Published: May 21, 2008 04:13 pm         

‘Make an adventure out of it’

Parents offer tips for making long car rides fun for the whole family

JOPLIN, Mo. — Without the proper preparations, traveling with children can leave parents feeling like they need another vacation as soon as they return home.

Parents like Penny Brown, a Carl Junction mother of four, said it doesn’t have to be like that. She insists the car ride can be just as integral a part of the trip as the destination if approached properly. In the end, those hours in the car can make the car ride a time to remember rather than something parents wish they could forget.

“You’ve got to make an adventure out of it,” Brown said of the car ride. “I think people can get too focused on getting there, but interruptions are part of the deal.”

Frequent stops

Brown, her husband, Andy, and four children, Joseph, 13, Levi, 12, Ashley, 11, and Rachael, 9, just returned recently from a family vacation to Niagara Falls and said the trip up to the natural wonder was just as memorable as the main event because of some preparation.

Brown did some Internet research for entertaining stops along the way to Niagara Falls. The family stopped periodically to tour caves in Ohio and look at Lake Eerie. She also made sure the family van stopped in each state so the children could say they had been in that state.

Frequent bathroom and snack breaks also helped to keep spirits high during the long drive, she said.

“If you already have the idea that people are going to need to stop in your mind, you tend to travel better, and make time for those goals,” she said.

Audio antidote

Jo Sitton, the Southwest Missouri Community Alliance’s SafeKids coordinator for Jasper and Newton counties and a local mother, said car rides are a great opportunity for children to learn.

When her children were younger, Sitton would buy, borrow or rent books on audio cassette or CD. As the children grew, so did the maturity of the selections and the entire family was able to enjoy everything from the Bible to classic literature and fairy tales.

Brown said her family also listens to a lot of audio books while traveling and said it can be a good alternative to actually reading in car, which makes many people nauseated.

“Pretty much nobody in our family can read in the car without throwing up, so that’s out of the question,” she said laughing.

For free downloadable MP3 versions of more than 100 different stories, visit www.storynory.com. The public library is also a good resource for audio books. A car trip can also provide a good opportunity for children to learn a new language by CD.

Put on your game face

Games are also a great way to keep kids entertained, Brown said. She tries to tailor visual games for the children to whatever area they are traveling.

“In the north, they have these birch trees that we don’t have down here, so I would point them out along the way, and have the kids see how many of them they could find,” Brown said.

She also plays a type of “I Spy” game with the children, where she asks them to identify a certain object, number or collection of objects.

Word games are also fun, she said. By looking at either license plates or billboards, her children try to find words that start with each letter of the alphabet in order. Other games like license plate bingo, where children keep track of the different state license plates they see, can also help pass the time.

Sitton said boardgame manufacturers have also come out with travel-sized versions of some popular games like “Yahtzee” and “Crazy 8s.” That old standby, playing cards, are also small enough to pack and can provide hours of fun.

Other ideas

Brown said hydrating drinks and nutritious snacks are also essential to the summer travel experience. Pillows and blankets can also help children feel more comfortable and encourages sleep, which she said helps pass the time.

Brown starts her children out with one bag of their favorite toys — not too big of course — and packs non-messy craft supplies like crayons, pencils and paper for the trip too.

Whatever children and parents bring, Sitton just encourages families to enjoy every second together, in the car and out, because that time together keeps getting shorter and shorter.

“It’s a good time to communicate with your kids, because families just don’t sit down together like they used to,” Sitton said.



Safety seat guidelines

While staying entertained in the car this summer travel season, don’t forget to also be safe. Children should sit in the back seat until age 13, always use a shoulder and lap belt, and stay in a booster seat until either 8 years old, 80 pounds or 4 foot 9 inches tall. Keep children’s heads away from side airbags in the back seat, and try to secure any loose items in the car to help prevent injury in case of a wreck.



Melissa Dunson writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.



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Source: Southwest Missouri Community Alliance