Parents of young children, are you planning a summer trip, or preparing to move this APS? Check out these tips!
1. Consider easy travel activities that suit your child’s age/stage and interests. Aside from devices, these could include:
- whiteboards and markers
- felt shapes and toy cars, with backdrops and tracks made by gluing felt to foam or cardboard
- large magnets, and a tin box or small cookie sheet
- a “busy basket” with books, music, craft materials, sticky notes for a window collage, sensory activities, etc.
2. Plan ahead, to make your road trip more comfortable.
- Map out family-friendly rest stops.
- Consider traveling at night, to make hours in a vehicle less stressful
- Give your children advance notice about when you’ll leave, where you’re going, and what you plan to see. Be open to questions.
- Have an adult sit in the back seat occasionally.
3. Bring contact info. for doctors, relatives, and roadside assistance; pack healthy and relatively mess-free snacks; and keep extra clothes and zip-lock bags handy, in case quick changes are required.