It’s that time, folks…. Time to hit the road for some summer traveling. Road tripping may be the safest bet for summer travel in 2020 but in the mid century years, it was the way to go!
We usually take a trip to the beach for the Fourth of July. Sun, sand, and fireworks! What can be better than that? It is never a long road trip, just about 5 hours (maybe a bit longer with a stop at Buc Eyes for a potty break and Beaver Nuggets) but that 5 hours seems to take an eternity in the mind of a 6 year old.
To beat the boredom of the road, here are some fun and economical ideas inspired by the How to Keep Your Kids Busy and Happy All Summer Long booklet published by the Curtiss Candy Company. I have posted about this book here, here, here, and here. Take a look, there are many fun things advised to keep your kids from melting down due to boredom.
1. Give Junior a Job
Whether he’s keeping the maps organised, looking out for the next pit stop, or keeping a log of gas and mileage, a job will make him feel proud and in control. For an older child, having a “responsibility” gives him a sense of accomplishment and part of the process.
2. Road Trip BINGO
This can be played a few ways. Print off a cute FREE BINGO card at Mom’s Mini Van, and let the fun begin! Or you can do a more traditional game with a ready made BINGO card and when a child sees a letter and number on a license plate, they cover it. This one will take more concentration and the duration of the game might be longer, but for an older child it would be a fun distraction.
3. Billboard ABCs
Mom or Dad calls out a letter and the first to find it or something that starts with that letter, on a billboard, gets the point! You can also do this with license plates, or a combo of both if there are not many billboards around. This is great for a child learning their alphabet.
4. Scavenger Hunt
This one is lots of fun and can be extended for the duration of the trip. The list can be as long or short and as easy or hard as you want. If you make it last the duration of the trip, award an exciting souvenir as the grand prize! You can customize your hunt and list to your trip or make it generic. I think a Disney theme for a WDW trip would be AWESOME.
Here is a generic beach trip list to give you some inspiration.
5. I’m Going on a Beach Trip
Replace “Beach” with whatever destination you are heading to, such as camping, historical, Grand Canyon, or even Disney. If you have ever played “I’m Going on a Bear Hunt”, you got the idea. You take turns singing “I’m going on a beach trip and I am bringing ___”. You can make it more interesting by having each player use a letter in the alphabet as it becomes their turn or have them only “bring” items that follow the theme of the trip. A beach trip might include a bikini while a Disney trip would include mouse ears.
6. Quirky Pit Stops
On our annual beach trips we try to make a pit stop at the HUGE Sam Houston statue. This is such a big statue, and lit up so well, you can see if from a mile away. Ok, that might be an exaggeration but it is like a beacon in the night. If you have traveled along Highway 45 in Texas, you know what I am talking about. Most travel routes have a few quirky stops. Back in the day, along Highway 66, there were many of these roadside attractions.
7. Travel Scholars
Learn about your destination. When we planned a trip to San Antonio, Texas, we had a mini workbook printed off about the Alamo and the key players. We had coloring pages, cross words, and important Texas facts to memorize. You can find printouts on just about any subject. I did a search for “Texas History for Children”.
8. DIY Travel Trays
This has been the best thing that I have ever included in our road trips. I started using this when Maggie was 2 years old and we still use it now at 7 years old.
There is not much to this “DIY” except putting magnets on the back of things your child would play with, like these wooden “paper” dolls (above), puzzles, dry/erase activities, etc. Also, keep a few strong magnets for holding down coloring and activity books. Bonus tip: Buy the Crayons with flat sides. They are less likely to roll away.
A bonus with the travel trays is that it can be used when eating snacks or a quick meal in the car!
9. Busy Bags
To go along with the DIY Travel Tray, make up a few “Busy Bags”. You can find all kinds of learning toys and activities in the Target Dollar Spot or your local learning store…even Dollar Tree has some fun items to include.
I used clear pencil bags (the ones that can be put in the rings of a notebook) that I picked up at Target during Back to School sales. You can find these at Dollar Tree, too. I attached about 8 of these together with book rings found at Staples (you can probably get these at Walmart or Dollar Tree, as well).
Then I just filled them with different learning toys and activities. These are great to bring on car trips, doctor appointments, or anytime you need the children to sit still and quiet. We even used them at home quiet often. If you need more ideas, check out Pintrest.
10. Travel Treasures
An all time favorite road trip activity is my bag of Travel Treasures. These are just little trinkets or maybe a special coloring book or snack (CANDY!!!) that is wrapped up special to hand out for good behavior along the trip. Maggie got her very first Barbie doll as a Travel Treasure. We included things that Maggie would use for the trip, something we might have been going to give to her anyway. Of course she did not know that….shhhhh!
Bonus: Bury Your Cows
If you are taking some back roads or your highway travels thru farming towns, a fun game to play is “Bury Your Cows.” As you drive along and see cows, you count them as fast as you can (because the car is moving and …well…you just better count fast so you don’t miss any). Be sure to add up and keep track of your cows. When someone spots a cemetery they yell out “BURY YOUR COWS” and everyone else looses their accumulated cows. At the end of the trip, whoever has to most cows wins.
Where ever your Road Trippin’ takes you this summer, we hope you have a safe and exciting adventure. Please be safe, socially distant, and come home healthy and refreshed!
Ramblings from a Housewife 