Although the temptation may be strong to abandon your child in a motorway rest area after having traveled 659 km marked by “we’re coming hereaaaand” of your dear little heir, we have the task of finding you some tips that will help him (and you too) to give him the impression that time passes faster, and will make him believe that being closed in a cramped cabin is not such torture after all.
Set up a blind music test in the car
Of course you can adapt it to the child’s age and tastes, but you can also take the opportunity to introduce him to your more or less dubious musical tastes! Well, it’s still best to avoid letting him listen to the entire text of I want to see you by Yelle, but you can share with him all your love for dead singers like Kurt Cobain or Freddie Mercury.
For his part, he might surprise you with his crazy ability to recognize Small snail from the first notes. Could your son be the next Mozart? No, certainly not, don’t overdo it (oh well). But he will be handsome.
Organize games with your environment
Like the one of ” The first person to see a yellow car wins » while no one in the world has a yellow car except La Poste or almost (because yellow cars are ugly), or even « you can tell me if you see a cow in a field » while you’re in the middle of the highway without a single trace of green around.
It activates attention, forces him to look outside and concentrate and keeps him busy for at least 7 and a half minutes.
The ultimate oral game to pass the time
Do you know the purpose of Petit bac? You need to find an object or animal, fruit, etc., that starts with a letter of the alphabet chosen in advance.
This game is perfectly adaptable in the car with all children who know their alphabet.
You say, “I’m thinking of the letter B,” and your child has to find a word in each category that starts with that letter. At the end, the points are tallied and the winner is offered ice cream at the next exit at a highway rest stop (or not, whatever you want).
For the little ones who don’t yet know the alphabet, there is the “what am I thinking” version: you have to think of an animal, an object or a person, and your child has to guess who or what it is, thanks to your answers they are just “yes” or “no”.
Come on, conditioning, with dialogue and all:
“-Is it an animal? – YES.
– They fly.
– Does it have claws? – YES.
- It's a cat? - YES ! WE HAVE A WINNER! »
Yes, it may sound as exciting as a Gabriel Attal speech told this way, but it's actually challenging and it's fun.
One tablet, to rule them all
There is a moment, after 500 terminals punctuated by nursery rhymes, oral games and picnic breaks, when the tablet and your Netflix or Disney+ subscription become your best friends.
So obviously we take it easy over time, we choose the contents that the child will see, but in reality if you have already managed to last all this time without pressing play, it is already a great victory! You can be proud of yourself and go for it without feeling guilty Snow Queen OR Raya and the Last Dragon.
The audiobook, this magical invention
Whether it's story boxes or a good old CD or MP3 playing in the car stereo, stories read specifically for children can allow you to breathe easy and focus on the road for long periods of time, in peace.
It also allows you to take a break from screens, and honestly that's not bad. In the editorial team we have a slight preference for the Yoto Mini (the little sister of the Yoto Player, easier to carry everywhere), which allows the child to listen to all his favorite stories available via inserted cards. There is also a special card for long trips: “ sing in the car“.
If you don't know which story box to choose, we've done a whole comparison to help you.
Travel size board games
You probably met them in your childhood, but know that they are still as successful as ever.
THE Power 4, THE Who is ? or even a good old man Battleship they remain timeless and can help young people pass the time well.
Well, it's more practical if you have two kids around the same age in the back seat of the car to play together, because otherwise one of the parents has to struggle with it, all while dislocating half their shoulder and getting a stiff neck turning around from the seat of the passenger.
But hey, we don't have children to be safe, eh, we would know that.
Come on, get on the holiday highway and good luck!
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
