# Road trip games for kids?



## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

DD and I are going to be driving 900 miles in 2-3 days next week.  Last time I took a road trip of that length with her, she was a year and a half old, and slept much of the way.  But now  --  well, you can only play I Spy for so long.  What other games do you play with your kids on road trips?

There will only be the two of us.  

Almost all of it will be on the Interstate.

Reading and such isn't an option because of the likelihood of carsickness.

I've never played these games because I'm an "only" and on long car trips I talked to my parents, or watched the scenery, or snoozed.  But DD has so much energy, I'm going to need something to keep her occupied.  I'm not thinking of electronics here, but the interactive games that you don't need any supplies for (like I Spy).

If it helps:  she can read well, so anything with road signs is ok, she can do basic math, but she's not familiar with a lot of older-kid concepts like recognizing license plates from different states by color, or knowing car models.

Anybody?  Pleeeease?  (We leave on Sunday.)


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I strongly recommend Mad Libs. Yes, they require the Mad Libs books but they are funny and get the kids to think about grammar. Your only problem is that you would be the one giving all of the answers.

I think the license plate game would work. She will learn to recognize the different states and the like. 

It sounds like punch buggy is out since I doubt you want to be hitting your daughter. My parents tried banning that one, we made the rule that you had to hit in a place that the parents couldn't see and no one could cry out in pain. OK, so we were bad.

20 questions is a good one.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'd get some audio books. . . .long ones with good stories that you'll both want to listen to. Or else a small TV/DVD combo and bring some of her favorite tapes. She can watch in the back seat.

Stop frequently -- every two hours or so whether you need to or not -- and get out and run around for 15 minutes (yes you -- her too, of course) (unless she's sleeping, in which case, push on  ) Ration snacks and water/juice -- but have plenty! Get an inexpensive goofy toy for each day. . .special surprise for good behavior.

<drove cross country and back with our son between 1st and 2nd grade. drove from So Cal to Seattle with him during 3rd grade. drove from So Cal, to Jacksonville, FL to Tampa to Cincinnati to Maryland following 4th grade. So, been there; done that; got lots of t-shirts!>


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Get some kid's books on tapes to mix up the activities a bit.  Our kids also had a game boy to share.

I've made so many long road trips with the family over the years, but there was alway 5 of us.  I'm not sure how I'd keep a kid occupied the whole trip while driving with no other adult.

We've probably have taken 10 trips over the years to my in-laws 1850 miles one way, twice we made the trip from Montana to Ohio via Florida, I'm still not sure how we survived 6000+ miles in the car with 3 kids in the backseat.


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## Sailor (Nov 1, 2008)

Be sure to bring plenty of Benadryl.      Joke, I never had any kids yet!



I like coloring books and crayons, it keeps me happy on the long drives.  

Lots of fun snacks and juices that she can choose from.

Dress up doll or stuffed animal.


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## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

I would rethink "no electronics".  This isn't like a flight where you'll be able to dig into a bag, participate in the games, grab what just fell, etc.  You're going to be occupied with driving, and while stretches of the road can be dull, it's best for everyone that you concentrate on driving.  I'd look for a handheld gaming system of some type and age appropriate games and a portable DVD player (you might be able to borrow or rent one).  

Lara Amber


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## grjag (Jun 18, 2009)

We travel a lot in the summer and these are big hits with my crew.

*We like the Alphabet Game.  You can either play it everyone for themselves or cooperatively.  Using anything with letters (signs, billboards, license plates, etc.) you try to find all the letters of the alphabet in order.
*Travel bingo is a big one with us.  There are tons of internet sites that offer these that you can print off for free.
*Trivia games are big with us---we take just the trivial pursuit cards or something like them and try to answer.  
*Mad libs are a big hit with us.
*We make our own mix CD with songs enjoyed by all to listen to and sing to.
*Klutz makes a ton of activity things you can do in the car.  One favorite of ours is "Kid's Travel:  A Backseat Survival Kit."  It has activities, a tool kit, and a fun pad type thing (there are many different travel bingo cards in here.)
*My boys love maps, so I bought them each an inexpensive atlas and they follow along at times with where we are.  If things get difficult, we will often appoint one of them as navigator for a while.  Hope this helps.


