In light of my recent Disney posts, I thought this guest post by Janelle was perfect. Enjoy!
*********************************************************************
5 Tips for Keeping Your
Kids Entertained (and Safe) on Roadtrips
Outside of simply shopping around for cheap car shipping rates and hiring an auto transport company, there are still some
families out there who prefer to pack the family up for a fun road trip. If you
find yourself in this situation, the following are some simple tips to help you
keep the kiddies entertained and safe while braving the roads this summer.
5Tips to Keep Your Kids
Safe While Traveling by Car
1. Have your vehicle inspected. Even if
you think that your vehicle is in excellent condition, it never hurts to double
check- especially when you are transporting your children. Make sure that you
inspect things such as: radiator hoses, fan belts, your car battery and your tires. Not sure what you’re doing? Take
the car in to your local mechanic so that he or she can give you the green
light. It’s the little, preventive things such as these that could save you
hundreds of dollars (if not more) somewhere down the road.
2. Pack healthy snacks. Road trips are
often create the perfect conditions to chow down on junky food. Set a good
example for the kids by packing healthy snacks that they will eat. Studies show
that children behave better when their blood sugar levels aren’t all over the
place. Great snacks to pack include: fruits, veggies, nuts and dry crackers.
Before you leave, get your kids involved in making their own trail mixes for
the road.
3. Involve your kids in the planning process. Depending
on the age of your children, including
your kids in the planning process is a great way to make them feel more apart
of the experience. Buy an extra paper map and plot out the roadtrip so that
they can follow along as you travel. Thinking of sightseeing along the way? Let
them have a say in where you will stop and what you will see!
4.
Bring
toys and games. If you have a DVD player in your vehicle, bringing a couple
of movies is one option. However, if you want to engage the whole family, why
not play “20 questions” or sing a song that everyone knows. Trivia and other
educational games also give children an option to exercise their minds and
engages them more than simply popping a DVD into the DVD player and hitting
“play”. You could even ring Scrapbooking materials so that kids can work on a
scrapbook of their family trip.
5.
Know
where you are going! Nothing ruins a fun family roadtrip quicker than
getting lost. Don’t simply rely on GPS devices to get you where you need to go
either. Because technology can fail, make sure that you also have your trip
mapped out on a good old-fashioned paper map. It also doesn’t hurt to know the
names and numbers of landmarks along the way such as popular hotels,
restaurants or even loved ones...just in case!
**Written by Janelle Vadnais. You can visit National Transport's Facebook Fan page here. **
Thanks for your tips post. Personally, driving with our kids with a long journey sound difficult. It's hard to ask them sitting on the chair. :(
ReplyDelete