I am looking for ANY ideas or suggestions on how to keep the kids occupied on our road trip. We are traveling from Sacramento, CA to Port Lavaca Tx the end of the month.
I need any tips or ideas you got!
As many cd's you can borrow on one go from the library and a good DVD player and as many DVD's you can pack. Crayons and books and stickers and little toys will only go so far... they do help, but for that long, that's the way I'd go. And we commute 45 min each way everyweekday with my 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 yr olds in the back and two boxers in the passenger seat! :) And in a corolla to save on gas!!! :)
I give my kids Wicky Sticks. They are pieces of yarn coated with wax that can be molded into different shapes. You'd be surprised at how long they will play with them. They also have little puzzle type games, the water globes that you press buttons to get a basketball into a hoop or whatever, and sticker books (the kind with removable plastic decals rather than stickers). I found most of these things at WalMart or Michaels. I also pack individual snack bags for each child so they can help themselves to a snack whenever they want and provide a plastic bag for each one to put any garbage in. Good luck and have a fun trip!
Last year we drove from sac,ca to paige,az, and here is what I did. First I made them their own travel packs. I filled them with snacks, games, crayons, books, anything fun to keep them busy. I also found a little book called "when will we get there?" It is filled with car games and activities you do (looking for different state license plates etc). I also kept a few surprise things in the front seat with me so when they seemed board, I pulled them out. Lastly we also made frequent stop, every 2-3 hours for the kids to get out and stretch. We tried to stop in towns with easy on off freeway access, but with fun things to do, we would eat at a park or if we did fast food, looked for one with a play yard. the trip was longer, bu more enjoyable, if any long car ride could be. goog luck
I have a 3 year old and a 7 year old. They each have their own CD player with headphones. They can listen to their own music or you can get some books with a CD. I usually get crayons and new color books. Magna Doodles work great in the car. If you are adventurous and don't mind the mess play doh also keeps them busy. I would suggest a cookie tray for them to play with it on.
I would also spend the $100 and get a portable DVD player. For that long of a drive, a movie might keep them occupied and you sane.
I also make up games with my kids like who can spot a train first, a barn, or a blue car, etc.
Hope that helps.
I traveled with my now 11 year old and 8 year old but we only drove from Sacramento to Southern California but what helped us was alot of games such as finding different states license plates, find a different colored car. have the kids bring their favorite stuffed animals and books and quiet things to do and then of course stop as often as you can to let them stretch out their legs and run off energy.
and if the parents can tolerate it a cd with kids favorite music.
have fun and good luck
I'm from Folsom and we travel to Idaho a lot. The best investment I made was about $100 and I bought a portable DVD player. We borrowed a bunch of movies and they play them while I drive. I also start out very early in the morning, like 4 or 5 AM. I put them in the car in their PJ's and the deal is that they have to listen to quiet music or sleep until we stop for breakfast about 7am. Then they change to clothes and the movies start. After each movie we stop for a while and talk about the lessons in the movie then start the next one. We stop driving at dinner time and find a hotel. Hope some of that helps.
We travel a lot with our kids. DVD players are always great, but like us, if your kids aren't into the same movies it can cause problems. Last road trip we took, we borrowed a second one from a friend and it worked out great. Our car also has two plug ins, so we didn't have to worry about either of them running out of batteries. A story reader for your 3 year old is always good, if you don't have one, I see them for sale all the time on Craigslist. That is where we got ours, and both my kids love it. My son also has a simple vtech laptop that he loves and it works great in the car too. Pack lots of snacks and drinks and something to go pee in in case of an emergency. For your older child, books, handheld video games etc. They are usually better in the car than a yonger child. Color wonder markers are great for car rides too. If your kids have any special objects that they sleep with etc, don't forget those, and for long trips it is nice to have extra pillows, blankets etc for the car. Don't forget to stop often and let them run around. Pack an inflatable beach ball or frisbee or something that you can use when you stop to get the blood flowing to their limbs.
When I was young, my parents, siblings, and I would travel to southern California to visit relatives a lot. I remember one time my mom made up little packages or gift bags for us to open every 2 hours. There wasn't anything big or expensive in them, just small stuff like games, or cards, or snacks. It was so much fun and it kept us occupied the entire trip. A trip to Texas is longer, though so maybe spread out the time in between each bag. Have fun on your trip!
