Search Results for: blog keeping the kids busy in the car and plane

Quick Travel Games for Rest Stops

When you are traveling by car, interstate rest stops are a great place to take a bit of break. I know it’s tempting to send everyone in for a quick trip to the bathroom and then herd them quickly back into the car. And there are times when we’ve done just that. But taking a ten minute break, or even five minutes, can help everyone’s mood. And don’t just stand around the car, the idea is to get everyone moving. The first activity is trash tossing. I learned this travel hint on a three day field trip. The teacher stood … Continue reading →

Car Travel Fun – the Distance Game and the Silent Game

Sometimes when you are road trips the best thing that could happen is for everyone to be quiet for just a little while. One way to do that is to pick out something in the distance, a building, a bridge, even a billboard. Everyone but the driver shuts their eyes. They players have to guess when they are right beside the building or bridge. If you know the route, you can play this by having everyone (except the driver of course) shut their eyes and guess when the turn to Grandma’s is, or how far it is to a certain … Continue reading →

Singing in the Car – All-American Car-I-Oke

Even though this activity bombed for my own family, I still think it’s a very fun idea. We got All-American Car-i-oke for a long trip. I had visions of us all singing along happily as we cruised down the highway. The idea behind this kit is just that, it provides everything you need for family sing-alongs. The book comes with a 21 track CD, three lyric books for the “backseat singers”. The main book has really interesting information about the songs, how they came to written and recorded, and the history of the singers. There’s even a harmonica lesson, and … Continue reading →

Penny Football

Summer travels often bring some unexpected down time. Penny football is a good game to fill up some moments. Since this is a casual lunchroom developed game, there are several versions of rules. All you need to play are three pennies, two players, and a table. A smallish table works best. You can still play on a large table, but you may want to state boundaries so that the coins don’t get to far off track. Flip one of the coins to see who goes first. The winner of the coin toss places the three coins in a triangular formation … Continue reading →

The Noisy Airplane Ride – Mike Downs

Are you planning to fly anywhere this upcoming holiday season? If so, “The Noisy Airplane Ride” might be a great way to help prepare your children for the trip so they know what to expect. Written by Mike Downs, an airline pilot, you get the inside scoop on everything that goes on during an airplane ride, complete with illustrations. First we see a boy and his family walking down the Jetway, getting on the plane, and buckling up. They experiment with the vent above their seats that sends cool air down for them to breathe. Then the tug comes along … Continue reading →

Don’t Overlook the Simple, Cheap, Deck of Cards

Keeping kids amused, educated, entertained, and calm is the ongoing task of any parent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to survive a rainy day indoors, or are on the road for a family vacation, or spending a dull afternoon at the doctor’s office—a deck of cards can be a parent’s best friend… So much can be done with a deck of cards—all sorts of math and number play, as well as games, fortune-telling, and even trying to build the card house. I remember that my kids would even use the face cards to play impromptu imagination games and turn … Continue reading →

Layover Fun

Last week our family had a three hour layover in the Atlanta airport. We went in search of something substantial for dinner because I’ve decided we all are better travelers with real food in our stomachs. We just happened to find a country cooking restaurant and were thrilled to order macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn bread, okra, and iced tea. Even though we weren’t staying in Atlanta, it was nice to share this taste of the south with my kids. For me, occupying children on layovers is one of the hardest challenges of traveling. After one flight, everyone is … Continue reading →

Anti-Coloring Books – Fun for the Imagination

My children love the Anti-coloring books from Susan Striker. These books are coloring books, but with a twist. Each page has a border, or part of a picture, and the creative prompt. The books are designed to stimulate children’s (or adults) creativity and to encourage problem solving and critical thinking. So instead of a picture of a robot to color, the page provides a border and asks the young artist to design a robot that can manage one of their dreaded chores. Other pages have things like an outline of a present, you are asked to draw in a perfect … Continue reading →

Two Unexpected Travel Toys

Tonight at dinner we talked about travel toys and activities for a rapidly approaching trip to visit family. Last year we took a insanely long car trip. The adventures make for great stories, although I wouldn’t be in a hurry to sign up for the same trip again. One of the funniest things though, was discovering two unique travel toys. The first surprisingly fun travel toy is pipe cleaners. They are inexpensive, colorful, lightweight and quiet. With three kids in a van, the quiet part is much appreciated. Kids can twist pipe cleaners into animals, shapes, bracelets and necklaces, pretend … Continue reading →

Keeping the Kids Busy in the Car and on the Plane

I’ve logged many air and road miles traveling with my children. My best idea for travel is for each child to bring along their own backpack or canvas bag. If they’re old enough, they even get to carry it. The smallish size of the backpack limits the number of animal friends that just have to come along. And it gives me a place to put activities and treats. The most important activity that goes in the backpack is the hard cover binder. The binder cover should be smooth because it also acts as surface for drawing. Inside the binder I … Continue reading →