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Traveling With Small Children

When you’re on a long road trip with preschoolers, things can get a little noisy.  After hearing “are we there yet?” a Long dozen times in two miles, you could begin to wish you and your kids had just stayed home.

But, fatigued traveling parent, relax. There’s hope.

trave tips

Planning is key when introducing your preschoolers to the delights of the road trip.

Furnish entertainment – The night before the trip, ask each child to choose 3 to 5 toys or activities to take along. Helping select the activities makes the child feel a part of the trip, and they’re likely to select activities they’ll enjoy.

In addition to the child picking activities, mom or dad had better pack a couple of activities as surprises. Unexpected toys will help break the monotony of road travel. Coloring books and crayons, books, pocket games, window markers and play clay will help keep your child occupied.

When the toys and games from home suffer from their ability to entertain,another travel tip is turn to fun and interesting road games. See who can find a lot of blue cars in 2 miles, or count out of state license plates. Older kids will have fun counting how many license plates have the letter “C” or the number 4. Parents and kids can take turns telling a story, round robin style. One person starts, telling the beginning of the story and then passes it on to someone else. The next person continues the story, and then passes to the next.

It’s inevitable, a hundred miles out of thin air your child will pipe out with, “Mommy, I’m thirsty.”  And, we all know, a thirsty preschooler is a whining, unhappy preschooler. Be prepared for middle of nowhere snack requests with fun, easy to eat snacks prepared and waiting in a cooler. Sliced apples and peanut butter, celery stuffed with cream cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches cut into fun shapes, veggie sticks, or bananas make great on-the-road snacks for preschoolers. Select drinks with a minimum amount of sugar for the trip, you do not want your kids hyper and restless because of too much sugar. Juice boxes or pouches are not good choices in the car. When your child squeezes the container, juice will spray the entire car.     

Road trips with your preschooler can be a fun chance to learn about and with each other. Plan ahead with healthful snacks and fun activities and make the trip memorable for all of you.