On-the-Go Fun
Vacation Activities
by Tabitha Tucker and Shirlee Bucknall
Summer vacations mean fewer distractions for everyone in the family. Of course, sometimes, there’s too few distractions and boredom can threaten. Have no fear – the Earthy Family On-the-Go Fun is here! Enjoy fun activities to keep the whole family in good spirits as you travel.
Car and Plane Fun
Strapped into car seats and plane seats and nothing to do? Remember that life is all about attitude and instead of dreading this time, think of it as a great way to kick off and close down your vacation. Try some of these games and activities keep you occupied and involved with one another and besides they are just plain fun! .
Sing Along:
If you don’t know very many songs that you can all sing together, borrow a tape or CD from the library, or pick one up before you head out. Or, ask everyone to bring one to share with the rest of the family.
Map Plotting:
Most kids love maps and map reading is a great skill to learn on a distance trip. Give each child a map so they can keep track of where you’re going and note the towns and attractions as you pass them.
Guess What Number I’m Thinking of
Take turns picking a number between 1 and 10. Everyone else can guess which number the person who is “it” is thinking of. The person who gets it right gets to be “it”, and so on, and so on…
Books on Tape/CD
Buy or borrow a book on tape that the whole family will enjoy. Kids can draw pictures of the story they are listening to.
Practice Tongue Twisters:
Here are a few to get you started:
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He'd chop as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
She sells seashells by the seashore
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
Greek grapes
A-Z Anything!
Take turns naming things that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Choose a topic and the first person starts by naming something from your category that begins with A, the next person does B, the next person C, and so on. Choose from topics such as fruit (apples, bananas, cherries...); things you’ll do on your vacation (arrive at the beach, board a plane, camp...); things you’ve packed (atlas, band-aids, checkered pants...); towns in your province/state; countries of the world; things you like about summer; movie star names; songs…well, you get the idea. For long trips, let everyone have a chance to choose a topic.
I See It!
Have someone (anyone but the driver) write up a list of things you might possibly see on your trip. Think blue cars, buses, RV’s, specific animals (think wildlife and domestic), specific trees, flowers, rest stops, speed limit signs, flags, etc. Then spend the next hour (or other time limit that works for the ages of your family) all looking for your items. How many blue cars did you all see? How about pine trees or cows?
License Plate Game
Make up silly names or descriptions from the license plates of others you see on the road. For example: TJB 239 may stand for Tall Junkyard Baron; or SFH 783 may stand for Silly Fingered Harry.
Old Favourites:
Get creative, and pull out the old favourites to keep the good times rolling. Think Hangman, Tic Tac Toe, 20 Questions, Name that Tune, I Spy…
Treasure Chest
Take along a container of puzzles, games, books, small toys, stickers etc. Do not bring them out all at once. Everyone once in awhile during a long trip, bring out something new for the kids to play with. A few new items they have never seen before is alwasy very exciting. Two year olds can have a lot of fun with just a roll of scotch tape.
Enjoy each moment of your vacation and the precious time you have to spend together. Happy Holidays! |
