August 24, 2008 9:22 AM
Kids and car trips - beyond videos
Hey Barbara-I was wondering if you have any suggestions for some activities for a 5 hour car trip for my 16 month old?
My older boys- 5 and 3 are perfectly satisfied to spend their time watching the much anticipated movies we don't watch at home. A big advantage of not watching many movies at home- they are a special treat for long car trips!
However- my youngest boy isn't too interested. Any ideas what he would like for the car?
I'd also like any ideas for fun things for the older 2 boys as well to deter them from watching movies a majority of the time.
G
Well, you've come to someone with experience, that's for sure. I travelled cross country with 10 kids from Petaluma, CA to Purcellville, VA - nearly 3000 miles in ten days in a 15 passenger van and a small pickup truck driven by my oldest son Josh. It was one of the most memorable times of my motherhood.
Before I answer your question directly, though, I need to do a soapbox about videos in cars:
I may be stepping on toes here - I DO NOT like the idea of kids watching movies in the car. I just don't. Our kids are already spending too much time in passive visual consumption and then being left with no resources for meeting their own entertainment needs - hence being bored when there's nothing to watch and never developing critical thinking skills.
If you have a vehicle with a video player, I suggest you turn it off and tune into your kids yourself. These times together in the car can be aome of the richest bonding moments your child will remember.
If your child is used to being passively entertained while riding in the car, he may balk. But parents have much to gain by getting their children over this unnecessary consumer dependency and building a foundation of self-reliance.
My first suggestion is music. Music that is pleasing to your children to begin with - either kids' music (Raffi, Joe Scruggs - see Barbara's Picks and please add your own faves in comments) or classical music. If you don't own classical music, you can tune it in on a radio station. You'll find that much of it is very soothing and all of it is interesting enough to keep most children from being bored.
You can also sing with your children - old American standards. If you've forgotten, see this SingAlonglist I link at Mommy, Teach Me!. This part of our musical heritage is in danger of becoming extinct and your work to pass these historical pieces on are a real legacy you can leave your children.
You can teach your children to recognize tree species and look for them out the window. Don't underestimate the power of preschoolers to absorb vocabulary - this is an important part of the Montessori approach - using Montessori's Three Period Lesson, you can teach them even the Latin names and they will know them for life.
You can do the Sound Game (which you can read about here, or in more depth in Mommy, Teach Me to Read!), bringing your child's awareness to the sounds of which words are composed - and laying vital groundwork for future reading skills.
Emerging readers can be taught to look for letters in license plates and signs. There's a game where kids look for an A first, then a B, and so on until they go through the whole alphabet.
Once kids are conversational, riding in the car is pure joy - sitting in close proximity to an older child for a period of time can stimulate discussions which just might not have had time to happen at home where we might be too busy to take the time to sit down and talk.
But to arrive at the place where your child is a conversational adult, you must nurture his or her potential to think and to share and to appreciate quiet moments with the people he loves.
Yes, it might be difficult but you will see it was so worth it - every minute not spent in passive entertainment - when your children are grown.
Thanks G, for allowing me a moment on my soapbox. I know it doesn't fit your question exactly, since you obviously are placing limits on videos in the car and at home, but I wanted to give some food for thought to other moms.
To answer your question specifically, the music and finger plays would be great for your 16-month old. You can teach your children the songs and gestures in advance and they (and you) could take turns sitting beside the youngest to keep him cued.
As far as car toys go, MagnaDoodles are great. And I'm sure some readers have ideas too.
Posted in Mothering, Preschoolers | Permalink
Comments
I've never liked the idea of videos in cars, either. It bothers me the way we all seem to need to be entertained wherever we are, and can't really seem to entertain ourselves.
My kids listen to music and talk in the car. We've taken several two day car trips, and I've never worried about finding ways to entertain them, because they've always entertained themselves. I do talk to the older ones, if they are sitting by me. My husband uses the car as an opportunity to teach the kids all the music he loves, from Johnny Cash to Christian ska.
Posted by: Michelle Potter | August 24, 2008 12:30 PM
We used to travel for 8 hours twice a year, and it is extremely hard with small children. We also limit tv and video, so we did use that in the van.
