Children are such a blessing and at the same time they are such a nightmare, it is difficult to imagine life without them and also difficult to understand how we go about the whole day with them. Their spirit and energy level never goes down, feeling tired or relaxing is not a part of their life at all.
When going on a vacation with children, especially in the age group of 2 to 8 years traveling to a destination is probably the most difficult part. These children are grown up to understand things and too young to be on their own. Confined to one small space in an aircraft, train or the car is just not acceptable to them and therefore they are likely to create nuisance all the way till you reach.
Here are a few useful ideas and tips which you could use to keep children occupied when traveling and leave have some peace. Like I already mentioned traveling is the most difficult time so one needs to make sure there are sufficient activities to keep them busy. The most obvious choice are story books but that in itself will not be sufficient, carry activity books for them where they do not just have to read but have to do some activity and therefore involved. Coloring is another good option and if the child is interested in sketching he could do some of that. Invent innovative games where you can also get the child to be creative like get children to express what they want to say by drawing or writing.
If you have more than 1 child then again it is a boon and a bane both they play together for some time leaving you free and also then get fighting like mad and make you go crazy as well. The most important part is to get them involved in some games like cards, Pictionary, spelling games or any other educational games. They will probably need to be moderated else they might end up tearing each others hair. Verbal games could be created to keep them busy and involved.
Video games are all time favorites with children so they could play them for some time though not all the time as they lose interest very soon. You could carry portable video players to play their favorite cartoons or to listen to the music they like.
Try carrying their favorite snacks for them, when they are bored they can munch on chips and other such packed stuff which they love so much. It could also be as a prize when they win in any games.
It is not about buying new things for the children before going on a trip it is about remembering to pack things to keep them busy during the trip. The bottom line is to be innovative, create a game out of everything and make it fun and interesting for the child; this will not only keep them busy but also keep them away from trying out new activities which could be harmful for them.
The author is a fitness enthusiast and is also associated with the social networking site for travelers called traveldaddy traveldaddy.
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