Road Trip FUN

In a few weeks, my family will be on the road. We’re looking forward to the trip, but I also know there will be moments in the car when it will be a challenge to turn boredom into family fun.

We’ll stock up on snacks, books, paper, and a couple of clipboards. (Full disclosure: there will be an IPod and a Nintendo DS in the car, too.)

We’ll also fall back on some family favorites:

• The License Plate Game

We’ve played two versions of this game. For keeping track of license plates from the 50 states, I download a list of states here, a website with lots of great ideas for car games.

We also play a version of this game that requires players to come up with a fun phrase using the letters from a license plate as the first letters of the words in the phrase. E.g., MHG becomes Mom Hugs Grandma.

• CDs

We love The Chronicles of Narnia, Focus on the Family’s Radio Theater audio of this C.S. Lewis classic, available here.

Another family favorite is the silly songs on Sandra Boynton’s Philadelphia Chickens or Dog Train CDs.

• Story Writer

In our version, one person starts the story by writing the first line of the story, the second person writes the second line, and so on.

• 20 Questions

This classic works for us, but does elicit a few squabbles over whether the item in question has been visible to all during the duration of the game.

• Trinkets from the Dollar Store

When the kids were younger, I surprised them with a small toy as they got into the car each morning. I may do that again this year, simply because it’s a family tradition.

Do you have any suggestions or advice? Any road trip stories to share?

~Marilyn