So, I'm taking my 5 children to OK and it will take me 2 days of driving to get there. I am looking for some ideas of ways to keep my kids occupied. I have a dual screen portable DVD player that will have movies. Other than that...ideas? My kids are ages 10, 8, 8, 5, 2.
I need to get everything figured out for the trip. We will be staying in a hotel the first night and I read somewhere that it's a good idea to pack a backpack with clothes for everyone so you're not dragging in 7 suitcases inside. Any other suggestions? I'm all ears.
9 comments:
I went to the dollar store and bought silly toys for each stop. If they behaved themselves, they got a treat. Kept them happy! And the new toy occupied them for a while (and with my two, that means until they disassembled it or destroyed it!)
I was also going to suggest special surprises from the dollar store. Even bottles of bubbles to run around and play with at rest stops - fun and a way to burn off some excess energy for the next leg of the trip. Also, what about making or buying some special snacks - perhaps favorite things that you don't make or buy often - and packing them in snack size baggies to hand out along the way. CD's or tapes of fun children songs that you can all sing along to.
Enjoy the special time with your kids and take the opportunity to make fun memories!
I absolutely love the cute ideas at www.momsminivan.com/toddlers
Lots of cute ideas. We have used several on our road trips to Utah.
If they get too restless, stop at a rest area, and make them run.
One thing that works for us is packing a cooler box with books and take a mobile library on the road, with colouring books, chapter books, War and Peace and what not. Lots of wordless books for the non-readers.
I made a brown paper "travel bag" for each kid and started out with 3 small things in it - A pencil, a small pad of paper, and a tootsie roll. Then, with each state, they got additions! Sometimes, we would be well into the next state before they would remember, sometimes, it was right at the state line that they were calling for their additions, but they loved it! The additions could be little toys, another snack treat, or whatever. This has worked on several road trips, including one where we were in 12 different states over a 13 day period. I hope the trip goes well! It will be awesome to have you back in Ohio! :)
I agree with the other comments! Snacks they don't usually get, movies, small toys, new toys... all good stuff. To keep track of behavior, if you want to, someone on pintrest had a supercute idea. They had clothespins with each child's name on it. The clothespins were clipped to the visor and stayed there till the child misbehaved, and then their clothespin was taken down. I think for this lady, the clothespin earned the kids a treat at the next stop and the kids all started over after each stop.
For our trips, the dvd players and DSs have been the best entertainers. Letting a kid be the "photographer" is also fun for them (although I get to peruse and delete 500 pix).
I do pack an overnight bag with a set of clothes for everyone so I only have one thing to haul in at an overnight stop. MUCH easier than lugging multiple suitcases in! And we usually try to stay somewhere with a pool to burn off all that energy from the day.
Good luck, be flexible and enjoy the ride!
I use gallon-size ziplocs to sort clothes. So I would pack PJs, diapers, toothbrush, etc. for each child in his own bag. Then those bags can go into a backpack for taking inside the hotel. I use this to organize daily outfits as well, as I can just grab a ziploc with a kid's name on it and know I have a complete outfit in it without digging through bags for socks. ;)
A time saving idea...everytime you need to stop to get gas, have them go to the bathroom, even if they don't ask beforehand.
We have 6 under 11 years and we allow each one to pack a SMALL backpack with whatever items they want to play with~matchbox cars, small planes, a book, small stuffed animal, DSi, etc. this way, they have their own choices of favorite things.
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