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

I would definitely bring a portable DVD player and some of her favorite movies.  That has saved us many a time on long trips w/our 2 girls.  I don't know how old she is, but if she reads I'd also consider a DS or something similar to help her pass the time.  Ditto on the snacks, drinks and stopping frequently for breaks.  Good luck and safe travels!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

When I was little I actually found myself really entertained by counting reflectors.  You know, those poles they have on back roads with the little round reflective bits on them?  I'd get all excited when I saw double and triple reflectors, or one that was a different color than another.  I knew what quadruple and quintuple meant at like 5 years old because of it, and hey it helped with math, shapes and colors too when I was younger.  This was admittedly 30 years or so ago when children had bigger attention spans, but I was a video gamer and it still kept me occupied and it was one of the only "spotting things on the side of the road" games you could really play at night.

There's also the license plate spotting.  You try to see how many plates you can see from different states.  You can even get maps and stickers to keep track and it's a good way to learn the states and even capitals.  I'm starting to suspect my parents and grandparents only gave me educational road games to play.  But again, I knew states and capitals at a young age because of things like this.

Another game I learned about when I was older is really good if you're driving through farm country.  I don't know that it has an actual name, but we call it "Cows and Graveyards".  Basically you each get a side of the road and spot livestock.  Cows are worth 1 point, horses are worth 2 points, white horses are worth 5 points, herds are worth 20 points, etc.  You can pretty much assign whatever points you want to whatever thing you want. The catch is, if you pass a graveyard on your side you have to "bury all your livestock" and start over at 0 points.

More suggestions along the same theme is VW bug spotting (it doesn't have to involve punching!) or even scavenger hunts, though that requires some forethought by drawing up a list before you go.  That's nice though because it can be tailored to things you're liable to see along the way.  I also used to really like looking at billboards.  This is really only fun when you start approaching some of those tourist traps, but we live in VA and most of our road trips were headed down south which meant we got South of the Border billboards for a good 150 miles and those are pretty entertaining... probably moreso than South of the Border itself.

Those are some of the fun free games we used to play.  They're nice because you don't need to buy some cheap-o travel game, it encourages looking out the window at the actual world you'll be driving through and seeing some neat things instead of staring at a television or gameboy, and they can even help teach your child some things.  Best of all it's actually pretty fun so they'll be learning without really even realizing it.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

In addition to many of the items listed, we used to sing on road trips. Some of the songs were also games. For example, each person would sing a verse of "I Love My Rooster" and feature a new animal and then sing the lines with each of the previous animals and sounds in reverse order. The person who forgot an animal or had them in the wrong order had to think of the next activity. (So far all the versions I have heard on-line use a different tune than the one my family used.) 

We would sing other songs. However, "Moonlight Bay" and "I Love My Rooster" are the two that bring back happy memories of the road trips.

My daughter and granddaughters sing silly songs that are on the radio or CDs.

We used to also play a game where a person would say a sentence where all the words began with the same letter. The next person would need to use the next letter in the alphabet. A simpler version of the game would be to pick a category (such as Fruit) and then name an item in that category that begins with the letter A (apple), the next person would use B (banana), etc. After Z, start over again with A. If a person missed, then that person would pick the next category or game.

My daughter and granddaughters play the "Slug Bug" game with no punching. Instead they say "Slug Bug" followed by the color of the VW with "Classic" and/or "Convertible" if those apply.

With license plates, there is the game of making words by only adding vowels.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

ProfCrash said:


> I strongly recommend Mad Libs. Yes, they require the Mad Libs books but they are funny and get the kids to think about grammar. Your only problem is that you would be the one giving all of the answers.
> ///
> 20 questions is a good one.


I didn't even know they still sold Mad Libs! I remember those from... uh... 1970. And right now she doesn't know anything about parts of speech (assuming they still ask for the answers the same way), so it would be a good opportunity to teach those.

20 questions sounds good too. Thanks.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I'd get some audio books. . . .


Thanks, Ann, all good advice! Lots of road trips in my past too, just not with a kiddo along.

If we have time beforehand we'll see what kind of audio books the local library has. I'm not a big fan of them for myself but maybe they have something good for kids. I do have a small DVD player and will bring that along, and a couple of her favorite movies, but that's only going to be a couple of hours out of each day. I'm taking notes from these posts though, and taken all together they should see us through!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

sailor said:


> I like coloring books and crayons, it keeps me happy on the long drives.