However, we do not watch non-stop videos. Usually the first hour or so, the children look at books, and play car games (find the alphabet letters, etc.). After they start to get restless, we pass out a snack and listen to an audiobook. You can usually check some good ones out of the library in advance.
It is later in the day, when everyone is completely sick of being the van, that we put on a video. If we are driving through bedtime, then we turn off the video and play some soothing music.
For toddlers, I set aside some toys that will be new to them before the trip. You can ask friends if they have old Happy Meal toys that they would like to be rid of. One of the best car toys is a keychain sized retractable measuring tape. It keeps them entertained for a very long time! We also sometimes get the Crayola magic markers, which we normally don't buy. I once let a toddler color all over herself with a washable marker, and then wiped it all off before eating a Cracker Barrel.
For the older children, we would go to one of those Bargain Books stores and let them choose a new DK Eyewitness book, or art book with lots of color prints to take on the trip. Something big with lots of pictures. The discount bookstore has the out-of-print ones for around $8 each, and it was worth it for several hours of enjoyment.
Posted by: Kelly | August 24, 2008 12:45 PM
I am SO glad to hear you say this. It has boggled my mind for ever now as to why we MUST have tv and movies in cars. We DO NOT. I so agree with you, play music, love Raffi, and the Sing Along songs, play car bingo, there are travel games that can be thought up, or bought, magna doodles or "doddles" as our kiddos call them are an awesome no mess toy for the car, count cows, point out the horses, or hawks flying overhead, types of cars, etc..... We made trips across the country with 6 kids and with not a movie in sight. I know sometimes it makes it easier, but my kids have learned to enjoy the trip, see whats on the way.... I hope so many more parents read this and take your suggestions to heart. What a better time to intereact with your child, then when everyone is contained in the car, LOL!!! ; )
Hugs
Amy
Posted by: Amy | August 24, 2008 1:55 PM
We just returned from Ontario after driving 25 hours over 2 days. Our kids ranged from 4 to 13 and each had a back pack with books and games that were age appropriate. My 9 year old was in charge of recording all the various state/province license plates and my oldest breezed through his summer novels before we arrived! (I cannot read in a moving vehicle, but interestingly, Sudoku puzzles don't require the same eye motion and do not make me sick).I had picked up a audio book of The Vinyl Cafe and even though it would be considered an adult selection, my kids loved listening to a family's crazy adventures and commented afterward about the antics.
I have to say, I think the cookie sheet in my four-year-old's backpack was the best item, it provided a place for him to snack on, to place magnetic letters on and to colour on. It fit so nicely in the front seat's back pocket during the trip and was within easy reach for me to take out or stow. We did rely on video entertainment for late-night portions of the trip, when it was too dark to do much else. We usually provide Little House on the Prarie, or Ann of Green Gables as video picks as they usually create conversation afterward.
Posted by: Kelly | August 24, 2008 2:50 PM
We have recently discovered classical kids series. They are classical music from 1 composer with a story about the composer told around the music. My kids have really enjoyed them on trips. The ones we have tried and liked so far are Mr. Beethoven lives Upstairs, Mozart's Magic Fantasy, and Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery.
My husband is also very good at reading aloud, so he will often move to the back of the van and read something he thinks they will like. Recent Daddy read alouds are:
Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkein
Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Hoka, Hoka, Hoka by Gordon Dickson and Poul Anderson
Little Fuzzies by H. Beam Piper
A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman
Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop and Janet Joly
Posted by: Jane Duquette | August 24, 2008 5:54 PM
Toddler activities in the car: Stickers, plastic slinky, soft balls, Magnadoodle, stuffed animals. I usually prop up a bag of toys and comfort items where my little guy can reach it and after a while they all end up on the floor and at the next stop I fill it up again. (I usually have a few new toys, and hide old ones for a while before we travel.) We just spent a month traveling cross country between base assignments and visiting family. My little ones (16 mo. & 3) also slept more than I expected, which was nice.
Music: Sandra Boynton has a book/cd collection called Blue Moo that is delightful! For the Kids is another favorite album of kid's music. I also got the Bible on CD for my birthday, and we listened to the Old Testament while we drove!
