On the Coast – Families Issue 97 I December/January 2019 | Page 16
Useful tips
to help with long car trips
this holiday season
By Laura Kiln
PgDip (CBT) (Child & Adolescence), BSc (Hons) CMHN
GET ORGANISED!
There are plenty of great
organizational gear you can get
for your road trip to help cut down
on spills and other messes. Several
companies make seatback pouches
and organizers where you can store
all of your kid’s snacks, games, and
toys. Cheap shoe organisers work just
as well as a purpose made one! From
using shower caddies to enjoy meals
on the go to putting cupcake liners to
keep your car cup holders clean.
I also love the idea of using cheap
bathroom suction tidy baskets
to stick on the door/
window to keep
The key to
colouring pens
safe and save you
a successful road
having to lean
back and try
trip is choosing your
to locate the
fun wisely and
missing colour!
A cheap plastic
stopping to let your
splash in a wave pool
cereal storage
and pack inflatable balls
box is also a great
kids get enough
that will pack back flat to
way to have a bin
exercise.
save space.
with a lid, to collect
rubbish in a non-spill
IDEAS TO PASS THE TIME
way.
If you have young children and
I used to have a lunch box with hard
feel wholesome, adapt well-known
sides and a Lego board fitted to the
children’s stories into tales involving
base and Lego pieces placed into a
your children themselves. You can do
smaller container to fit inside the
this by replacing the main character’s
whole box.
name in a classic Fairy tale with your
These handy hacks can help cut
child’s name so that it becomes, for
down on messes and keep your children
instance, Phoebe and the Three Bears
entertained on long drives.
(“And then Phoebe tried the medium-
The key to a successful road trip is
sized bowl of porridge...”). The thrill
choosing your fun wisely and stopping
of an ego-centric toddler hearing
to let your kids get enough exercise.
themselves thrust into unlikely
While roadside parks make for great
adventures involving beanstalks, glass
destinations for a quick picnic, you might
slippers and witches even when they
want to head to a local attraction for
suspect they might have “heard one
more fun on your trip.
like this before” buys valuable time.
On a hot summer’s day, there’s
nothing better than getting out of the car Alternatively set them up counting
passing Minis or cars of a particular
and having some splashy fun. Whether
colour. Warning! When the journey
you prefer to float down a lazy river,
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KI DZ O N T H E C OA S T
ends, an enthusiastic child might well
continue to point out minis or red cars
for some considerable time!
The “first one to see” game kept my
kids occupied, eg the first one to see a
post box/bus stop etc
Audio books played out loud in the car
for everyone to listen to, or with head
phones, is a great way to pass an hour
or two.
Playing “I Spy,” the guessing game
where the first player says “I spy with
my little eye something...” then gives a
clue to something they can see.
Another popular game is the
“Alphabet Game,” where each player
tries to find something of each letter.
From popular pen and paper games
like ‘hang man’ and travel bingo to
mobile art stations like the Crayola
Colour Wonder Markers Mess Free
Activity Set, to UNO, these must-
have travel toys and games for family
road trips keep that boredom in the
backseat at bay.