We'll be doing that for the plane trip down! (In the car there's unfortunately no tray or table.)



sailor said:


> stuffed animal.


Of course The Bear will be coming along on the trip. How could it be any other way.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

LaraAmber said:


> I would rethink "no electronics". This isn't like a flight where you'll be able to dig into a bag, participate in the games, grab what just fell, etc. You're going to be occupied with driving, and while stretches of the road can be dull, it's best for everyone that you concentrate on driving. I'd look for a handheld gaming system of some type and age appropriate games and a portable DVD player (you might be able to borrow or rent one).
> 
> Lara Amber


She does have a Leapster, and several cartridges for it. Past experience has shown that that's good for about two or three hours at a time. So yes, there'll be _some_ electronic fun, but she likes to talk and ask questions and tell stories, and this is also a mini-vacation for us, so that's why I needed some interactive options too.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

alphabet game with something like
" I opened my grandmother's trunk and I found a______________"
fill in the word "apple"
next person repeats
" I opened my grandmother's trunk and I found a______________"
"apple , basket"
and so forth
also let DD put a personal bag with healthy snacks, bottle drink and her stuff like the drawing paper and personal choice
sylvia


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

grjag said:


> We travel a lot in the summer and these are big hits with my crew.
> //
> *We like the Alphabet Game.


These sound great! Thank you, this is the kind of thing I was looking for. They're uncomplicated, but I wouldn't have thought of them. Now I'm wondering whether I can teach her to read a road map yet.... (she's six).


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> When I was little I actually found myself really entertained by counting reflectors.


You sound like me. 



Scheherazade said:


> scavenger hunts


Oh, that sounds like fun! Can be tailored to the right age and comprehension, and it's even possible on the really boring part of I-95.



Scheherazade said:


> we live in VA and most of our road trips were headed down south which meant we got South of the Border billboards for a good 150 miles and those are pretty entertaining... probably moreso than South of the Border itself.


Agreed!  I wish the driving part of this trip were the southbound part, it's such fun to start spotting the palm trees at the SC state line!



Scheherazade said:


> it encourages looking out the window at the actual world you'll be driving through and seeing some neat things instead of staring at a television or gameboy, and they can even help teach your child some things. Best of all it's actually pretty fun so they'll be learning without really even realizing it.


Yep... my thoughts exactly... nothing against the handheld games themselves, but not _all day long._ But she likes to learn new stuff too, and likes to play games with me, so it's not just me pushing educational toys


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

ak rain said:


> alphabet game with something like
> " I opened my grandmother's trunk and I found a______________"
> fill in the word "apple"
> next person repeats
> ...


We used to play this on the bus on the way to meets! It was fun.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

ak rain said:


> alphabet game with something like
> " I opened my grandmother's trunk and I found a______________"


This sounds good too, as does the "personal bag" (which I usually do even on much shorter trips).

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your suggestions, I've got a great list now!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Could also try to take alternate routes that aren't so boring.  I drive down to Fayetteville a lot and when I'm in a rush I'll stick on the interstate mostly, but when I want to relax a bit it's nice to take the alternates and avoid the drab line of trees on either side of the 3 lane highway and see some of the countryside and the little peanut shops and the like set up along the side of the road.  I hardly ever take I-64 to Richmond anymore, I go down 60 and follow the "back" roads, but then I'm a sucker for driving through Williamsburg.  Most times it's almost as fast as the interstate and way more stuff to see... it's good to have a GPS though in case you run out of signs!  I ended up on some island off the coast of NC almost out of gas at like 4am trying to get to Florida once in my pre-GPS days because the signs pointing me in the right direction just stopped out of nowhere.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> I ended up on some island off the coast of NC almost out of gas at like 4am trying to get to Florida once in my pre-GPS days because the signs pointing me in the right direction just stopped out of nowhere.


LOL! Been there... not the NC island but the situation... 

