Keeping Kids Busy in the Vehicle
To solve the "Are we there yet?" problem, my husband and I told our kids that they would be told how many miles we were planning to go that day, and they were allowed to ask how many miles we had already gone that day. They had to do the math. As they got older, we taught them to take the remainder and divide by 50 in their heads. That's how many hours we had to go. Of course, I always keep a journal that lists the starting odometer for the day, and then the ending when we arrive at the motel or our destination.
I am a map fiend, so I taught my kids how to read a road map (it's becoming a lost art these days, which is a shame, because what do you do when you are out of range of a wifi signal?). I also taught them to read a book called "The Next Exit", which tells what's at various exits on interstates. They became in charge of figuring out how many more miles to a rest area, gas station, etc. My kids are grown now, and one still carries an atlas and a copy of "The Next Exit" book.
As for keeping kids busy in the car -- we would sing, have an audio book for the entire family, and the kids each had a small "car entertainment" bag with them. We would all play the typical road games -- I Spy, Road Bingo, etc. My grandkids all have a DVD player available -- not sure I would have gone that route, but that's me.
Donna
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Editor's Note: Here are some suggestions from another professional roadtripper who agrees with Donna --
No DVD's in the car.
