Car Tricks for Kids
February 8th, 2008The video screens with their flickering images can been seen through the rear window. It seems more and more people are opting to have DVD players installed in their mini vans and SUV’s. The days of singing and playing I Spy are giving way to video’s and hand- held Game Boys.
I must admit, we bought a portable DVD player for the car/kids four years ago. Bill and I still agree it’s one of the best investments we’ve ever made. It has saved our sanity when a ferry gets canceled or is delayed. Watching a video actually helps our daughter NOT get carsick on the road to Whistler.
We limit watching the DVD player to nighttime. On day trips, we try to engage the kids in meaningful conversations. These dialogs usually last about three minutes. Over the years, we’ve logged thousands of miles, either commuting to Fernie, B.C., or over to Vancouver Island, B.C. and now more recently, up to Whistler, B.C. In addition to sleeping, here are just some of the things we do to help keep our kids entertained on the long commutes:
Car Tricks
Brain Teezers
- Give the kids an answer like Canada and ask what the question is
- One person picks an animal and everyone else has to guess what it is
- Give famous lines from Disney movies or hum the songs and get them to name the movie
Card Games
- Brain Quest - 1,000 questions and answers - it comes in every grade level, and asks questions like, “Which takes up more space: hot air or cold air?”
- Professor Noggin’s Series - we have the Wildlife of North America Card game, but they come in a variety of interests. Example: Barn Swallow - do I eat fruit, insects or seeds?
The card games are great, but I tend to get a bit car sick reading the questions.
Make Up a Story
- This is still one of my all time favourites - Someone starts off the story and we go around the car with everyone adding to it. The kids really enjoy this one.
Car Bingo
- One of my friends made up her own version of car bingo - it was a binder filled with things the kids would see on their way to the Drummheller Dinosaur museum. Every time they spotted something, they put a sticker on the box. She made one for each of her three sons to keep them occupied on the long car ride. It was a work of art. I should also add she’s a teacher.
If you have any tricks for keeping your kids amused on the way to the cabin or anywhere else, I would love to hear what works and what doesn’t.
Cheers,
Julie
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February 9th, 2008 at 2:23 am
– Depending on the age of your kids, this is fun: take a road map of the area that you are traveling in and photo copy it - one for each child. [I would reduce it to about an 8×14″ size to make it easier to handle] Then take a highlighter and mark the route you’re taking. The kids can then have their own map to follow!
– Road Alphabet: On departure you must find find words that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order. It can be any word on any sign, car, building, etc. License plates don’t count! (I always get stuck on Q, but I eventually find it!) Then once you get to ‘Z’, you go backwards until you’re back at ‘A’ !
– Give your kids a digital camera to take pictures of anything that interests them. If you have a laptop with you, you can then upload them and make a storyboard or slide show of their photos! A child’s perspective is so refreshing!
– Guess Who?: We still play this a lot - around the campfire, etc. I posted this here before but here are the rules: First person starts and thinks of a Character or Celebrity but does not tell anyone. It can be a fictional character [like Roger Rabbit or Yogi Bear] or a real person [like Michael Jordan or Kevin Bacon] or a movie/TV character [like Harry Potter or Lassie], a musician, sports figure, etc. Anyone famous. The possibilities are endless. Everyone else asks questions of you that you can only answer YES or NO to. Let’s say you pick Harry Potter. The game might go like this:
Are you alive? YES
Are you a male? YES
Are you on TV? NO
Are you in a movie? YES
Are you the main character? YES
Was this movie made in the 90s? NO
Is it a family movie? YES
Are you an adult? NO
Do you wear glasses? YES
etc etc etc.
Your turn is over when someone guesses your character/celebrity. That person then picks a character and it goes on as long as you want!! You can be flexible if you wish and decide ahead of time how picky you want to be with the rules! It’s really a lot of fun - for every age too!