squashed among
the other items packed. Usually, a small
backpack is allowed, for personal items to do or read in the car, and a pillow
too.
Moms have lots of advance prep for a trip, but the extras
are as important as the clothes and luggage!
Little snacks and prizes and game ideas make such a difference. (See things to do below.)
Each child
anticipates a trip better and feels more important if he is given a special
assignment. He then feels responsible to
contribute to the trip.
The Alexanders wanted their kids to have ownership in the
trip (not to mention the extra funds needed to pay for it), so they devised
ways to have the family help earn money for it.
They sold peaches one summer to family, friends, and neighbors. Another summer they sold homemade bread and
cinnamon rolls. Friends of theirs
cleaned carpets and houses together to earn trip money. The message to the kids was that this trip is
going to cost us a lot, so we need to earn extra money, helping the kids
appreciate the sacrifice and feel like they have helped out!
The Pulsiphers decided to give assignments to the kids to
help them prepare for their upcoming trip.
Each child was given the name of a place they would visit, to
research. He would look up that place on
the computer and jot down interesting facts about it, then present his findings
to the family the morning before they would visit that particular city.
The Petermans brought a folder on the trip containing
various plans and charts, phone numbers and maps. A list of everyone’s assignment was
included. One child was “Hotel
Detective” to make sure nothing got left behind. One was “Person Counter” to make sure
everyone was together. One person was
assigned to be “Song Leader.” In another
family, a small child was in charge of making the family happy by telling
jokes! If contention over where to sit
is a problem, chart a system of changing seats each day. Problem solved.
The Spencers liked to invite Grandma along on a family
trip. They simply included a stool in
their van, to help Grandma climb in and out of their van. She was a great source of knowledge and
another Grown-up hand to hold! The kids
got to know her much better in the process. (And Grandma was so grateful to be
included on the family adventure!)
My Favorite Idea:
I used to brace for tempers to flare at one time or another
during a trip, especially when the unforeseen opposition strikes. But when I added Devotionals to our trips, I
found a huge difference. One summer, I decided to assign a Conference
talk to be shared by a family member each morning and night throughout the trip. That time I copied off a talk for each
devotional and put a name of a family member on the top—the heftier talks given
to the older ones. On subsequent trips,
I have just brought the magazine or the scriptures, to assign as we go. I helped the younger ones to underline a
couple of good quotes or a story to tell from the talk when it was their turn.
(Non-readers held their devotional talk too, and gave a story I had repeated to
them beforehand, so pleased to be big enough to have a turn!) I was amazed at the peace that prevailed on
that trip when we did Devotionals. It is
a practice we have continued for every trip since, always with the same result!!
2. Things to Do: Games, Books
Many a family’s favorite travel game is finding license
plates from every state! One person can
keep track of how many the family members have found! Or, there’s license plate bingo! Finding the Alphabet on street signs is
another all-time favorite. “I Spy” is
another great game that even little ones can play. “I spy something orange” the person whose
turn it is announces. Then everyone guesses!
And the one who guesses right gets the next turn to Spy something! A variation on that game that is a fabulous
mind stretcher is from Richard & Linda Eyre. The one whose turn it is asks the
others: What do _______ and ________
have in common. They pick two random
things, say a tire and a tree. Everyone thinks
about it. Well, they both can be on dirt
or they both can help Mankind or they both can be made into something else (paper & tire swing) or even they both start with “T” and have four
letters! It’s a good brain exercise!
Michelle gradually purchased enough hand-held electronic
games to use on trips with long car rides.
Careful to avoid shooting games, she found electronic Connect 4,
Battleship, Yahtzee, and Tetris, etc.
These she stored in a secret place and only brought them out for
trips. That way, they remained fresh and
fun. Her kids were allowed to play them
only on the long drives, and they could share and switch the games between each
other. When the family arrived at their
destinations, Michelle collected them back, saving them for the next long
drive. This helped the kids to be
totally there with the family during
their planned activities. Certain times
in the car too, Dad would tell the kids to put down any games and enjoy the
scenery around them. But in between, the
games sure helped the monotony.
My Sister in Law was an expert at traveling with kids:
“I made a surprise box filled with toys, treats, etc. Most
of them I wrapped. Every so often, usually about once an hour, the kids got to
unwrap one. Some surprises were for individuals but most were group things. For
example, long skinny balloons that you blow up and shape into animals, hats and
such. That entertained everyone for an hour or more. Sometimes the treats were
for in the car, other times they were eaten when we stopped and wiggled.
“I prepared a little entertainment bag for each child before
leaving. In the bag was a toy, magic slate, paper and colored pencils, and
other such things for them to entertain themselves part of the time. I used the
lids for fold-up file boxes or small cookies sheets and gave each child a
"table" to hold their play things, pictures and pencils they were
drawing, playdough they were crafting, etc.
“We played all kinds of games: oral, paper, and small car
versions of games. We had contests involving finding things outside the car. I
would tell information about the things and places we were seeing. I taught
them the names of plants we passed, etc. We told stories where each person took
a turn telling part of it. I told true stories from family histories. I brought
songbooks and we sang songs of all kinds. We brought music tapes and stories
also. We let people take turns choosing what to sing or play. I would prepare
an idea list of things to do.
