Take the Dread out of Your Dreaded Family Summer Car Trip!

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The Best Part . .Car Games!

The best piece of advice I can offer about car games (and occupying children in general) is "nothing cracks a child up like a grown-up acting deliberately and unexpectedly silly."  Pretend you forgot which day it is, or where you're going.  When you're getting dressed at the motel, put your pants on backwards and ask the kids why your butt feels funny.  Cross your eyes at them for no particular reason.  It's goofy, but it works!  Just make sure you're clear about the boundaries of jokes because kids will take jokes as far as you let them.

Rhyme Time.

Use a simple word, like "cap."  Everyone takes turns going around the car, finding words that rhyme with the chosen word.  This allows kids to realize that certain things rhyme, and allows you the chance to be laughed at when you say things like "elephant" when it's your turn.

Complaining

When everyone is getting stressed out (and there WILL be times like that), declare that it's time for everyone to complain.  Then you all take turns complaining.  After awhile, everyone runs out of complaints, and it gets silly because you have to make up things like "My pants are itchy!" or "I can't stand movies with Danny DeVito in them!"  (The game only works if you keep going after the actual complaints have stopped.)

Mistaken Identity.

For no particular reason, begin acting as though you have forgotten which child is which.  Call each child by the other's name, wonder why they are dressed in the other child's clothes and sitting in the other child's seat.  The kids may deliberately start acting like the opposite child, with hilarious results.  They may even suggest that they act like the parent and YOU act like the child, which is both fun AND educational!

Numerical "Poopyhead."

No kid, anywhere, can resist laughing at the word "Poopyhead."  And it's important to reinforce their math skills.  So, here's a really silly one that's, well, silly. .  .but lets the kids practice counting AND use a word they're not normally allowed to say, in a controlled atmosphere.  Take turns choosing a number between 1 and 100, and have that person start counting off from number one.  Everyone in the car says their number in turn, until you reach the number selected earlier, which allows everyone to yell "Poopyhead!" in unison instead of the number.  Then you choose a new number (and, through luck of the counting system, the new Poopyhead).  The game is completely inane, and some parents might argue, inappropriate; but to those parents I can only point out that the more conservative and straight-laced you are as a person, the funnier it will be to your kids to hear you use the word Poopyhead.  5 to 8-year-olds will be captivated, I promise. 

Basic Do's and Don'ts of a Long Car Trip With Children.
 

DO:
Stop for at least one corny tourist stop

DON'T:
Let kids go to rest-stop bathrooms alone

DO:
Declare "quiet time" periodically

DON'T:
Play anything by Ice T during quiet time

DO:
Choose cheap motels with a pool

DON'T:
Forget inflatable water wings

DO:
Tell stories about childhood family trips

DON'T:
Say how dysfunctional they were

DO:
Point out policemen as you pass

DON'T:
Encourage kids to make piggy-faces

DO:
Be honest when kids ask how much longer

DON'T:
Wait too long to find a bathroom

DO:
Have napkins and wipes handy

DON'T:
Let your son turn them all into puppets

DO:
Have a trash-bag in both front and back

DON'T:
Hesitate to pull over if kid removes seatbelt

DO:
Find many opportunities to be silly

DON'T:
Ever forget that this, right here, is the good stuff!

-Heidi McDonald

Heidi McDonald is a part time freelance writer who works full time and lives with her husband, two children and a spastic beagle.