My husband and I are from two opposite ends of the country, and we live smack dab in the middle of our families of origin. In other words, we are 12 hours north of one family, 12 hours south of the other.

We also have four kids. So, you know where I'm going with this, right? We have driven more than our share of mileage with all of our offspring in tow. Some trips are memorably bad. After several of those, I decided that either something had to change, or we would have all holiday events at our house.

I decided to try putting a little forethought into our car rides, and found that they could be pretty pleasant. Following are some ideas for planning your trip, as well as making the time go faster for everyone traveling.

1. First of all, make a packing list. I use 3X5 to make lists for each child; the ones who can read simply pack their items (everything from underwear to toothbrushes to flip flops) and mark them off so I can check them. For younger children, you can either follow the list yourself, or have one of the older kids do it for you.

2. Purchase some fun activities for your kids to do in the car, such as new crayons, coloring books, etc., and don't bring them out until travel day. And, even then, don't give them the entire "bag of surprises" at once. Try to space out what give them. My friend Lydia collects McDonald toys through the year and puts them in a coffee can, then brings them out, a few at a time, during car rides.

3. During the car ride, try to get out of the car at least every two hours. For the younger children, pack a jump rope and let them use it when you get out. It's amazing how much more calm and less fidgety they become when some of their excess energy is burned off.

4. Plan for at least a few family games to play during the trip. Here are a few popular ones:
a. Most license plates have 3 letters in a series. Try to come up with a word that contains all three letters. An extra point goes to anyone who can come up with a word that uses all three letters in the order they appear on the plate.

b. "I spy" is a great one to play in a large city. Have the "guessers" ask only yes or no questions while trying to figure out what's "spied."

c. This one is a favorite of my children's. Beginning with the first letter of the alphabet, give everyone a chance to come up with a bible name, of either a person, city, or country. For example, "a" is for "Abraham", "Abel", "Aaron". Have each family member try to come up with an "a" name until someone can't think of any more. Then go to "b", etc. (good luck with "f", I've only been able to come up with two names and no cities beginning with "f". )

5. Pack some snacks, but make some of the healthy. If I pack too many bags of chips and cookies, they have tummy problems, especially since they can't get out of the car and move around, which aids in digestion.

There are only so many movies you can watch without another diversion when riding in a car. DVDs players are great, but with a little forethought you can throw in some variety, making the car ride much more pleasant.

Learn more about this author, Rachel Stockton.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Long car trip activities for kids?
We want to hear your view. Write now!