My longest U.S. road trip (so far!) was from VA to Phoenix and back, seven years ago. Some of the roads were closed due to wildfires, so I had to improvise. (_What _detour signs??) Oh, and it was July, and my A/C broke. I had it "fixed" three times along the way but none of them did a repair that lasted more than 100 miles. So I drove across northern Texas and Arizona in July weather with no A/C...  (oh and did I mention I was pregnant at the time? )

And a few years ago I drove to FL... usually I'd stop midway for the night, but DD (then about two) fell asleep early and so I thought I'd just keep driving for a while... then at around midnight, just before I'm about to stop for the night, the car breaks down. Completely dead. No big problem, I think, that's what Triple-A is for. I call them and they ask me where I am, and I tell them that the last road sign I saw was for exit XYZ and that was less than five minutes of driving time ago. Not good enough!! They told me that they needed to know the mile marker, or else they couldn't send anyone out. So I looked but there were no markers in sight and I didn't know in which direction the closest one might be; I couldn't walk very far carrying DD, and of course I couldn't leave her in the car on the shoulder of the highway in the dark. I called 911 and apologized that it wasn't a life-or-death emergency but that I really needed to know where exactly I was, and that next time a trooper came down I-95 southbound I wanted them to look for my car and tell me where I was.... When the dispatcher heard that I had a two-year-old in the car on the side of the road at midnight, he said that it was indeed an emergency in his book, and someone would be by ASAP which might be half an hour or so. -- The cops came by around 1 a.m., told me the location, I called Triple-A back... they showed up at 3.30 a.m. ... towed us to two repair shops before they found one that was going to be open the next day (a Sunday), and then DD and I sat there from 5 a.m. until 8 when they opened. She had actually slept through the whole thing... which was a problem because _I _needed to get some sleep after this, and how do you safely do that with a wide-awake toddler in your hotel room?  So if the trip next week is on the boring side, it might be a nice change...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Susan in VA said:


> We'll be doing that for the plane trip down! (In the car there's unfortunately no tray or table.)


Two words: Lap Desk

They have them in kid friendly fabrics for $25 to $30 and she can use it anywhere. . . .Amazon has a selection, I'm sure. I've also seen them at places like Target and Walmart. Probably would have them at kid specialty stores too. Look in the toys & games section. . . .near coloring books and such.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Lots of good suggestions here!

We play a geography game where you start with a place...say, Virginia, and the next person has to say a place that begins with the last letter of the previous place, in this case A. So...Virginia....Arlington....New York....Kenya....Argentina....and so on. This game can go on for quite a long time.

Like others have said, track license plates from different states.

Flag-on-a-pole...every time you see a flag-on-a-pole say "flag-on-a-pole." Stupid, but surprisingly entertaining.

"Gule biel" (I have no idea if I have spelled that correctly). It is supposed to mean "Yellow car" in Norwegian. Every time you see a yellow car, say "Gule biel." Like flag-on-a-pole, sort of stupid but also entertaining.

I know the modern version is "punch buggy" for when you see a VW, but in the old days, we'd say Beetle (without any hitting). We still play the beetle version in our car.

"Cemetery swats" -- every time you see a cemetery you swat the other person. Not so good on the interstate since there aren't many cemeteries.

"The Runaway Bunny" -- this is a game we made up but you need to read the book for it to make sense. Basically, we start off like the book: "I am going to run away, and when I do, I am going to take the bus." Then the next person says, "If you are going to take the bus, then I will be the bus driver." Then..."If you are the bus driver, then I am going to be the windshield wiper on the window, so you can see where you are going." And so on....it is sort of a word association game, if that makes any sense. We've gotten into some way out word combinations.



I know others have mentioned books on CD. The Harry Potter books are all read by Jim Dale and he does an incredible job with them. I know your daughter is too young to read the books, but she is not too young to listen to them (my opinion) especially if you are there to explain parts she might not understand. They are unabridged and long, so you could pass many hours listening to these.

L


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## vsch (Mar 5, 2009)

Find a site with pictures of all 50 states license plates.  This way she will have a visual clue while looking for the plates.  have her check them off as she finds them.

Find one of those table type things people use in bed for coloring and other writing activities.

