Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I too suggest the DVD player. It worked great when I had to make a couple of 14 hour drives. (one way) We have the one with two screens and you can use up to 4 sets of headphones so each kid had their own and we didn't have to listen to the noise of the movies. This really kept the kids quiet and they didn't fight with each other.
We also do several different games. One is seeing how many different state plates you see along the way, another is doing the alphabet. You can use letters on plates, signs, billboards, semis, whatever but none of the letters can be inside the car and you go in alphabetical order. The other game we play is counting. You count numbers on liscense plates, signs, semis, and billboards or whatever. So if you see a liscense plate with say the numbers 156, you count the 1, or you can count it as 5, or 6, or 15, or 56, or 156 depending on what number you are on. If you see a sign showing gas price of $2.35 you can count it as 2, or 3, or 2 & 3, or 5, or 23, or 35, or 235. You start counting from 1 - however high you can go or pick a number to end on like 1-100.
Stoppig at some awesome stops along the way is also good. Unfortunately we didn't always have time to stop at various places, but when we did need to stop like for gas, food or potty break we would let the kids run and stretch for 15 mins. or so.
Good luck and I hope you all have a fun and safe trip.
You don't say what age, and that makes a difference. Older kids are usually content with Ipods/Video games etc. Younger kids need much more variety.
We've taken numerous trips that take 8 hours and here's what worked for us. Driving no longer than 1 1/2 hours before stopping. Eating at places where the kids could play for a bit afterward....McDonald's, park or rest stop, for example.
For younger kids we took music players of some sort with head phones (from cassette players, to CD players to MP3 players) and made sure we had music for their age and preferences. My third daughter, now 11, loved teletubbies so we had a couple of those for her delight. haha
Everything else we took, we bought new, so that the kids got to have something they hadn't had before, and they only got to have them after we got going. Crayola wonder markers are fabulous for the car as they don't make any mess, yet the kids get to use markers. We also had crayons and color pages and blank paper. Handheld games and DVD's added to the mix as well, pretty much kept them going for a while.
Make sure to take a selection of travel friendly snacks and drinks. By that I mean small drinks and individual sized snacks that you can just hand out.
Car games are great sometimes, if your kids are into them and you are traveling through areas that work for it. When we traveled it was through some long stretches of nothing, so kinda hard to play some of those.
The best piece of advice is to adjust your expectations so that you are traveling on the best time schedule for your children, and not for what you want it to be. Otherwise you will end up stressed out and exhausted.
We recently went on a 7 hour road trip with our three kids, 3, 5, & 7. I packed a picnic lunch; pulled pork sandwiches, small handful of chips, sliced strawberries, carrot sticks & broccoli with little seperate baggie of ranch dip, and a secret treat at the bottom (fun sized candy bars). They had to work from the top of the bag and eat one thing at a time, healthiest item to least healthy, saving the treat until last. I had really built it up all week about the picnic so they were really excited (which we ended up eating in the car because we were racing the setting sun to our destination.) They talked about that secret surprise for about an hour of the first half of that trip and just chowed down their meal. We bring books, flash cards, and they each get to pick a small toy to call their own. They each get a pillow and blanket.
I do not pull out the dvd player until they can no longer quiet down or just become too restless so they don't get bored of watching movies.
Another thing is I am not afraid to make my kids put their head down or away from everyone in a timeout during the ride. They are use to it so they take the timeout without a fight. This works spendidly when you just know they are fighting sleep cause then they are out before the timeout ends.
Make sure your kids get plenty of sleep, are well hydrated, have gone to the bathroom, and are not feeling ill before you leave. (diarrhea ) Give yourself an extra hour to get to your destination and bring music you both can sing to. Make sure you have healthy snacks that don't contain a lot of salt so they don't drink too much so you'll have few stops along the way. Bring water to drink, not pop, juice, milk, or sports drinks. Milk is nasty if they get car sick. The sugar in juice and pop makes them restless and fights break out, and sports drinks are meant to give engery before exercise, which they will try to get in the car. On our trip, we only had to take two stops on the way there and one on the way back.
We are fortunate to have kids who are great in car rides. We haven't traveled much until this summer but they are amazing whether we leave after lunch, before the sun is up or just before bed. I think back to our first when she was the only one in the car, screaming herself to sleep because she hated the car seat and feel really lucky now. Hopefully you'll have it just as easy. Good luck.
