Travel Kits for the Kids
Image via Martha Stewart
10 to 12 hours in the car is going to be a long trip for my kids. It’s the longest drive we’ve ever made in one day. To help pass the time, I am putting together a travel car kit for each of them.
Luckily for me, Martha Stewart created a very stylish and free Travel Bingo game. It’s a very fun little template for up to four players that I printed out. I think I’ll laminate the cards so I can reuse them again for other vacations.
I also love her idea of including copy of the road map for the kids to follow. That way they can get a sense of distance and direction as we travel. I somehow don’t think that will stop them from asking, “Are we there yet?” But at least I can say, “Who can find Cedar City on your map? That’s where we are.” I simply went to Google Maps, typed our destination, and printed the map. Each of the kids gets their own copy.
Also in the boxes, I’m including a sketch and activity pad, our 50 states license plate game, colored pencils and sharpener, a book to read, an embroidery, and a few small toys.
I’m also bringing along large envelopes for the kid’s to keep their postcards and memento’s in. That way they can put it all together into a scrapbook of our trip when we get home. My mom suggested taking a small essay book for the kids to keep a journal during the trip. I kept a journal of my trip to Disneyland as a kid, and it will be fun to compare them when we’re done. And I won’t forget to bring small jars for the kids to collect a bit of sand and hopefully a few shells in. It’s their first time to the beach and I know that’s something they’ll love to keep. With a little label saying the name of the beach and the date, it will make a nice souvenir of the trip.
i LOVE this! LOVE IT!!
I’ve made similar kits for my kids on road trips, but also included some Mad Libs…always good for some laughs and grammar lessons. Have fun on your trip!
Thanks Anne for the suggestion. I just mentioned your idea of Mad Libs and my girls got very excited. They’ve played it at school before, and loved it. I hope I can find it at Target, since that’s a stop on my list of errands today.
These special packages were the favorite part of the trip for my girls! Have fun, be safe.
Very cute, Calli! I just tweeted about this post. @FamFunBlog Love the idea, and I’ll be making up some travel kits for my own sanity and well-being. Great idea!
I’ve done the same sort of things for my girls in the past and they love it. I’ve also saved a few things at the start-little surprise gifts for each of them which I dole out as necessary. I’ve given them books, glitter pens, stickers, playdough, card games, even food treats. I wrap each one with tissue paper-unwrapping it is half the fun and saving things to give them along the way keeps them continually entertained.
I hope you have tons of fun!
I saw a whole list of things for when you travel with kids on http://www.amsterdamcheapflightonline.com which was really simple and comes in handy just before you want to start your trip… There are some things listed there that nobody ever thinks about and you only miss them when it is too late… you can check it out there…
I was just wondering, where did you get the boxes? I want to make several of those for an up coming trip. Any help would be good and appreciated. Thanks. Bethanie
Great ideas. I have a binder with lots of printable travel games. My kids favorite is the Map of U.S. and we play the license plate game. The teachers were amazed at how fast my kids completed the test of filling in the states when they were in elementary school. On longer trips I will also get surprises to hand out ever hour. (wrap them up, inexpensive small toys or treats)