Traveling with Children: Car Trips That Lead To Positive Memories
2008 January 28 by: Scott
Some of the most memorable times that your children will share with you in the future is the family times spent traveling together. These memorable times, however, will not come easy for most families. It takes planning, changing schedules, communicating with co-workers and of course, someone to watch the dog and feed the cat.
Car Trips Bring Families Together
Traveling in a car with children more than one hundred miles can be a nightmare for some families. Even if you have a big SUV equipped with DVD players and music channels for everyone to plug into, you still have the potential sibling rivalry to wrestle with, the potty breaks and, of course, questions like “When are we going to get there?” Child psychology and child development advocate Dr. Richard Gallagher is here to answer that question.
“When are we going to get there?”
You’ve been packing for days. Finally, you’re done and everything is in the car. You buckle up, turn on the radio, set the cruise control, and within minutes, you hear those four familiar, annoying words: “Are we there yet?”There are 200 more miles to go.Whether it’s a much needed vacation or a family holiday outing, just getting there can be exhausting. What parents can do? Here are some tips that can make any trip go a little easier.
- Consider the child’s age. You can make the whole process less stressful if you understand the developmental level of your child and plan accordingly. A child’s attention span increases with age. A toddler, with an attention span of about fifteen minutes, will need a variety of toys to get through a long car trip, but a game or activity may occupy a school-age child for more than an hour. Keep these developmental differences in mind when you pack for the trip, and provide a greater variety of stimuli for very young children or those with short attention spans. Let them know a trip is coming up. The younger the child, the less time they need for preparation. Repeatedly telling a 6-year-old about a trip to Disneyland 3 months in advance can unleash excitement that is difficult to contain. Involve your children in planning. If children are old enough, let them pick out toys to occupy them. Also, plan where you will stow these diversions.
- For school-age children, it may be helpful to place a basket with books, drawing pads, and electronic games within easy reach. For the younger child, too many toys may be overwhelming. So provide them one at a time at appropriate intervals. Keep other items such as messy toys, medicines, or snack foods out of their reach. Traveling long distances on an airplane – where you can’t pull over at will – can be even more demanding. So take extra care in planning your trip.
- Make frequent stops Every experienced parent knows to remind children to go to the bathroom before they start their trip. But even with this precaution, young children may announce sudden needs for a rest stop. If you are driving, plan to stop frequently, announce upcoming rest stations, and include rest time in your itinerary. Even if no one needs to use the facilities, everyone should get out and stretch. If you plan ahead, you can identify state parks and even work a short hike, jump rope, or game of catch into your trip.
- On plane trips, allow children to move around as much as possible during stopover time in airports. Have an eating plan. Healthy or favorite food can be hard to find on the road, so think about bringing it along. Fruits are great fast foods that can be packed ahead of time. But try not to use food as a way to alleviate boredom, either for adults or children. Stick to regular snack and meal times, rather than making your trip a day-long excuse for eating.