Find an old fashioned (Vintage at this point...LOL) tape recorder and make up stories together. You do a sentence and then she does. You will laugh uncontrollably when you listen to them later.

get her a disposable camera so she can scrapbook her adventures later.

portable DVD player for some quiet time.

don;t forget a book light , they are cheap and lots of fun. she can do some of the activities if you are still driving after dark.

a journal, she can do some writing and drawing of things she is seeing and doing.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I was thinking about the license plate game when we drove to WV. I know VA offers 50 different plates itself, so I don't think its the visual game it was before. Do they still have those road sign bingo games? Maybe at Cracker Barrel?

This morning on the drive in to work/daycare, I had my 3 year old point out arrows and tell me which direction they were pointing. For a 30 minute drive, this wasn't a bad game.


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

Road side bingo game with the little window that slides over the highway finds were at Restoration Harware.  They've sold them for years not 100% sure they still sell them but they were only $2.00.  I bought them a few years back for a business bus trip and we all had a blast.  I still have my board in the car.


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## GreenThumb (Mar 29, 2009)

Thank you for this thread!  We have a 500-mile trip coming up next week.  I'll be driving, with my 8 and 10 yo daughters in the back seat.  Hubby is staying home with the dogs, so it's just me and the girls.  I have printed several car bingo cards, and checked out some Harry Potter books on tape from the library.  And I'm making notes of all these verbal games, too.  This trip might not be as bad as I thought!


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

For drawing, I recommend colored pencils, not crayons. Crayons can get lost in the seat and then melt. NOT fun to clean up.

Lap desks are great! Some versions sold for use with lap tops also work great for kids in the car. It depends on the car seat. If a lap desk does not work, find a nice clipboard. The thick plastic ones can also be used with wipe-off markers.


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

GreenThumb said:


> Thank you for this thread! We have a 500-mile trip coming up next week. I'll be driving, with my 8 and 10 yo daughters in the back seat. Hubby is staying home with the dogs, so it's just me and the girls. I have printed several car bingo cards, and checked out some Harry Potter books on tape from the library. And I'm making notes of all these verbal games, too. This trip might not be as bad as I thought!


Get some PSPs in there and you are all set!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

mom133d said:


> This morning on the drive in to work/daycare, I had my 3 year old point out arrows and tell me which direction they were pointing. For a 30 minute drive, this wasn't a bad game.


I used to love doing that too! It took me a while to grasp that the up arrows didn't literally mean up. I liked spotting signs period, and brown became a favorite color pretty early (never to surpass purple of course) simply because it meant something neat. The Busch Gardens interstate sign (and any other entertainment destination) was brown instead of green, so it was always a good color simply by association. When you saw the brown sign you knew you were almost there!

And yes, I don't know why but spotting the beginning of palm trees going through South Carolina was always really exciting too. I just gotta wonder how much of this stuff that translated us as kids will carry over to kids today. It'll be interesting to know that the same simple pleasures can replace DVDs and handheld video games.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Two words: Lap Desk


I have one! It's padded and a couple of inches high... will have to see if that will fit into our carry-on bags.

Road trips are better when you can load up the car with everything you might need, instead of having to start out with carry-on bags only.

(still it's better than the other way around -- at least this way we can buy something along the way if we want without wondering how to get it home)


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Leslie said:


> "The Runaway Bunny" -- this is a game we made up but you need to read the book for it to make sense.


That was one of her favorite books when she was little! We went through two (heavy cardboard!) copies. I'll bet we could have fun with that now. 

I've been wondering about Harry Potter.... I meant to look at the first few pages again to get an idea of the vocabulary level, because I think she might be about ready for those. There will be _lots _of concepts that need explaining, but that's fine as long as it holds her interest despite that.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

vsch said:


> Find a site with pictures of all 50 states license plates.
> 
> Find an old fashioned (Vintage at this point...LOL) tape recorder and make up stories together. You do a sentence and then she does. You will laugh uncontrollably when you listen to them later.


Great ideas; I especially like these two! I'm sure I wouldn't recognize a bunch of the state plates by color without being close enough to read them either.

And I still have my old mini-dictaphone from work..... such a high-tech little gadget it was in its day (vintage 1990), and barely used... finally it has a useful purpose!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Annalog said:


> For drawing, I recommend colored pencils, not crayons. Crayons can get lost in the seat and then melt. NOT fun to clean up.


Oh, good point -- especially since it's not our car!