Posted by: beccy | August 24, 2008 6:38 PM
My kids love to play with pads of post-it notes in the car. The littler ones like to stick them all over the place -- car seats, windows, themselves, etc. -- while the older ones draw on them and make their own trading cards with superheroes of their own creation.
When I was a kid my mother played Woody Guthrie's Nursery Days records for us. I found them on CD and my kids really enjoy them.
We try to do the bulk of our driving at night. Mostly the kids sleep but if they don't they enjoy looking at the lights and the different perspective the darkness brings. The kids also think it's great fun to get into the car in their pajamas with blankets and pillows. If you do this you MUST remember to pack their shoes. I didn't even think of it because they were wearing footie pj's. Trust me, you don't want to be running to WalMart for kids' shoes on the morning of your cousin's wedding.
Posted by: Molly | August 24, 2008 8:53 PM
I agree, Magna-Doodles are great. They are easily broken/worn out, but we've happily replaced them several times.
Audio series and audio books are our favorite trip tool. "Jungle Jam" is one humorous Bible friendly series that the whole family enjoys, as is "The Pond". Of course, many kids like Focus on the Family's "Odyssey", and they have some good Radio Theater offerings as well. My kids really enjoyed their "Secret Garden". For kids 8 and up, though I'm not keen on Vision Forum for reasons you've written about here, I do find their "Jonathan Park" series to be a unique and invaluable resource for learning about the science of creation theory in a fun way. Someone else mentioned "Classical Kids", which is also pretty good, though some of my kids like it more than others.
For the toddler/pre-school set, we love Karyn Henley CD's for their wonderful songs and stories. And the scripture *I* know the best is from old "Hide'em In Your Heart" cassettes. I wish those still played! Wee Sing tapes are great for the traditional finger plays, though an adult would not enjoy listening to them repeatedly.
Posted by: Marian | August 24, 2008 8:55 PM
For a 16-month old... definitely drive through his nap time!
In general... we also do not do TV/videos in the van. (Not so much at home either, since the boys imploded the TV.)
One of my boy is HoH, so books on tape/CD don't work very well. Actually, he can usually hear the speaking, if it is JUST speaking, but most are "gorped up" with a lot of sound effects that obscure the dialog. (Mini mom-rant!) He likes to read in the car. But my oldest boy gets carsick... no reading for him! And the youngest goes with the flow. (He LOVES looking at maps, even as a toddler. Go figure.)
Sometimes we play the alphabet game, different than yours. Look out the windows and what do you see that starts with "A". (Asphalt! Aid Car. Ambulance. Boy. Boxes. etc.) Okay, we fudge on the really hard letters and look for them in license plates :0) Even if the kids are too little to read they can understand the beginning sound.
Doesn't have to be things you see... alphabet animals, or whatever.
Tell "Tall Tales", where everybody adds a section.
And, of course, we have "van toys".
I think it's just what the kids have learned to expect. We've never put a TV in the van, and (gasp!) we don't eat in the van either - too gross. The boys all have water bottles and we stop to stretch our legs and get a snack.
Posted by: Julie | August 25, 2008 1:28 AM
Here are some ideas we used when we drove cross-country with a 2 yo and 3 yo back in 1999, pre-integrated video systems--without AC during a record-setting heatstreak:
-small backpack for each child's "activities"
-cars for boys (check at the dollar store)
-animal figures (also check at the dollar store)
-etch a sketch
-Colorforms, if you can find them
-Crayola ColorWonder is great for roadtrips--they can't ruin anything but the included paper/activities, although if you have a long trip or large family, it can be cost-prohibitive
-small dolls (dollar store!)
-inexpensive picture books (you guessed it, dollar store!)
-multiple coloring bookings and colored pencils or markers
Almost everything we've ever taken to entertain the kids on road trips has been acquired at the dollar store. I dislike dollar stores most of the time, but when a long trip is in the future, variety of activities is essential. Also, heaven forbid--something gets broken or lost--you haven't dropped a bunch of money.
Also, consider saving paper that is going to be thrown away at work and cutting it in half and stapling it together to create FREE drawing/doodle pads.
No matter the age of the child, invest in good water bottles/sippie cups that are spillproof.
Posted by: Ceci | August 26, 2008 4:28 PM
