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Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Kids’ Entertainment
By
Staff Writer |
June 25th, 2009 |
Category:
Travel |
9 comments
Welcome to our new series, Family Vacation Road Trip Planning! If you missed last week’s installment, Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Departure Time, go read it first. Over the next few weeks, you’ll get tried and true tips for planning the best family vacation road trip from a mom of 4.
Road Trip Kid Entertainment
I can not begin to stress the importance of investing in a portable DVD player if your vehicle is not equipped with one. These can be a lifesaver during road trips.
If you are one of those parents that does not believe in overexposure to movies, a road trip may be the time to bend the rules and make an exception. Bring a few favorite movies from home and if possible, rent some new ones that your kids haven’t seen, so they’ll keep their attention.
After rest stop play breaks, sleeping and DVD movies, there will still be idle time during a long distance road trip. It’s a good idea to fill an individual backpack for each child. Stuff it full of their favorite activities: handheld games, coloring books and crayons, stickers, toys, activity sets, etc.
If your budget allows, invest in a few new items to present to them just as they begin to reach meltdown status. With a quick trip to the dollar store you can stock up on a bunch of items to keep them entertained for under $20. Using your discretion, dispense items at different times throughout the trip. I-spy, name games and just about any activity that involves the entire family is great for keeping kids engaged and happy.
What are your favorite ways to keep kids entertained in the car during family vacation road trips? Let us know in the comments below!
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We don’t have a DVD player however we did a couple of long road trips. One was 23 hours (over 3 days) when Chloe was 18 months and the other was 10 hours in one day when she was 22 months. Books, snacks , songs, silly putty and you know what really was cool? magnetic books. We found a couple at the dollar store and splurged for a couple other ones at Toys R Us. They come with games, animals etc and are hours of entertainment!
Great post, as always! Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
@Jenn: We don’t have a portable DVD player either, but would probably take a laptop to play movies when we end up doing a long roadtrip. What a great idea with the magnetic books! We have the magnetic bingo game which is wonderful.
Barbi
Hi Danelle, I know just what you mean. I LOVE my DVD player! It is such a blessing – even on short trips. It’s an extra big blessing when I have all the grandkids AND my senior mom. They are ALL much happier (mom included), as the noise level is MUCH lower.
And since I stock up on our favorite Christian videos, like Hermie and Gigi, along with educational videos like the fun Leapfrog series, I know they are learning at the same time they are having fun and I am able to drive safely with fewer distractions. A great win-win-win for all.
I loved the magnetic book idea as well. One caveat, if you also have a laptop, it’s best to keep the magnetic pieces away from the computer. It could cause some problems.
Thanks for another fun Family Friday! I’m really enjoying all the great ideas!
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@Kaye: Thanks for the input, but just to let you know- I didn’t write this article. It was one of our staffers with 4 kids, and she’s got her system down by now, that’s for sure! Thanks for the tips on the learning videos and the magnets/laptop. Happy Friday!
Barbi
Scheduling stops for a little play time or lunch has definitely been our sanity saver on trips! LOL also singing games seem to help.
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