subject: Keeping Kids Occupied During Road Trips [print this page] We all dread it at times. How do you keep your child occupied during long road trips? Luckily, in this day and age, it seems as if there is a never ending supply of gadgets and gizmos to get the job done. For instance, between dvd players, video games, mini board games and other forms of entertainment, parents all around the country are thankful for these little forms of distraction to help keep their young ones on a good streak for hundreds of miles at a time.
Even if you don't have a vehicle with a built-in DVD player, this isn't quite the issue that you may think it is. For instance, did you know that you can pretty much go to any Kmart, Target, Best Buy or other electronics store and pick up a relatively inexpensive DVD player for $100 or less? Trust me, the money that you will expend on a DVD player will go a long way when you have been driving for over five hours with small children in the seats behind you.
When you are traveling with kids, most children have short attention spans. They also have smaller bladders. This is why it is a good idea to stop frequently so that they can get out, run around and use the bathroom. Encouraging your child to run around or even take a break where you throw a frisbee, etc. is a great way to help them get out some of their energy so that they are more relaxed for the next leg of the trip. Additionally, getting fresh air is always a good thing versus being cooped up inside of a minivan or some other kind of vehicle.
The next thing that you should be cognizant of is the fact that the more distracted your children are (or other people's kids are), the more it puts you at risk for becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident- every person's worst nightmare. Not that long ago, there was a story in the news that shocked people around the country in which a young woman was driving her kids and her brother's kids back from a party in upstate New York when she drove down the wrong side of the road and wound up crashing her car. Everyone in the vehicle was killed. It was later found out that the woman had been drinking earlier and had taken drugs. The fact of the matter, however, is that parents have a responsibility to not only themselves and the children they are transporting, but they also have a responsibility to other drivers to be safe in their driving habits.
If you know that you are the kind of person who gets distracted easily, then you need to figure out a way to keep the distractions to a minimum. Learn to glance back at your kids using one of your mirrors versus turning your entire body around to look at them. Travel with another adult who can occasionally keep an eye on them when you are driving.
Keeping Kids Occupied During Road Trips
By: Brenda Williams
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