How To Survive A Road Trip With Your Kids
If you can believe it, it’s time to start traveling again (hello, Spring Break!). While some of you may choose to travel by plane, it is estimated that a third of the travelers this March will be by car. Road trips have a lot of perks: it can be more affordable than flying, it can be the best choice for a short distance trip, it can support last-minute plans, and it can increase memory making through all the time together and unexpected stops along the way!
But listen, I get it. Even with all those “perks” of roadtrips, it can quickly descend into a pit of despair because sitting in a metal can for a prolonged period of time with tired/cranky/hungry/hormonal offspring should be a level of Survivor on CBS. So, if you’re a brave soul preparing for a roadtrip this Spring Break, here are some tips and tricks for how you can surthrive the trip (and hopefully make some memories along the way).
How to survive a road trip your kids:
1.Split the drive up. We are not a drive-through-the-night family. Like Gretl Von Trapp so eloquently sang, “The sun has gone to bed and so must I.” So we capitalize on the sun hours to make our trip. We figured out pretty quickly that our daughter can tolerate about 6-8 hours in the car before she turns into her evil twin. So we open up Google Maps and started tracking increments to our final destination to figure out where we needed to stop for the night.
2. Stop for the night (or two). Yes, it makes the trip longer. Yes, it could cost more money. Yes, you have to navigate sleeping in an unfamiliar place. But also – yes, you can find a stay with a pool. Yes, you can explore the little town you stop at for the night. And yes, your kids will be more excited about the hotel pool than the final destination (sorry grandparents). Bonus: look up quirky stops along the way and give your kids something to share with their friends when they get back to school.
3. Parks, Playgrounds, Malls, and Grassy Knolls (fancy way for saying “the open areas at the rest stop”). Once we figure out where we are stopping, we find places to allow for legs to be stretched, energy to be expended, and other fun to be had. Some Memphis Moms contributors make their kids do PE-adjacent activities, getting the heart rate up and the blood pumping in the middle of a drive (sprints! jumping jacks! push ups!). We have found some amazing public parks, free splash pads (!), and playground structures that rejuvenate and refresh us for the rest of the drive.
4A. Screentime. I get it, screentime can be a touchy subject. Too much of it makes even my own brain feel like mush, and I’m not advocating for a tech-filled road trip. But I have found it to be a tool in my self care toolkit as a parent. I get to set the limits (for example, how much time to use it and what activities/apps are on it), but then I get to “step away” and take care of myself while my daughter engages in activites that use creativity and critical thinking skills. When my kid was younger, we did not introduce her to a personal device (Kindle Fire) until we made our first roadtrip when she was 3. It was so new and unfamiliar to her that we probably killed a good half hour just showing her the icons on it and not actually playing anything on it.
4B. “Audiotime”. When asked, many Memphis Moms contributors shared that their families love podcasts and audiobooks during road trips. Depending on your child(ren)’s interests, there are a plethora of choices available, through your preferred streaming platform or through Libby. Common Sense media has a podcast review guide, where you can sort by suggested age and set content limits. Some others to check out: Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest (“Grimm fairy tales like you’ve never heard before!”) & Greeking Out (Greek mythology). I personally love Ologies with Alie Ward, suggested for audiences 16 years and older. Or, you can go the Carpool Karaoke route and take turns commanding the speakers and singing loud for all to hear! Bonus points if you get a microphone (inflatable or portable) to make the car performances as snazzy as possible.
5. Arts and Crafts. Hear me out: we are not talking about making slime in the 3rd row. I’m talking crafty activities that are little-to-no mess, self-directed, and complicated enough to capture attention for at least 30 minutes. Think: Color Wonder coloring books, sticker scene books, paint-by-sticker books, sketch pads with new drawing utensils, origami, knitting, cross stitching…
6. Spaced-out, “timed” activities. These are activities that signify the passing of a specific amount of time (i.e. an hour), to help the kids understand how much time has passed and how much time still remains. This can be especially great for kids who do not understand the concept of time and/or cannot tell time yet. Have a snack box with different sections that get opened/consumed at each hour mark. One Memphis Mom contributor prints out a map with spots for stickers to be placed along the route that can be placed when that location has been past.
