Whether a 4-hour drive to Timpson, Texas or a 16-hour ride to Bloomfield, Colorado (both to visit family), summer car rides were pretty predictable in my family. Station wagon loaded, including three kids and a dog, we begin to head out – with my Dad poking along to do “one more thing” and my Mom (who had already been packed and ready to go for a week) getting anxious at what was looking like a late arrival before we had even left (not that there was a time-table or anything).

Once we got on the road, we were excited – not yet arguing about whose side of the car was whose, or asking, “How much longer?” every 10 minutes. Give it an hour though – and my sister would be crying from the far back (yep – with the suitcases). My brother would be threatening to be stomach-sick, and I would complain of a headache and just want to get away from it all for a moment. I’m sure my parents felt the same way.

When you’re little, you experience time differently – an hour feels like a half-a-day, more than four hours feels like “for—ev—er.” When we are engaged in something, time seems to go by quicker, time-spent is experienced more enjoyably, and behavior is more pleasant.

At Camp Fire, a vital piece of our framework is ensuring that participants are engaged in the activity taking place – whether at an outdoor, after school, or early childhood program. Not only does this accomplish a smoother car trip, it promotes learning and the development of healthy brains! Here are a few tricks I picked up along the way, that might aid in experiencing a quicker “forever” car ride.

  1. Use a lunch sack to create a car-ride-surprise with vehicle-appropriate items (dollar store items and party game favors work great.) Each hour, allow your child to pick one. Tip – set a timer on your phone and tell the kids when it goes off, it’s time, to eliminate the asking.
  2. Car games: How many things can you find that start with the “A” sound? Where do you see the color red? How far into the ABC’s can you get looking for things that begin with each letter? I’m thinking of something that starts with the letter “B” (ever person can ask yes/no questions until someone guesses).
  3. Pack car-appropriate crafts (paper and crayons, yarn-crafts, map pencils and coloring books – for adults and kids!).
  4. Pack a new book, magazine, or comic.
  5. Have a sing-a-long.
  6. Play “would you rather” – i.e. be really cold or really hot, feed a giraffe or a cow? You can also pre-determine some of these and put them in a bag to be drawn.
  7. Stop at intervals for an “out-of-the-car-moment.” Stretch, jump, run, throw a ball, jumping jacks (This was a must for my young son and for my sanity – energy abounds!).
  8. Bring a book of jokes or riddles (age appropriate) and read from them – “knock knock…”
  9. Pick a few good books on audio – for younger children, include the picture book if you’d like. For an older group, choose a pod-cast.
  10. Bring a journal for each child to document their travel adventures (pictures and/or words).

Buckle up! And have a great summer.

Lyn Lucas is the Chief Program Officer at Camp Fire First Texas. Lyn brings more than 20 years of experience working with children and youth. Her specialties include working with children in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, managing school-age programs and NAEYC-accredited early childhood education programs. She has served as a Program Director, Child Development Coordinator, Child Care Center Director, Regional Director, a Master Registered Trainer in early care and education and has taught numerous classes and workshops throughout North Texas. Lyn holds a Master of Education in curriculum studies and serves on the Texas Youth and Child Care Worker Association board.