Activities for kids while on the road

"Are we there yet?"
"I'm bored!"
"Mom, he kicked me!"
These are the all too common cries of children when they embark on long car rides. Children get restless when they have to sit for hours in a car. Some children love traveling by car, while others with limited attention span constantly need encouragement and loads of entertainment.
Babies and toddlers who sleep throughout the journey do well during long car rides. When they are awake, singing and eating can keep them happy. When they get older, they grow impatient with extended car trips. They want more than just songs and snacks.
To make sure everyone is happy, including the driver, ample planning must go into the activity bag that is a must go into the activity bag that is a must have for the journey. Apart from the tangible items that fill the special bag, adults must have enthusiasm and imagination when it comes to managing children's activities.
Every family will have its won traditional car journey activities. I remember during our homecoming car trips, my mother would ask us to spot the number of families who were having their reunion dinners. Our tummies were growling with hunger, but we counted as we passed the houses along the trunk road. Try the following activities when going on a long car trip with children.
Baby animals: Young children like animals and are fascinated by the names of their young. A baby cow is called a calf (we also have a part of our body called the calf).
Throw in some humor to liven things up. Ask your child questions such as: "Is a baby horse called a horselet?" Or "B baby chicken called a chicklet?"
Counting scenes: Get your children to look out the window as you drive past different places. Ask them to spot a certain number of things when you call out the number. For example, when you call out "five", they have to say five birds (even when there are more than five). Accept anything more than your given number. Children will try to outdo each other with different things they spot.
Treasure chest: Several days before the car trip, gather a box with a lid and make an opening large enough for a small hand to through. Collect different household items that your children are familiar with. Store them in the box. when you are on the road, tell your children are familiar with. Store them in the box. when you are on the road, tell your children to take turns to put their children into the box. They can then play with these objects they pick out.
For example, two small teaspoons can be used as a percussion instrument for a sing-along.
Story starters: Children in their early primary school years enjoy making up their stories to share with others. The adults and the children in the car can take turns to make up stories. Start the story by saying: "Once a upon a time, there was a little girl/boy who loved to travel with her family. She liked all the places she visited. But there was one particular place that was her favorite. It was..."
Children can expand on the story. They can let their imagination soar to grreat heights with absurd characters and wildly fascinating places.
Clouded imagination: Look up in the sky. Ask your children what they can see. Younger children will probably describe the clouds and birds. Older children may talk about the different shapes of the clouds.
You can tell them that you can see the wispy mane of a horse in the cirrus clouds or perhaps kittens rough-housing with one another.
Color play: This is a typical "I Spy" game. You can say to your children: "I can see something blue," "I can see something green," and so on. Have your children name what they think you are describing. Reverse the roles and you can be the one guessing what your children are describing.
License plate: I remember playing this game as a child during our long car rides. Call out the number on the license plate and see who can add up the numbers correctly. This is more interesting than doing sums on paper. Ignore any letters and read the numerals out loud. For example, B 5177 will be five thousand one hundred and seventy-seven.

Jakarta Post, tuesday July 6 2010