Entertaining Children While Traveling

Traveling with children is an adventure in itself. Their reactions can run along the predictable of arguing amongst themselves, whining about not having enough room, or the famous 'Are we there yet?' tirelessly recited. On the flip side, their excitement of going on a family vacation is enough to keep them in good spirits about everything; engaging in traveling games, asking you questions about the intended destination, and telling you they cannot wait to get there.

There are many forms of entertainment you can provide to keep your children entertained for the entire journey. Some are traditional ideas that have worked for countless parents, and others are more familiar to the younger generations because of advancements in technology.

Let us look at a variety of choices that you may find will work in keeping your offspring occupied on your next vacation. Some will be suitable for entertaining everyone, while others are more age-oriented. In either case, there are bound to be several that will work for you.

Guessing Games

• I Spy. A great traveling game, especially for younger children, where each player takes a turn at selecting something they see along the way of a specific color, and then everyone else tries to guess what it is.
• What's My Job? One player thinks of a job, and everyone asks yes and no questions to figure out what job the player picked.

Word Games

• Alphabet Game. A terrific learning game for the pre-school and elementary set, this game has everyone trying to identify objects along the way that begin with the letters of the alphabet from A to Z.
• License Plate Game. This is an oldie, but a goody that has the children try to point out a license plate from every state. The one with the most when you reach your destination wins.
• Yes/No Game. This is a game for slightly older children because it can move pretty fast. A player thinks of a person, object, or place, and everyone else asks them questions to identify it, but the answers cannot be 'yes or no.' This one gets tricky pretty quickly.

Reading

• Pop-up Books. The best books for toddlers because of the colorful images that pop-up when they turn each page.
• Adventure Books. Children who can read well may enjoy reading these books, as they head toward your destination where they will make their own adventures.
• Activity Books. These do that job at keeping children occupied and quiet, as they work to complete puzzles, mazes, question games, and math problems.
• Tour Guides for Kids. Give the children their own tour books for your destination, and let them tell you interesting facts.
• Sing-Song or Musical Books. Little ones love to hear music, and when it comes in a book, they are twice as happy. There are many brands available that tell a story or rhyme accompanied by a song or music.

Other Games

• Sing-Alongs. Everyone sings songs at some point along the trip. Think of several that will be fun for everyone and gets the little ones giggling.
• Name That Tune. Another song game, it has a player whistling or humming part of a song lyric, and everyone else has to guess what the name of the song.
• Mark the Map. Give the children their own road map, and pre-mark specific locations you will pass along the way. The children should try to be the first to see a sign to identify the locations on the map. This will also help them learn distance, and try to figure out how close you are getting to your destination with each passing landmark.
• Six Degrees of Separation. Parents and older children will enjoy this game, which is often associated with the actor, Kevin Bacon. Someone should pick an actor, and then everyone takes a turn at connecting to that actor naming other actors using six or less connections.

Toys

Small toys for the youngest to play with en route will definitely keep the volume level down a few decibels. Bring along small items, such as:

• Small dinosaurs, animals, soldiers
• Stacking Blocks
• Hand Puppets
• Etch-a-Sketch
• Frisbee

Tech Gadgets

You cannot go anywhere these days without taking at least one tech gadget with you, so if you need to bring any then try these which will keep the chatter to a low hum:

• Mobile DVD Player and movies
• iPods
• PSPs
• Gameboys
• Laptop Computer (with Wi-Fi)

Miscellaneous

It does not matter if you are driving or flying, but whenever you reach a rest area or lay-over pull out some practical toys or games that will help the children stretch their muscles before continuing the journey, including:

• Baseball Gloves and Ball
• Deck of Cards
• Travel-size Board Games
• Soccer Ball
• Football