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A recent television ad depicts a four-wheel-drive SUV racing along a breathtakingly beautiful mountain stream -- while in the backseat two children watch a movie on a flip-down video screen, oblivious to the beauty of the landscape and water beyond the windows. - Richard Louv "Last Child in the Woods"
We've been getting quite a few questions about toys for the car, long trips etc. As I prepare myself for a 12 hour drive I thought I'd put my thoughts out there while it's fresh in my head. :-)
Our favorite "toy" for the car is a 9 x 9 cake pan! LOL This can be filled and played with in many different ways. I bought one with a lid on top that can be stored in the car.
- plastic links
- beading supplies
- Magnetic shapes/letters
- Turned upside down to act as a desk for coloring/drawing
- Spinning top (yes, you would be surprised at how long this activity can last)
- Animal tube (I usually give my daughter a few props to put in the pan with these... small rocks, couple leaves, etc.)
Other suggestions
Lock and key (again, you would be surprised!)
Light sticks (if driving at night)
Magazines/catalogs
Books
Audio books
Sticker books
Cheerio book series
Music/Song singing
MagnaTab
Rory's Story Cubes
Boogie Board
Auto Bingo
License Plate Game
Story Jars
A lot of these things can be bought at the dollar store as well.
For the letter templates below that are great for travel, click HERE.
RL
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ReplyDelete... what's an animal tube?
ReplyDeleteClick on the words "Animal Tube" and it'll take you to it on Amazon.
DeleteI have just been looking through your site. I love all your ideas for fun learning. I was just wondering how the drive went? I am about to take my 18 month old on a 15 hour trip. We may/probably will drive it in two days. My son hasn't been in the car longer than an hour in the past 6 months.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting ready to journey on a 4 day (7 hours a day) road trip from Kansas to Massachusetts. Looking forward to visiting lots of fun things along the way. Love the cake pan idea. My son is always dropping his stuff! His top two favorite activites are looking for trucks to honk at him and playing a small keyboard.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your journey.