Tips and Games to keep them entertained while you're on the go!Travelling with children can be difficult at the best of times, but there are plenty of games and activities that you can do to keep them occupied.
Travel By Car
* Before leaving let them have a good run around to let off steam
* Make sure you stop at regular intervals to let off more!
* Take a good supply of story or sing-along tapes
* A story or two that you know to tell
* Take small toys for baby to hold, watch and feel Link-a-doos will attach to her travel seat.
* A teddy or doll for an older child to cuddle and talk to
* Small or travel sized toys think about a Travel Doodle Pro or other drawing toy. You could ask them to draw things they have seen on the journey. * Play games like eye-spy that encourage them to look at their surroundings and spot objects.
Travel by Plane
* Before leaving let them have a good run around to let off steam
* During the flight, get out of your seat and have a good walk round
* Take along story tapes and a personal stereo
* Take a selection of books to read.
* A couple of their favourite toys and a teddy cuddle will also come in handy. * Take paper along this has endless possibilities. You can fold it into shapes or draw on it.
* Play noughts and crosses a simple choice but good fun and easy to play.
Games for Journeys
* Scissors-paper-stone *
This is a great game as you dont need any equipment! Its a classic so you probably know how to play ! It needs two players.
Each of you puts your hand behind your back and counts to three
On three, you both bring your hand back at the same time in one of three positions
Scissors forefinger and middle finger ready to snip
Paper hand flat palm down
Stone hand in a fist
Scissors beats paper because it can cut it.
Paper beats stone because it wraps it.
Stone beats scissors because it blunts it.
Guessing games
* How many fingers have I got up? Player hides his hand (easy in the car) and the others try to guess how many fingers he has up.
* Eye-spy - One player gives the first letter of the object they are thinking about and the others guess what it is.
* What is the next animal we will see? play similar with other searches what colour will the next lorry we see be etc.
* Fill in the word *
Tell the story of what is happening leaving blanks for her to fill in.
One morning a mummy, a Daddy and a little girl called Anna got up early to go on holiday. Anna had for her breakfast. Daddy put the .. in the boot of the car and so on and then Mummy sat in the front seat and .sat in her car seat.
Look out for:
Car snap- Look for a car like ours.
ABC- our initial on a number plate
* Arms and legs (when travelling through towns) *
This is another classic car journey game. As you travel through towns look out for the names of pubs. How many arms and legs are there on the pub signs? Take it in turns, and if there are no arms or legs on a sign you score zero for that turn.
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Play & Learn activities reprinted from "Preschooler Play & Learn" with permission of its author, Penny Warner, and its publisher, Meadowbrook Press (2000.)
