8 ideas for keeping kids busy on the road
Spring is the time to make plans for summer holidays, for trips with children.
Using Gadgets
The most obvious way is to take movies on a disc or tablet with you. But here it must be borne in mind that even the most beloved cartoon can hold the attention of children for no more than one and a half to two hours. After they get tired. Especially on a trip. It is better to put the kid an audio fairy tale. This method is also good because you can discuss a fairy tale or a story with a child.
On a trip, you should stock up on a hard folder with rings in the format of a school notebook. Ready-made blocks for such a folder can be bought at the stationery store, or you can make holes in any sheets of paper with a hole punch. If you complete this folder with different types of paper - writing in a box and a ruler, white landscape, multi-colored self-adhesive - you get a universal folder. It would be nice to fix a pen with paste of several colors on one of the rings with an elastic band or rope. If you are not too lazy in advance and build a necklace of colored pencils, fastening them to a rope through pre-drilled holes, then the child will be able to draw with them without the risk of losing them.
magic folder
Such a folder is useful both for drawing and for games, such as naval combat, and if you take scissors (necessarily with blunt ends), then the child will be able to make applications.
Traveling is a good opportunity to explore the world around you. The child will be happy to describe what is happening outside the window. For children with a high imaginative quotient, you can offer to compose a fairy tale, for example, about a cloud passing by, a car passing by, etc. You can join in its description by inserting your own additions or explanations of natural phenomena. If the child writes down or draws the resulting story in his magic notebook, the memories of the trip will remain for a long time. By the way, upon return, the sheets from this album, along with photographs of sights, can also be used to decorate the traveler's children's album.
Board games
If you have a long train journey, you can take board games with you, such as erudite (scrabble), dominoes or a puzzle. At the same time, one must be prepared for the fact that some of the small parts may be lost. In the case of a trip by car, the possibilities of games are, of course, more limited, and games that do not require props will come to the rescue here.
Oral Games
- Guess the item
It is easy to distract the child by thinking of an object and answering his leading questions “yes”, “no”. For example, "Is this item yellow?" - "Yes". "Is this item round?" - "No". After he guessed, he guesses.
- First letter
You can entertain the child by offering to name as many items as possible for a given letter, looking for these items outside the car window.
- funny riddles
Children love to play funny puzzles. Children's fantasy will give unexpected answers to unusual questions: "Why do cats jump?" - "From the floor." Usually such guesses cause a lot of laughter and joy.
- Memory training
Memory training game. The first participant says a short phrase, for example, "I went for a walk and found on the street ...". The second participant substitutes a word, possibly an adjective. The next one repeats the entire phrase, adding his own word. The one who can repeat the chain of words the longest wins.
- Synonym game
You need to come up with synonyms for a given word in turn. The winner is the one who came up with more synonyms.
It is very useful to stock up on "prizes" for the winners of the competition. It can be sweets, candied fruits and other goodies.
musical guessing game
You can arrange the game "Guess the melody" by singing the beginning of familiar songs.
Games with objects
You can hide a small plastic toy in a bag or sock, and invite the child to guess by touch what is hidden inside. Leading questions are not allowed.
Find the treasure
When traveling by car, you can organize the game "Find the treasure" by hiding in advance notes or pictures indicating the location of the next clue in the reach of the child's hands. A treasure can be a favorite treat or a small toy.
Sculpt on a journey
If a child loves modeling, in no case should you take plasticine - it is then extremely difficult to clean it from the upholstery of a car or clothes. It is better to prepare plasticine from flour in advance. The recipe is simple: pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil there. Put on the stove, bring to a boil, but do not boil. Separately, mix 2 cups flour, a tablespoon of citric acid or cream of tartar and a glass of fine salt. Add hot water with oil to this mixture and mix thoroughly until a homogeneous mass, which will gradually thicken. When the mixture has cooled slightly, knead it with your hands until the consistency of an elastic dough that does not stick to your hands. It can be divided into pieces and painted in various colors with food coloring or watercolor. You can take it with you in a plastic container.
From this test, you can, for example, fashion finger puppets and invite the child to become the director of a play with these characters. Characters can be simply drawn on the child's fingers with felt-tip pens.
Children need to stretch their legs from time to time and get some fresh air. Therefore, when traveling by car, you need to periodically make stops for short active games or warm-ups, and on the train you should not limit the child’s physical activity and, with any more or less long stop, you should get out of the car for a walk.