Travel Activities To Occupy Your Children On Long Trips
Summer is around the corner, and I have already reserved a place on the beach. Although my kids are super excited about the vacation, they are not in love with the car ride to get there. Most children probably feel the same, and boredom of long travel is a real problem. My kids are allowed only so much time for technology, so other options are a must. I will not allow them to stare at a screen for two long. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I like interactive moments with my kids. We sing and play silly games, and make memories even on the way to our vacation destination. I do have some great tools that will help big time on this trip and any other to help occupy the kids and also help the time to be fun. I hope these products will help you and your little ones travel well.
Chameleon Kidz Blendy Pens
The Blendy Pens kit allows children to create a variety of smoothly blended colors. They put two pens into the fusion chamber and create custom colors in over 276 possible combinations. There are pictures included on magic reveal paper that are fun to color and personalize for hours of entertainment.
This color kit is small and easy to take along in the car, plus the many different color creations will keep the kids busy for a long time. My daughter and I sat and colored for a while, trying all the colors fused together. It surely is a unique way to color, plus teaches the kids about secondary colors, as they play. You can take a few coloring books and Blendy Pens next time you need to travel.
Top Trumps
Top Trumps is a fast paced, competitive game that children love. It has been around since 1970 in England and is used in the school systems there. It was found that Top Trump improves children’s literacy and numeracy skills. In addition to that it helps them practice decision making skills, all under the disguise of a totally fun game.
Top Trumps is great for a broad range of ages. I think even five or six year old children could play very easily, and learn about different subjects as they go. I got Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Super Hero Girls, but there are so many different options to choose between. You can learn about baby animals, volcanoes, sharks, US presidents, and much more. The game was so simple to play, but kept us playing over and over again. It is small and easy to travel with, and easy to play in the car. The players hold their cards in their hands, without needing a draw pile, or a discard pile. Once one player has all the cards, he or she is the winner. My eldest wants to collect all the Harry Potter Top Trump packs because he loves the game so much.
Smart Games
IQ Games by Smart Games fit right into your pocket or purse, making it simple to travel. These bright colored games challenge your brain power. Since they have so many different levels they will keep children occupied for a long time. Then you can snag it and give it a go, unless you are driving-then I wouldn’t suggest it. IQ XOXO has a bunch of colored rows of xs and os. They only fit in a certain way, and can be flipped over to make that happen. The easy challenges start you off with most pieces on the game board, but as you improve you get less and less help. Then you have to solve it with only one or two pieces to begin with. All three of my kids were able to do the easy versions. In the car, I’m sure they will try to advance there levels.
Smart Games also makes some fun Compact games which are a little larger, but still easy to travel with. They will provide hours of on the go fun and challenges to your children. We got Jump In which has you move rabbits around to escape foxes. It was adorable and fun to play.
STEM Starter Kit
For the budding scientist, take the STEM Starter Kit on your travel adventure. This kit turns any mobile device into a powerful microscope to inspect the world around you. The kit comes with a microscope lens and a forensic UV and LED light all on a clip. You just clip it over the camera on your device and you can examine the 15 specimens that come with the kit or you can find your own.
This STEM Starter Kit is a perfect travel buddy because then you can bring science everywhere you go. On our trip to the beach we can inspect pieces of sand, seaweed, or any other thing we come across. In the car the kids can easily use this Microscope since it is just attached to a phone or tablet. I know they will enjoy this kit at home and on the road. It is easy to use, and you can even take pictures right on the device to save for later. The pictures below are some of the specimens we were studying. It is great to see the small things of the world up close.
Before you take off on a road trip or plane, gather a few or all of these great products to ease your travel woes. They will entertain, and allow your children to use their brains at the same time. Therefore the kids will be happy and so will you.