Time flies when you’re having fun — unless the kids are fighting or whining in the back seat with that familiar refrain: “Are we there yet?” If you are planning a spring vacation, make the miles fly by and have fun with your kids along the way. Plan ahead with a few car activities, and making the journey can be as much fun as the destination. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Make a Trip-Journal or Scrapbook
Give everyone a big spiral bound sketchpad and a box of crayons or markers. Each day of the trip or for each event along the way, draw a picture of what you did that day, or draw a map of where you went, and write about it. You can also paste in souvenirs.

Let Your Children Have a Map
Give your kids their own copy of a map of where you are going. Show them how far you have come, how much further there is to go and let them mark it with a crayon. Every time someone asks “How much further?” let them see for themselves. You might also like to get a compass and show them how it works along with the map.

Give Your Kids an Allowance for the Day
Tell them that this money is for snacks, treats and souvenirs. Help them learn to budget their money and make good choices.

Have Bubble Gum Blowing Contests
The weirder the gum the better. Get it at the rest areas and try all the different flavors. But watch out for your upholstery!

The License Plate Game
Print a U.S. map or list of states for the license plate game off the computer and color in the states as you see license plates from each one. You might even record the time and date and the state where you saw it. This can be a family project as you build your “collection” of license plates together.

Magnetic Board Games
Do your children know how to play classic board games like Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, or Chinese Checkers?  What better time to learn than in the car to pass the time!  The magnetic car versions of these games are nice because they are small and compact, and have easy ways to store the pieces so they don’t get lost. 

Play Favorites
Have everyone think of different “favorite” questions for the group. What’s your favorite...movie, flavor of ice cream, song, game, toy, place to visit, restaurant, book, animal, or TV show. Be creative and don’t forget to ask the driver too!

Counting Cows
Count the cows you see on your side of the car. If you pass a cemetery on your side of the car, you lose all your cows.  The one with the most cows wins.

Author Laurel Smith is a former schoolteacher and mother of three who has logged thousands of road trip miles both as a kid and a mom.

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