Are you heading out on a family road trip this March Break? Both my parents and my in-laws live at least 3 hours away, so over the years I’ve learned a few things about road tripping with kids.
1 – Snacks: make sure you pack lots. Snacks can be a saviour when genuine boredom kicks in. I know food should generally not be used as a distraction, but I firmly believe that normal parenting rules do not apply during road trips.
I usually pack my kids’ school lunch bags with a combination of healthy snacks and rarely seen treats (guess which ones get eaten first!). My clan knows road trips = Jos Louis snacks and Kool-Aid drink boxes.
2 – Get cozy: My kids love travelling in their pyjamas, especially if we get up and go first thing in the morning or are heading out after dinner (my kids love sleeping in vehicles). Throw in some pillows, stuffies, and blankets too!
3 – Don’t be in a hurry: ‘Making good time’ is a good way to become disappointed and stressed. Highway service stations are handy and efficient but if you’ve got time, why not find a small town diner off the beaten path for lunch? Frisbees, bubbles, and balls are great for getting some ants out of pants when you stop. Even a quick 10 minute walk helps.
4 – Wipes and plastic bags: have lots on hand. Also have an easily accessible bag with an extra change of clothes for everyone and don’t forget the Advil (for kids and adults).
5 – Lap trays: these are not easy to find but worthwhile looking for. They are ideal for snacking, drawing/colouring, crafting, etc.
6 – Embrace electronics: Put away any guilt you may have about screen time and your kids. See #1 for my beliefs about relevancy of normal parenting rules during road trips. Having said that, I do recommend taking screen breaks with some of the following activities…
7 – Audiobooks: I am a huge fan of these. They are generally fairly expensive to purchase but podcasts (such as Sparkle Stories) or borrowing from a public library are great alternatives to buying.
PS – My kids have grown to love Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café stories.
8 – Books: New books and/or magazines that your kids have never seen are always a good idea. Books that I find particularly useful for road trips: magazines, comic books, Richard Scarry books (the detailed pictures are ideal for travel), and look-and-find books (such as Where’s Waldo). Usborne has a really great line of children’s books ideal for travel.
Maps or map books for older kids are engaging – they can track your progress throughout the trip and are also often filled with fun trivia.
9 – Toys: The key to successful toys for car rides? Open ended toys. The last thing you want is to hand your child a new toy, have them play with it for 10 minutes (because there’s only one way to play with it) and then be done with it.
Check out the toys in JPTR’s travel sets for some great ideas (or make your life even easier and rent a travel set from us if you are in the Ottawa area).
Craft supplies such as clipboards with paper, a brand new set of markers or crayons, Lego, Playdough, stickers are ideal for long car rides.
Fidget toys are also handy for road trips. My favourites: Flexiblox, Tangle Therapy, Jacob’s Ladder (see below), and small wood 3D puzzles.
10 – Music: I love creating new playlists for a road trip and my kids look forward to hearing them. I always include some kid favourites, some current pop favourites, as well as some adult (but family-friendly) classics from my own childhood (Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot, the Tragically Hip). Be sure to label them with the trip and date; it’s so much fun to listen to previous trip’s playlists.
11 – “I’m Bored!” is ok: Don’t feel like your kids have to be entertained every minute of the road trip. It’s ok for them to get a bit bored in the car. It leads to daydreaming, staring at clouds, peeking into other cars and wondering where other people are going. Until you can’t tolerate the whining…then see #6.
Safe travels!
~D.