Just thinking some more. My kids LOVE to bury themselves under a blanket and play together. Boy do they giggle and you feel like your right along in their adventure. It can be more fun with little flash lights, glow sticks or glow in the dark stickers.
bring their favorite music. Always have some idea when and where you will stop next so you have an answer when they ask. Lots of snacks. Stop at sights along the way. I am fundamentally opposed to DVD players in the car, I guess because I grew up going on long road trips, and we never had one. That being said, we have one, and we use it!
For each day of the trip, plan a stop or an event or an out-or-car activity specifically for the kids. Stick to it. Group-talk about it before you ger there, and then group-talk about it afterwards.
I just wanted to thank everyone for their GREAT ideas! We will definately be using some of them. Just to clarify, we will be moving, not just a road trip. The kids range in age from 11 to 6. We are all very excited and looking forward to it and the kids usually do really well in the car, I just dread being on the road that long. We do not have a DVD player for the car, and I have been kind of against it because we try and stay away from the TV in general and focus more on interacting with each other as a family. We have those night though, when everyone needs to veg, so I may break down and get one for this trip.
I was not looking forward to the 25 hour drive from TX to NY with 4 kids....and finally changed my mind to look at it as a memorable family adventure, one that they would all look back on as "that summer we survived in the Suburban together for the monstrously long drive!"
I would definitely suggest breaking down and getting a dvd player....it can be their little "treat" since this is not a normal occurance for your crew. And don't worry, even after a movie or two....the kids themselves want a break from the tv.
I printed out blank US maps for the license plate game (this one actually helps driver stay awake, LOL! Yep, saw plates from Alaska and Hawaii! **Semis are the key to getting good states!) We played the Fed Ex vs. UPS game, and set certain milestones along the way (what will the score by by the time we reach KY or by 2:00, etc.) Bingo was fun for them, too....when we even found log carriers...no one expected that one! Also, Everyone choose a Color and then count the number of trucks with that color cab for a certain number of miles/until the next exit....winner gets first dibs on color choice for next round, or *quarters* (see below).
And finally, my favorite, was the How Long Can You Stay Quiet Game. I had secretly brought a bag of quarters and when all else failed and my sanity was on the brink, we played this game in 10-15 minute increments. Winners could spend their stash at the next gas stop on ANYTHING they wanted in the little store~~and Mom and Dad had a bit of peace and quiet along the way.
Good luck to you and don't forget to take pictures!! Seriously! You will look back on this trip and smile!
And finally, my favorite, was the How Long Can You Stay Quiet Game. I had secretly brought a bag of quarters and when all else failed and my sanity was on the brink, we played this game in 10-15 minute increments. Winners could spend their stash at the next gas stop on ANYTHING they wanted in the little store~~and Mom and Dad had a bit of peace and quiet along the way.
That's brilliant, and I am totally stealing it for our next road trip!
Another thing that we did when the kids were younger was to plan a surprise for crossing every state line. I bought some small toys & treats, wrapped them, and stashed them in the car's center console. Now that they are older, it might be fun to print out a trivia quiz, word search, or crossword puzzle at each state line. We have this book, but most state gov'ts have trivia pages on their websites for free.
We also played stretch white limousine, in which you collect points for spotting an unusual vehicle (i.e., 10 points for a stretch white limousine, 5 points for a classic VW bug, 1 point for the same make & model of your car).
Another tactic for long road trips is to plan interesting stops along the way. Every time our family travels through Kansas on our way back to Colorado, the kids ask to stop at the Moon Marble Company. It's a wonderful shop that specializes in marbles (obviously), but they also stock an incredible collection of vintage games, which help keep the kids occupied during the last day of our trip.
One last suggestion: if at all possible, favor hotels with pools, so the kids will have something active to do at the end of a long day in the car.
I would take the advice of all the CDers that posted... but I would keep them separate and give them things little by little like when you first start off leave them with nothing for a little bit then turn on the DVD player and after a movie or two is finished give the the games and then give them books then turn the DVD back on... just to give it variety you give kids the goodies all at one time and to me they are bored all at one time... one by one you might get oh mom you brought that great can I read that or play with that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) Give yourself an extra hour to get to your destination and bring music you both can sing to. Make sure you have healthy snacks that don't contain a lot of salt so they don't drink too much so you'll have few stops along the way. Bring water to drink, not pop, juice, milk, or sports drinks. Milk is nasty if they get car sick. The sugar in juice and pop makes them restless and fights break out, and sports drinks are meant to give engery before exercise, which they will try to get in the car. On our trip, we only had to take two stops on the way there and one on the way back.
