Travelling can get very boring, especially for
kids. Here are some ideas to help the journey go smoothly.
If travelling a long way by car, split your journey
up by stopping at a motel overnight.
Visit our travel game store for lots of
fun ideas.
You could buy small gifts from your local Disney
Store & wrap them up. On the journey, give them to the kids to open.
Print out pages from websites (such as this one!),
or take a guidebook & plan your itinerary,
read up on tips, etc.
If your kids have a favourite toy (not too large)
make sure they take it along.
Give the kids some colored pipe cleaners for bending
into different creations.
Take a gamboy, or other hand-held
game.
Take along the The
Ultimate Disney Trivia Book 4 & take it in turn asking questions.
Word game - Everybody gets a pencil and paper.
Someone has to be the timekeeper (a good job for a grown-up). The timekeeper
picks a letter, tells it to everyone else and shouts "Go!" Players write
as many words as possible that start with that letter. When a minute
is up, the timekeeper says "Stop!" and all the players put down their
pencils. Whoever has the most legitimate words wins. Decide in advance
whether you can finish writing a word you've already started when the
game ends. Now, give yourself one more minute to write a sentence with
as many of the words as you can.
Car game - Invent stories about people in the
car next to yours. What do you think they do for work? What's their
favorite food? Where do they go on vacation? Get into lots of details,
such as whether they snore loudly or are afraid of spiders. Give them
names, hobbies, pets and so on.
Character game - Start with any Disney character
- Simba for example. The next person has to think of a Disney character
that begins with the last letter of 'Simba', such as 'Aladdin'. Whoever
goes next needs a character that starts with N. You may not use the
same name twice in a game
Name game - One player thinks of a famous person,
place or thing. Everyone else gets to ask the player 20 questions, which
must be answered "yes" or "no." For example, "Does it know how to read?"
is a valid question, but "What's its favorite book?" is not. Whoever
guesses correctly gets a turn to think up something.
Take a pad of paper, along with some markers,
pencils and pens for playing games like tic-tac-toe and hangman.
Take a travel game - monopoly, battleship, etc
- or a pack of cards.
Take along a sticker book or coloring book.
Buzz game - This is a team effort to try to reach
100 without making a mistake. Take turns counting, beginning with one.
Every time you get to a number that's divisible by seven (7, 14, 21)
or has a seven in it (17), say "Buzz" instead of the number. If one
person forgets to say "Buzz," everyone has to start over. If this is
too hard, say "Buzz" for every number that's divisible by five. If you
want a real challenge, try Fuzz Buzz. Say "Fuzz" for every number with
a three in it or that's divisible by three, and "Buzz" for every number
with a seven in it or that's divisible by seven.
Car game - Starting with A, find words on signs
that begin with each alphabet letter. The first person might spot a
billboard with the word "all" on it. The next person might spot the
word "brake" on a road sign. After you get through the alphabet, find
all the numbers from one to 100.
"When we travel by car, we always have plenty to do for our four
children. However, the thing that creates the most excitement for us
are the "over the state line bags"! We fill a brown paper lunch bag
for each child w/ toys, snacks, etc for each state we will go through.
As we enter a new state, they have to let us know and then they get
their bag for that state. They love it and the novelty of their car
items doesn't wear off as fast since they are getting them at different
times. I have to strategically put items like candy in the later states
so the idea doesn't backfire on us! Not only does it give them something
to look forward to, but it is also a geograpy lesson!" Audra in
PA
Flying
If possible book a non-stop flight, then you won't
have the hassle of changing flights.
Arrive at the airport early & allow yourself
plenty of time to check-in.
Make sure you & your kids wear comfy clothes,
& take some extra clothes for the kids in case of any accidents.
Planes can be cold, so ensure that you wear warm clothes.
Ask if the kids can go up to see the flight deck,
but make sure you ask early on in the flight, not when it's nearly time
to land!
Scavenger hunt game
Test your skills of observation. Compete against
each other or work together as a team to spot all the items below. Look
for one or two at a time and work your way down the list. Each time
your team finds something, everyone gets a treat, such as a coin. When
you're finished spotting as many items as you can, make up your own
list. Make sure the items are challenging, but not too difficult to
find.
In the car - Dog in a car, Light-blue pickup truck,
Sign with the word "welcome" on it, Ambulance, Statue, Crane, Sign with
the word "no" on it, Somebody wearing a hat, Car with big dice hanging
from the rearview mirror, Boat, Bus stop, Car pulling a trailer, Motor
home, Tennis court, Farm animal, Skyscraper, Bridge, Swimming pool,
School, Mountain, Tractor,Bird of prey, Detour sign.
On a plane - Hear someone speaking in a foreign
language, Traffic below, Person with hair that is two different colors,
Laptop computer, Person in a uniform, Father holding a baby, Mustache,
Wire-rimmed glasses, Red dress, Person in an apron, Dessert, Briefcase,
Soda can, Walkman, Somebody sleeping, Pillow and blanket, Cloud , Another
airplane, Mountain range, Candy, Lake, Bare feet, Someone wearing socks
without shoes, Detective novel, Blue tie.
Do you have any ideas or tips to add? Email
me!
