Mansfield Mothers’ Club: Road Sage: Advice for Family Trips

By Theresa Freeman

Sometimes it’s just a constant tap-tap-tap on the back of your seat. Other times it’s the frequent high-pitched questions. Usually, it’s the repeated requests for snacks, potty breaks or a general discourse on how bored they are. For me, it’s the long, mocking line of red taillights in traffic hell.

Whatever tips you over the edge of sanity, most folks would agree family road trips sometimes can be less than picturesque. Since I am actually really looking forward to my own family’s trips to Storyland, Cape Code and countless visits to Lake Wickabog this summer, I sought creative ways to slow down the race and make the trips more enjoyable for all of us.

On-ramping

Over at PBS Parents, the advice starts with what is likely some no-brainers for road trip veterans - map out a route and schedule before hitting the road. Break up the trip into two- to three-hour chunks. Be realistic about distance and time in the car as well as breaks for food and potty. Work around your child’s sleep schedule or witching hour to avoid crankiness, but don’t put yourself at risk by driving sleepy. If you’re in it for the long haul, plans stop around a theme (a route, visting animals or natural elements, for example).

Not sure where to head? Check out Parenting’s kid friendly road trip planner. Think Route 66 and similar junkets mapped out with the wee set in mind.

I’d add that if you have a smartphone or tablet with a data plan, download some apps to help you skirt traffic - like our favorite Inrix. Or, fire up your GPS and make sure it has the latest maps before you depart.

Getting Up To Speed

The folks at Nick Jr. have the basics of a smooth road trip down pat. Some of their specific tips include:

• Keep in mind preschoolers haven't fully grasped the concept of time, so you need to give your child a frame of reference that she can understand. When kids ask, you can say, "It'll take us about the same amount of time as your soccer practice lasts" or "We'll get there right after the sun sets."

• Let your child wear slippers or socks in the car. Bring a stuffed animal, blanket, and small pillow. Position a large pillow between two siblings to help avoid squabbling over space. Add sunshades to rear side windows and encourage your child to wear sunglasses to avoid glare.

• Stop at a park, playground or rest stop, stretch and toss your child a Frisbee or a ball, or simply hand her a jump rope or bubbles.

Life in the Fast Lane

I think we’d all agree that unless your child conks out in a nap during car trips, keeping them occupied makes for a peaceful ride for everyone.

I adore a couple of the “boredom busters” on the Kids Health site:  

• Team Storytelling - Ask each family member to create a line for a story (e.g.,"There once was a boy name Hugh..."), then have everyone add a line until you're all stumped ("who lived in the town's biggest zoo" ... "he often had nothing to do" ... "so he decided to make an igloo" ... "with a big polar bear named Sue"...). To make things really interesting, go as fast as you can, rhyme as much as possible, and take turns out of order (pointing to someone new each time). Write down the story as you go, then have kids create drawings to coordinate with your silly tale. When you're done, you'll have your own custom-made family story.

• Window Gallery- Use washable window markers to make colorful creations that even passersby can enjoy, or to play endless, paper-free games like tic-tac-toe and hangman. Keep a cotton cloth or dust rag handy so kids can keep the window fun going throughout the trip — just make sure the driver's view isn't blocked!

Another gem come from Road Trip America that suggests, “Every family has its own oral history, and road trips offer lots of together time, making them ideal occasions for storytelling. Dredge up those old favorite songs and games, too.”

Try these oldies but goodies:

• Hand your child a map (you know, on old fashioned paper) and have them look for big and small roads, bodies of water, letters or words they might know, or just colors.

• Load up on the notebooks or paper and crayons before you leave and have the kids keep a travel journal or scrapbook with pictures, words or mementoes like tickets taped in it. Or download Dora’s Travel Journal or Blue’s Travel Journal. The older the child, the more detailed they can make the journal.

• We sometimes surprise our kids with a new coloring book, story book or small (read here: cheap) hand-held game. The novelty regularly buys us much-appreciated quiet car time.

• First person says, “In grandmother’s trunk I found....an apple;” next person says, “In grandmother’s trunk I found....an apple and a ball,” and so forth alphabetically (don’t forget double letters!) until someone can’t remember all the treasures in grandmother’s trunk.

Books, books, books! A favorite car trip book for us is “Cows Going Past,” by Bruce Balan. (Who doesn’t love to check out cows from a car window?) Scholastic also offers several road trip activity books to pass the time.

Even the younger ones can jump into a rousing round of “I Spy!” (Although it’s taken a while for my three-year-old to realize he can’t “spy” things that are back at home.)

For the older ones, tell them to look for license plates. Before they groan that they don’t want to name all the states and their capitals, tell them to look for letters or numbers in order, or look for initials to make famous names (i.e., spot a “GL” and yell “George Lucas!”)

Magnetic drawing boards, anyone?

Fill up a kids’ passport from Mass Audubon, or make your own.

Fire up your vocal chords for “99 Slices of Pizza on the Wall,” or “This Is The Song That Doesn’t End.”

Unexpected Detours

If all else fails, check out Babble’s “road trip survival tips” for chuckles that will leave you wondering, “Is there a snake in the back seat?,” fire up the electronics, lower the windows all the way and count the days until they’re back in school this fall.

What tips do you have to make your family road trips have smooth sailing?

Theresa Freeman is a member of The Mansfield Mothers' Club, a non-profit organization aimed at providing support for local parents. For more information visit http://mansfieldmothersclub.com, email mansfieldmothersclub@gmail.com or write to Mansfield Mothers' Club, P.O. Box 831, Mansfield, MA 02048.