{"id":712,"date":"2011-07-13T17:56:21","date_gmt":"2011-07-14T00:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/?p=712"},"modified":"2013-06-05T10:02:37","modified_gmt":"2013-06-05T17:02:37","slug":"family-road-trip-without-tears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/2011\/family-road-trip-without-tears\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Road Trip Without Tears"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

Road Trip Survival Tips <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Going on a road trip with young kids can be a wonderful adventure, or a disaster that makes you want to pull your hair out. \u201cAre we there yet\u201d, \u201cI\u2019m hungry\u201d, \u201cRicky\u2019s poking me\u201d, \u201cI\u2019m bored\u201d.<\/p>\n

With a few tricks up your sleeve you can make the family road trip a fun, entertaining, educational, and memorable experience. I personally have many fond memories of going on road trips with my family as a kid. My mom and dad used all these tricks to keep us happy as we traveled in the car.<\/p>\n


\nGet Prepared<\/strong>
\nWith a little preparation, and a good attitude, you will love your time on the road with the kids. Pick out a container to put your \u201chappy supplies\u201d in (AKA stuff to keep the kiddos occupied). A backpack is a great choice. It\u2019s easy to get into, has lots of pockets, and can be shoved into that little open space in the car, and you can easily carry it into the hotel, or campsite when you arrive to your destination. A backpack for each child is a bonus. Also, keeping the contents of your \u201chappy supplies\u201d container a secret until you pull each boredom buster out is a big bonus. Keep the kids guessing, making it more fun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Board Games<\/strong>
\nSmall travel games using magnets to keep the pieces in place; like bingo, tic-tac-toe, and checkers.<\/p>\n


\nCards<\/strong>
\nA plain deck of cards can be used for all kinds of different games. Some classic favorites are Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and the Memory Game. Make up your own card games. Think of a goofy name for your new game making it even more fun.<\/p>\n

Pick up some inexpensive trivia, old maid, or flash cards to keep the kids busy and thinking.<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nTimeless Car Games<\/strong>
\nPlay the \u201cLicense Plate Game\u201d. See how many different license plates you can find on your trip. Download and print a state check-off list here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI Spy Game\u201d is another fun car game. One person gives clues about something they see as you\u2019re driving; the others guess what it is. <\/strong><\/p>\n


\nColor and Draw<\/strong>
\n\"Get<\/a>Add an inexpensive clipboard for each child to your \u201chappy supplies\u201d container. This gives the kids a hard surface to use as they color and draw. The clip will hold loose papers together so they don\u2019t fall on the floor. Add crayons, pencils, paper, notebook, stickers, and any other art supplies suitable for your child\u2019s age. Download free road trip coloring page.<\/a><\/p>\n


\nSing a Song<\/strong>
\nBuy or make a CD of fun songs made just for kids. They can be silly, educational, or a combination of the two. See what Billy Gorilly has to offer at CDbaby<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Try a Kids podcast that can be put on your iPods. Billy Gorilly\u2019s Podcast for Kids is a great option for young children. Check out Billy Gorilly\u2019s free Podcast on iTunes<\/a> or listen and get free printables to go along with the podcast on Billy Gorilly\u2019s website billygorilly.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Try making up your own silly songs. One-person starts the song and the others keep adding to it. Don\u2019t worry if it sounds terrible and out of tune. The point is to have some fun laughing and bonding with the kids.<\/p>\n


\nBooks<\/strong>
\nPack a few age appropriate books for each child. Perfect to pull out of the bag when you need a bit of quiet time.<\/p>\n


\nTell A Story<\/strong>
\nAre you good at making up stories? Make up some fun stories of your own. Try adding one word at a time. Each person adds a word to the last word said. See how far you can go before you forget the first words. The kids will get a kick out of this.<\/p>\n

Listen to some audio stories. Try Aesop\u2019s Fables For Today\u2019s Kids<\/a>.\u00a0 A collection of short stories underscored with lively music. Winner of\u00a0 2011 CD of the Year Award. Each story has a valuable message and is short and sweet. Parents, you will enjoy this one too.<\/p>\n

If the kids are old enough have them write their own story. You can find inexpensive notebooks at the dollar store or staple some blank paper together to make your own personal notebook
\nGet your free “My Family Road Trip” stationery here<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\nSnacks<\/strong>
\nHaving a small ice chest stocked with healthy snacks and drinks is definitely a bonus.<\/p>\n

Cut up veggies, low-fat cheese, and fruit. Put small portions in individual Baggies so you can hand each child their very own treat. This will usually ward off the fighting. Add small bottles of water or 100% juice to satisfy thirst. Water is the best choice for the car. If they spill the whole thing you don\u2019t have to worry about all that sticky stuff on your car interior. And, it\u2019s healthy too!<\/p>\n

Of course you will probably want some sweet treats. Package individual servings in small bags and tie with a ribbon for a very special treat. This also helps with portion control. If you bring out that jumbo bag of cookies or chips you tend to eat LOTS more.<\/p>\n

First Aid and More
\n<\/strong>When you are traveling little mishaps can happen. Be prepared with a first aid kit. You never know when someone is going to cut a finger, skin a knee, or get a bug bite. Tissues for a runny nose and wet wipes are a must too. You might want to consider throwing in some paper or cloth dish towels as well. Spills and sticky fingers are bound to happen.<\/p>\n

So there you have it, with a little planning, and prep, you can make your family road trip a wonderful, educational bonding experience you and the kids will remember for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Happy Travels,<\/p>\n

Tamara
\nand the Billy Gorilly Crew<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Road Trip Survival Tips Going on a road trip with young kids can be a wonderful adventure, or a disaster that makes you want to pull your hair out. \u201cAre we there yet\u201d, \u201cI\u2019m hungry\u201d, \u201cRicky\u2019s poking me\u201d, \u201cI\u2019m bored\u201d. With a few tricks up your sleeve you can make the family road trip a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,229,23,228],"tags":[52,57,58,230,232,234,235,123,233,729,231],"class_list":["post-712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-educational-music","category-family-vacation","category-kids-music-and-stories","category-road-trip","tag-aesops-fable","tag-audio-books","tag-audio-stories","tag-car-trip","tag-car-trip-activities","tag-earlyed","tag-ece","tag-kids-entertainment","tag-prek-gr3","tag-road-trip","tag-survival-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":731,"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712\/revisions\/731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billygorilly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}