A clipboard -- of course -- I didn't think of that. Not sure how much writing she can do on the trip (carsickness danger) but even for marking thing off a list it would be good.

Picking up so many good tips here, I really appreciate this, folks!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> And yes, I don't know why but spotting the beginning of palm trees going through South Carolina was always really exciting too.


I never did that trip as a kid -- it's as an _adult _that I get a thrill out of the first palm trees of the trip! 

Just like flying into Tampa and driving across to St. Pete's, and seeing how far you have to go across the bridge before you see the first pelican.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Hawk spotting in the mountains is always fun, too   And we made the palm tree spotting trip quite a few times going down to Florida.  I was scared -to death- of Georgia though because of that song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". ><


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> Hawk spotting in the mountains is always fun, too  And we made the palm tree spotting trip quite a few times going down to Florida. I was scared -to death- of Georgia though because of that song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". ><


What scared me there was the frog that jumped into our car while we were driving in Savannah. I was hugely impressed by how calmly my mother sort of scooped it up with the map (while she was driving, no less) and set it back outside. <shudder>


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

by the by. . .I'm going to move this down to 'not quite kindle' where it probably more properly belongs. . . . .


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Most of the games we played when the kids were little were educational.

We have always played word games with our 3 kids. One our Teens still like to this day is a simple one, we call it follow the letter.
if I say *enjoy* the next person says a word that starts with *Y* like *yodel* ends in an *L* so next would be something like *Llama* ends in an *A* *Artichocke* 
Variations on the same game as they get older, have to stay within a subject, Like animals, or foods, or place names. Also as they got older, we no longer allowed saying the same word more than once.
We have done this since they were able to follow along, we did it at restaurants when they were little, and never had rowdy or whiney kids while waiting to eat or eating. We even had other patrons stop by and tell us what wonderful parents we were and what fantastic kids we had, and so smart.

Another idea, Flash cards. Of course there are ones like spelling or math, but you can also grab a set of the presidents, or famous landmarks, or time & money http://www.amazon.com/Money-Flash-Cards-Brighter-Child/dp/0769664806/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246627175&sr=8-10

Do you know how many kids by high school age cannot read an analog clock? IT's scaary. =(


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> by the by. . .I'm going to move this down to 'not quite kindle' where it probably more properly belongs. . . . .


Oh geez... that's where I_ thought_ I had put it... sorry! (Where was it all this time?)


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

Lots of good games/suggestions already. We have made the trip from TN or VA to UT several times with various numbers of children in the van.

The alphabet game is good (unless you are in Kansas with no signs) but we play a strict version, only signs (no license plates), only on the right side of road.

We count cows (or horses or antelope or sheep or whatever) and have a competition with it. People on the left side of the car count the left side of the road, the right side counts the right side. If you spot a cemetary, the first person who yells out "Bury your cows!" cause the other team to loose their cows and start at 0 again.

We make a list of all 50 states AND Canadian provinces. Then we start counting license plates. If we are from that state or traveling through that state, we only count one ('cause it would get insane to try to count them all)

Print a map and let them color your route or give them a map and a highlighter to mark your route.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> DD and I are going to be driving 900 miles in 2-3 days next week. Last time I took a road trip of that length with her, she was a year and a half old, and slept much of the way. But now -- well, you can only play I Spy for so long. What other games do you play with your kids on road trips?
> Reading and such isn't an option because of the likelihood of carsickness.
> Anybody? Pleeeease? (We leave on Sunday.)


Ok, Susan, I am sorry but I just can't read all of the posts as I have been away from home for a good while and have tons of things to do before my family comes for our celebration. So here are some of our games, you know my daughter is an only as well, and we travel together (alone) a lot! But they work with others as well.

We "Moo" when we see a cow and shout out "Hay" when we see bales of hay. Well it startd out before she could read so then it was really cute... now it is something we do every trip, no matter how short, without even thinking about it... we do it while we are playing other games such as...


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

"RV" Count how many RVs, travel trailers, pop-ups fifth wheels we see. First we say "RV" then after that we end up shouting out... 12, 13, 14 etc. We also say "one behind it" if they are pulling a car/jeep etc. and sometimes the other person ends up shouting that as the first person may not notice it, also we get a point for the travel bag/carriers on top of the car, RV dealers and parks count as five... really big ones count as 10 points. Try it by going to 20-25. Then switch games, my DD likes to do the game longer as she has a SUPER long attention span.