“I entertained the kids with these and other ideas as we
rode along, rather than reading a personal book or entertaining myself. It was
lots of work but very rewarding. I looked at the travel time as a great
opportunity to unify us as a family, a time to make happy memories and
strengthen our love. I did all within my power, which took lots of preparation
beforehand, to make it a positive and pleasant time rather than a time full of
fussing and fighting. It worked. My kids loved the getting there almost as much
as the being there at our destination and our trips are a big part of our happy
memories."
My Other Favorite Idea!
Books on Tape have been a lifesaver for our long car
rides! Find an exciting book to listen
to, and the driver does NOT fall asleep!
And everyone is entertained for a long stretch. Listening to a book on tape is good for
comprehension and attention skills. And
the whole family is “on the same page” (pun intended) and can talk about the
book. Sometimes, we can’t wait to get
back in the car, to see what happens to our character!
Some of our favorites that we have checked out from the
library, found at the bookstore or borrowed from a neighbor are: The Bronze Bow, The Witch of Blackbird Pond,
The Cay, The Angel on the Square, and Holes. For longer trips, we
have loved: Undaunted, Fire of the Covenant, and of course Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
and The Work and The Glory.
Years ago, when I have read aloud to the kids on trips, I
would have a small treat, such as a yogurt- covered raisin to give to each
person at the end of each chapter. The
Little House in the Big Woods and The Little House on the Prairie are full of
wild animal and Indian adventures that appeal to both little girls and little
boys!
Tauna would provide each child with a small notebook journal
where they were encouraged to write each day.
They might write (or dictate to someone to write for them) their
favorite thing that day, or something they learned or something they felt. She would sometimes even bring math papers or
music theory worksheets and set a goal of how many to accomplish before the
next town. Those that met their goal got
an extra menu item at the fast food place!
3. Treats
Snacks do wonders to break up the time. A family could decide to have a snack when
they reach a certain city coming up.
Tasha likes to bring licorice (it’s not crumbly) to give at
random times to whoever is buckled in their seatbelt!
During a cross-country trip, Abby Jenson developed a system
of “Jenson dollars.” The children would
earn these copied-off “money” for good behavior. At certain intervals, they could exchange
them for little toys (that Abby had brought in her shoebox and replenished in
grocery store stops along the way). Each
child had a bag of some kind in which to keep his newly-earned treasures.
To save money, the Jothams devised a plan for food on their
road trip. Each day’s food was packed in
a brown paper sack, and labeled “Wednesday Lunch” or “Friday dinner,” etc. Items chosen for the menus were canned or
dried foods, such as canned stew, potato pearls and canned corn, refried bean
flakes and salsa made into burritos, chips and canned chili, cold cereal and
evaporated milk (reconstituted with half water). Some items were baked ahead, like muffins or
whole wheat breakfast cake. More
perishable items kept in a cooler and were eaten the first day or two. A box was also brought which contained
disposable dishes, a can opener, a roll of paper towels, and a large bowl and
spoon for mixing items together. A small
container of dish soap for the hotel room let items be reused. Eating differently than normal became an
adventure. Treats were included for
dessert and an occasional stop for fast food made everyone happier. An occasional stop at a grocery store for
fresh fruits and vegetables and bread rounded out their diet. But it sure saved on trip funds if most meals
were brought ahead in such a manner. In
addition, everyone stayed happier with a diet that promoted good elimination,
which is often messed up on trips. In
fact, Amy Jotham found that fiber gummies were a must to bring!
The Carsons also devised a plan for food on their summer
trips. Each day, they usually ate
breakfast at the hotel. For one of the
remaining meals, they visited a grocery store and got bread and peanut butter
or tortillas, cheese, and salsa, etc.
Fruit was also a must. A cookie
desert was a favorite too. (The family
tried to purchase two meals for the next couple of days whenever they
could.) The remaining meal they could
get at a fast food restaurant. Mimi kept
a chart that spelled out one person who chose the grocery store meal for the
day, one person who chose the restaurant for the day, one person who got first
pick on seating for that day, and one person who shared a thought or scripture
with the family that day. Mimi kept the
chart and read off each assignment for the current day. Each child eagerly awaited his turn! It made the trip more fun.
4. Music
Sandi acquires some fun new music CD’s to bring on a
trip. By the end of the trip, everyone
knows all the words! If her family goes
to a performance while on the trip, they like to buy the soundtrack to play on
the way home. Their favorite memory is
listening to Beach Boys!
Alicia’s family likes to sing together: favorite family songs, school favorites,
Primary songs and hymns. They will go
around the car, giving every person a chance to pick the next song. Rounds are a great favorite. The family even learned to harmonize in parts
on the long hours of driving!
Marjory wanted the kids to learn “Stand Up, Walk Away,” a
great song about the standards in For the Strength of Youth by Janice Kapp Perry. She decided
they would put actions to the chorus of the song, and learn it for the talent
show at the Family Reunion! That way,
they had reason to play it over and over on the way to the reunion, and by the
time they got there, the family knew the song well, and those good works were
embedded in their heads forever!
