Punchbuggy And Other Such Games
Sep 06 '00
My childhood was spent on the way somewhere. Either we were on the boat on the way to..., or in the plane on the way to...., or worst of all in the car on the way to.... No matter what mode of transportation we were using my younger sister and I were always restless.
They finally broke us of the habit of asking if we were there yet on the boat. Every time we asked if we were there yet, or how much longer til we got there we got the dreaded response of "we are always there". Though the sailboat was our home we couldn't help but think of where we were taking it to. Though to keep from hearing that same phrase again we refrained from asking how much longer.
Another thing that helped us to stop asking how much further til we got there, on the boat, was them saying, "I don't know you tell me". This urged our need to learn navigation. I learned how to read maps and navigate as a small child. This helped me figure it out on my own instead of asking my parents all the time. So maybe if you teach your child to navigate on car trips they will be able to answer their own questions.
Watch What Food And Drinks You Bring
One of the problems with family travel is all the stops you have to make. When you stop a lot you lose a lot of time, in fact a lot more than you may realize. Losing time means more time stuck in a car with screaming, crying, fighting, and bored children.
You should take care not to allow your children to eat or drink too much because of boredom. It is much better to find something to do instead of eating or drinking. Not only does this mean more stops along the way to use the nasty restrooms off of highways, but it is also breeding bad habits. You do not want your kids to think eating or drinking because of boredom is good. So only bring a few healthy snacks that will not leave you running for bathrooms.
Read, Read, and Read Some More
Car rides are a great place to catch up on books you want to read. It is also a good place for your kids to catch up on the books you want them to read. When preparing for your car trip pack a lot of books for the kids. Use caution because reading in cars does make some people car-sick, but most kids are fine reading in the car.
If one of your children is older have them read to the younger one(s). This will leave you time to catch up on your own reading, and give your older child a chance to read aloud.
I do not recommend those books that have sound effects. These will drive you absolutely nuts by the end of the trip. Pick some silent books that your child will enjoy reading to pass the time.
If your child has homework or studying to do for school encourage them to do it on the car ride. By getting it done on the way they will have more time for fun, once you get where you are going.
Another idea would be crossword puzzles. You can find crossword and search a word books for children at toy/book stores. These will keep your children entertained long after they have given up on the coloring books. Coloring books are not a great idea in car rides because the crayons can get lost and end up melting into the fabric.
Creative Car Games
While it is advisable to purchase some car games, all is not lost if you did not prepare in this way. There are many games you can play on your trip without objects. Twenty-One questions is always a great game to play. This sometimes gets boring for kids when the objective is too tough, but it will be fun for a little bit anyway.
There is a similar game where you go through the alphabet naming famous people by their first or last names. To be a valid answer more than one person has to have heard of the celebrity. You can use sports players, actors, musicians, and even politicians, but noone you know personally.
Punchbuggy is an all time favorite game, and some of us still play occasionally. This is the game where you get to punch someone if you see a Volkswagon Bug. Make sure you say "no punch-backs" or they can punch you right back. The novelty of this game wears off quickly, because there just aren't too many bugs driving around these days. Watch out for the punches and make sure everyone realizes it is just a game and they shouldn't punch hard.
Yet another fun game to play in the car is the license plate game. You go through the alphabet of states looking for the next letter's state on a plate. This game has been played tons of ways, and you can make your own rules up as you go along.
Board Games
If you run to your local toy store you will find many travel games of board games. They will be located near the other board games and will be in smaller boxes.
When choosing these games, find games without small parts. Many of these games with small parts will end up lost in the deep dark crevices of your car in no time. You will get really sick really fast of hunting for these pieces.
Quality Time
These days most working parents do not get to spend much time with their children. Realize that car rides are great times to get to know your child and what they have been up to. They are locked into a speeding vehicle and the only way out of your conversations is to jump, which is a doubtful outcome. But then again, depending on your discussion it is always possible.
If everything else fails try to talk with your child during the car ride. Most kids are dying to tell every little thing that is on their mind when given the chance.
Recommendation
Print out this review and keep it handy in your glove box for those emergencies when you need something to do. If you do not have a printer than just take heed of my main suggestions and give them a try. It was not too long ago when I was a child, so I can give you that viewpoint of the situation.
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kinganamort
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youve been repunked!
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