"Guess what I am thinking" Same as I spy but you give clues... I'm thinking of something that's fluffy, pink, soft.... give about three clues at first. Then add to it. Other person asks questions "Can you eat it?" etc. one question after two guesses... we don't stick with too many rules, because it is more spontaneous. I made this up while Madison was about four I guess, we drive Houston to New Orleans a lot! But when it gets dark.... no more I SPY right?.... WRONG!

"Catergory Game" "I'm going on a trip, and I am taking a baseball and a bat... (you can determine how many hints) Then you guess "Are you taking a glove?" She could say "No" because as you may have thought she was going to play baseball and "base" works and "batting glove" works "Glove" does not... WHY Because her clues lead you to believe it is one thing, she really could be just taking things that start with "B" .... so "Barbie" will even work! SHe makes up the rule in her head then lists her items, two. three. four whatever... and you start guessing, it is lots of fun with more than tow but should work fine for aa while with just you two. Madison also has a deck of "Travel Games" cards" that she looks at and reads the rule and then we try it... sometimes we like, sometimes, not so much...

DOES she get carsick for sure? Madison reads all the time in the car, and I actually have to start up the guessing game to get her to put the book down when I get tired of the silence and get sleepy!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Thanks Ravenclaw, and thanks Merry! I really like the idea of the no-supplies-needed games, and have added yours to the list. 

Some of the toys, whether electronic or not, are great too, but since it's our mini-vacation this summer I wanted some ideas for fun ways to pass the time together, not just stuff to "babysit" her. Everyone here has been so helpful; thank you all again!!

Merry, since you asked, the carsickness issue is not fully determined... (blacked out for anyone whose kids are not affected and therefore finds the entire topic revolting)


Spoiler



There was only one incident when she was about two, she hadn't been looking down at any toys but it was a very hilly road. And she's mentioned a few times that looking down at some toy or a book makes her tummy feel funny. I've told her she can try reading in the car; she just has to stop as soon as that funny feeling comes back... But since both her dad and I got carsick as kids if we were reading (he still does), and so did both my parents (don't know about his), we're kind of assuming that it's likely.... If she wants to try, she can; I just don't think it will go well for very long. And I really hope that she recognizes that "funny feeling" in time!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

We were planning to come home late from the fireworks today and then get up early to catch a flight to Tampa.  Because of the timing, everything was packed and ready for the trip before our fireworks excursion.    

Then twenty minutes before we leave to watch them, we find out that this trip is now postponed by two weeks.  GRRRRRRRR!!  Nobody's at fault (well, if you don't count shortsightedness  ), it's just a technical issue, but still...  last-minute changes of plans, especially if you have no control over them, can be so frustrating. 

The bright side:  It gives me time to find those sites that have pictures of all the license plates, and print those.  And plenty of time to make up a treasure hunt list.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Sorry your trip was delayed.    
We have also gift wrapped (or put in small decorative ziplocs) small "Dollar Tree" gifts, some that you get three to a pack etc. individually, things she would use on the trip (blow bubbles for Rest stops, cards to play on her desk etc. and keep them in a box, and she gets to choose one each hour on the hour! Even had a jump rope a couple of times, Madison got to use it for ten minutes at the rest stop while I stretched my legs, sat at a picnic table and looked at maps or made an important call to the hubby! Gets their legs moving and they burn some calories and use up energy. Sometimes the ziplocs contain a few M&Ms along with popcorn (if you allow her to eat in the car, if not the bubbles and snacks are opened just before you stop. We never spent much money on the gift bags, it was really something just to give her something to look forward to. 
BTW... I used to get carsick... well, I still do when my hubby drives his car (it's a standard) he whips in and out of traffic and jerks us around. But reading only bothers me if I look up while reading. If I close the book before looking up I don't get sick...   who knows? Sounds like you had fun today and yesterday. How far are you from DC?


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Sixteen miles from the Washington Monument.  

I think we'll experiment some with the on-board reading.  (Very carefully.)  It would be a shame to miss out on that if it's really perfectly ok on straight smooth roads.


