Family Travel Games

Travel with children is not always fun and games. Particularly on long automobile trips, you can travel to a constant chorus of: “Are we there yet?” “I need a drink of water.” “When can we stop?” “I want an ice cream cone.” “How much longer?” “I have to go to the bathroom!”

But with a little preparation, parents can make travel both educational and entertaining. This activity is intended to help families do just that.

Preparation

To help children get the most from traveling, include them in the preparations for the trip. Get a road map for each school-age child, and check the library for books about the places you will see. Read the books together and take some of them along. Then as you travel, talk about the things you will be seeing and their significance.

Activity

Try some of the following games on your next family trip. Encourage family members to make up their own games. The games suggested are intended for automobile trips, but can be adapted for plane, train, or bus trip.

• 1      Junior navigator. Get a road map for each child. At home have a basic lesson in map  reading and have the kids mark the routes you will be traveling. On the road, show how  highway signs relate to the map. Make a game of estimating how long it will take to    reach a certain town. Let kids take turns giving directions. Older children can also help  keep track of mileage, miles per gallon, and trip expenses.
  2.      Talk show. Have children take turns pretending to be a talk show host. They can use a  tape recorder and have other passengers discuss what impressed them most about  attractions or pretend to be historical characters related to the sites. The tap makes a  nice trip souvenir.
  3.   Trip journal. The type will vary with the skills of the children. Little ones can draw    pictures of their impressions; grade-school children can write and illustrate; older ones  may want to gather materials for scrapbook collections brochures, postcards, leaves,  or flowers  
  
  
  4.      License games. Various games can be played by sporting license plates.
  Alphabets: look for the letters of the alphabets –in order –on plates. The first one to spot the next letter gets one point.
  Doubles and triples: Look for double or triple digits on license plates, points per double, three per triple.
  
  
  
  

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