by Sue Langeder

Created on: February 14, 2010

Traveling with children long distances can be an experience we want to either relish or forget. If you prepare yourself with a few travel games before you leave, it can make the trip a lot happier.

1. The number plate game - in the United States, there are 50 states, therefore 50 different number plates, plus additional variations including military and government plates  If you are going on a trip that will take a few days, this is the perfect game to keep the little ones looking out the window. It helps them develop their observation skills as well as their concentration.

2. I Spy - there are a number of variations on this, based on the child's age. You can say 'I spy with my little eye, I see something that's green', or 'I spy with my little eye, I see something starting with the letter R'. Just make sure that they are clear that they have to be constantly seeing what they 'spy' - it can't be a gas station you drove passed.

3. The Letter Game - You choose a subject - food, jobs, animals, sea life, vehicles, etc. You go one by one around the car starting with the letter 'A' coming up with a word that is suitable for your subject. For instance, the driver might start, and the subject may be animals, so the driver says 'A for aardvark', the next person says 'B for beaver', the next says 'C for cat, the next says 'D for dog' all the way to Z. A variation on this game is to use an adjective in the same letter to spice it up. 'Amorous aadvark', 'beautiful beaver', 'clumsy cat', 'daredevil dog'. It can cause a few laughs.

4. For pre-schoolers, you could print off some print outs of things that they may see while driving along the road. They could be pictures of a cow, a fence, a bus, a stop sign, a cyclist, a McDonalds restaurant, whatever it is. They can look out the window and each time they see one of the pictures, they can give it a tick.

5. A variation on the number plate game is coming up with three words that are the initials of the number plate. For instance, the number plate could be 964 WIJ, so you could come up with Weird Idiotic Juror, Womanising Insulting Jackass, or Woeful Independent Jail. This will create a car full of laughs. 

There are plenty of things to keep the little ones, and not so little ones occupied when on a long road trip. Who knows, if you play your cards right, it might even be the best family trip ever.

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