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

Maybe she will be lucky. My mom gets carsick VERY easily, but I was able to read in the car as a kid with no problem most of the time. It wasn't until I was older that I started to get carsick (probably about the time that I started to drive).


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

Thank God I can read in the car.  If I'm not driving I can't stand to be the passenger. So if I'm  reading I'm not telling the driver what to do.  My husband likes this!


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

the word games work on the bikes too. it keeps the yongest one peddling and more cheese then wine
sylvia


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> Sixteen miles from the Washington Monument.
> I think we'll experiment some with the on-board reading. (Very carefully.) It would be a shame to miss out on that if it's really perfectly ok on straight smooth roads.


Wow! That is so neat! To be so close, and to go all the neat things around there! We did part of the Smithsonian once... wish we could have stayed about a week longer....  We had fun. I had attended a teacher's workshop over there and then my sister and my niece joined me after it was over and we rented a car and drove a good ways to Cumberland, Maryland. I had never been there. My mother was from there) We loved Maryland, so beautiful could not believe my mother got to see that beauty everyday! 
So, you now have more time to prepare for the trip. I would have your DD try to read, I only get sick in stop and go type traffic, or slowing for stop signs, red lights and curves... so long trips really don't bother me. I cannot read while driving around town! I get SO sick!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Wow! That is so neat! To be so close, and to go all the neat things around there!


You know, you're right -- and yet, I think a lot of people here don't take advantage of the opportunities that this area offers. Maybe most places are like that, if you live there you don't ever really see the touristy things.

DC (and surroundings) really does offer a lot historically and culturally and scenically, and I know I haven't seen most of it. I went to a bunch of the historical sites (Mount Vernon, White House tour, a plantation, etc.) on fourth-grade school field trips when I lived here as a child, but much of that was lost on me because I didn't speak much English yet. Then later, for years we only saw the sights when we had family or friends visiting from out of town. Now I'm getting to re-discover a lot of it as I show it to DD, and since we're still on the "easy and kid-friendly" sights, we have years of exploring left to do 

We'll try out the reading; in fact, we talked about it today and she's a little nervous about trying (what if....) but willing to do so _carefully_, a few minutes at a time to start. 

The Cumberland area is very pretty... any more DC trips in your near future?


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

do you like ginger? maybe  in the form of gingersnaps this helps motion sickness.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> You know, you're right -- and yet, I think a lot of people here don't take advantage of the opportunities that this area offers. Maybe most places are like that, if you live there you don't ever really see the touristy things.
> DC (and surroundings) really does offer a lot historically and culturally and scenically, and I know I haven't seen most of it. I went to a bunch of the historical sites (Mount Vernon, White House tour, a plantation, etc.) on fourth-grade school field trips when I lived here as a child, but much of that was lost on me because I didn't speak much English yet. Then later, for years we only saw the sights when we had family or friends visiting from out of town. Now I'm getting to re-discover a lot of it as I show it to DD, and since we're still on the "easy and kid-friendly" sights, we have years of exploring left to do
> We'll try out the reading; in fact, we talked about it today and she's a little nervous about trying (what if....) but willing to do so _carefully_, a few minutes at a time to start.
> The Cumberland area is very pretty... any more DC trips in your near future?


So you know the area? I never got to know HER so going to her hometown was SURREAL... I am trying to get my sister to go back with me... her health is not so good, so maybe this Fall, I would love to see at that time of year. Last trip was in May a couple of years back... Loved the Baltimore area too!

I am happy to hear she is willing to try, tell her she is being very brave!  Buy her one of those little wristbands with that button on the inside that presses on her inner wrist... they work, I use this yellow one every roadtrip when I am a passenger, have had it about 10 years. She will like it too because they come in pretty colors.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Cowgirl said:


> Thank God I can read in the car. If I'm not driving I can't stand to be the passenger. So if I'm reading I'm not telling the driver what to do. My husband likes this!


I've also found that I can read more easily on the Kindle in the car. In recent years I had a hard time reading a book or magazine in the car but with the Kindle, no problem at all. Check off another benefit for the K!

L


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## grjag (Jun 18, 2009)

We also pack a ball or bubbles or other "movement" toys to encourage them to run around and stretch their legs at a rest stop or park if we find one.  It helps so much.


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