With long balmy days ahead of us, the most fitting thought we have is about where we are going to spend the summer holidays – and weeks and weeks of school vacation can be a bit daunting, what with trying to find new ways to keep the kids entertained. Lucius Annaeas Seneca once said “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind” – and he was right – there’s nothing more exciting to animated kids and weary parents, than getting away from home and experiencing a new adventure, be it camping, a holiday by the sea, or a nature getaway. However, we are often stressed out by the thought of long, cramped up car trips with bouncing, demanding children. But these journeys don’t need to be stressful and can actually be a great way to bond with your children. Here are a few ways you can make traveling with your kids a breeze:

Pack padkos

There’s no better way to keep your children happy than with a big box of yummy goodies. Snacks such as biltong sticks, apples, dried fruit, grapes, carrot sticks, and raisins are great healthy options. A couple of chip packets and sweets will be great to reward your children for their good behaviour.  Try to pick foodstuffs that won’t drop crumbs all over the back seat if you have messy eaters.

Take regular pit stops

No matter how hard you try to keep your kids entertained in a cramped up car, you’ll struggle without taking regular pit stops. These breaks will give everyone a chance to stretch their legs, use up any pent-up energy, as well as go for toilet breaks. The change of scenery will prepare both you and your children for the next couple of hours ahead.

Use Window-screens

Window-screens are a great way to block out the sunlight so that kids can sleep easily in the backseat without sunlight shining in their eyes. Sleeping kids are happy kids!

Read a book

Get your children to pick out their favourite book at home or a local library before you leave. When your kids start to get restless, whip out a book and enjoy some story time. If you’re not up for reading, bring along some children’s audio tapes. Problem solved.

Car games

Pack a bag with magnetic games such as Ludo and Snake and Ladders, as well as ‘Four in a Row’, and any other games that can be enjoyed in the motion of a moving car. Other visual and mental games that are great for car journeys are Eye Spy, Punch Buggie, and alphabet games such as the “Animal Game”: Each child has to come up with an animal that starts with the last letter of the animal before it. Eg: If someone says ‘rabbit’, then the next person has to think of an animal that starts with the letter ‘t’ and so the game goes on.

Play music

Playing music in the car can help to relax your kids as well as giving them an enjoyable distraction. Encourage them to sing along with you and create some great family bonding time!

Draw

If your kids are creative, pack a bag filled with paper, pens, and coloured pencils. If your kids aren’t the drawing types, use the pens and paper to play Hangman, General Knowledge, Noughts and Crosses or get them to keep a journal of their holiday.

Tell jokes

Whether you cheat and use a joke book or make up some of your own, jokes are a great way to keep your children happy and laughing, while having fun yourself.

Take a tea break

Pack a flask and some yummy biscuits and stop off at a place of your choosing – overlooking a view, at a picnic site, or somewhere pretty. Open the boot of your car and sit there, or lay out a picnic blanket and enjoy an intimate break with your family!

Travel at night

After an action packed day, driving at night will help to lull your kids to sleep. Dress them in their pyjamas and organise a comfortable sleeping space at the back of the car, with pillows, blankets and their favourite toys. They will be asleep in no time!

These are great ways to avoid the frustrating “I’m boreds” and “Are we there yets” that are so familiar with traveling with kids. Let us know your great ways to keep your children entertained during long car journeys.

Main Image by Andrew Currie (Flickr)