As I've mentioned before, we are transplants to PA. Therefore, we often travel a minimum of 3 hours in the car to visit family and/or friends. We do have a portable DVD player and once in a while, a movie is nice but there is something to be said for utilizing the time and do something as a family.
There are two games that Simms and I often play together. Jeter just started joining in with us this past trip to NY. Barber would repeat us and do his own version of the game at times - but he is still at the age where a nap does him a lot of good!
Favorite Game #1: The Alphabet Game. You are simply competing against one another to get from A to Z. You can find the letter on license plates and signs. You may not however use the state name on the license plate. You are also not allowed to use the same letter from the same sign as someone else. This gets tricky for the letters "J", "Q" and even "Z". Simple but a fun way to pass the time.
Favorite Game #2: The License Plate Game. You simply keep track of how many different states you find while driving to your destination. In the past we've just kept track of the number in our head. This time I decided to write down the state name on paper and note the differences between the trip to NY and back to PA. I found that on the way to NY we totalled 23 different plates (21 states and Ontario). On the way back we totalled 27 different plates (25 states, Ontario and Quebec). However the total for the entire trip was actually 30 different states plus Ontario and Quebec. Why do I do this? I can't help myself - analysis is just a part of who I am. What I am not writing about here is my hypothesis as to why certain states were present on the trip to NY but absent on the way back to PA. Obviously this scrutiny of the data is not part of the game - you can simply count the license plates and see how many you find.
I think my favorite aspect of these two games is that you don't really need anything with you to play except your eyesight. So, what do you do when you travel? Any games you like to play?
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6 comments:
We play the Alphabet Game too. Instead of finding different Lisence plates Scott and I try to count how many NJ ones we can spot. He says there are too many NJ drivers on the road. Our kids bring a lot of drawing stuff too. We don't have a DVD player or Game Boy so we have to keep them occupied. But I love our conversations!
We like to see who can say Rehrehsberg (totally did not spell it right) and then I usually call you to tell you that I saw it before you (even though you are not with us!)
Dawson and I will play the ABC game too - and we usually talk. We did play Yahtzee in the car before too! I would keep track of things and Dawson would roll it into the box cover on his turn - it didn't seem as dangerous and it sounds! Brady will eat snacks, read LOTS of books, and we all talk a lot - and sing too.
We do not have anything electronic to bring along at this time...and we have traveled all the way to New England! So far, so good. We feel that we were able to do it without a DVD system when we were younger, so our kids can do it too - then we have more conversation, etc. However, I do think that the DVD would be nice when you hit major traffic...so, it is a thought for the future, just nothing urgent! :)
As a child, I played both those games as we traveled to the Midwest each summer, but my boys aren't too interested in the alphabet game (they're not old enough to read states off of license plate).
I've never thought of entertaining the driver other than with music or conversation. As a passenger, I crochet, read or update the financial records on the laptop.
We allow the boys to fill one large shoebox-size tote with small toys, and we place it between their carseats. They love to read books too... the younger one likes the Look and Find books, which don't require reading.
We sometimes bring LeapPads. The few times we've been on trips that totaled 6 hours each way or more, we brought the laptop and dual headphones...usually never used on the first day of the trip. We never use it for the 3 1/2 - 4 hr trips to visit grandparents/cousins.
We really don't travel much any more, but I sure remember playing games like this. One of our favorites on cross country trips was to keep track of all the license plates we saw and try to find all fifty states.
Fun, fun.
We play the alphabet game, too, in the car! Since my girls have been in the stages of learning to read basically for the last 6 years we have to spot something in or out of the car that begins with the letters A-Z or we have a category like "foods" or "names". It is always a lot of fun and passes the time (although, there is something to be said for those DVD players!).
I will definatly have to play that 1st one with my hubby the next time we venture to RI. Thank you for the idea and I'm glad you guys had safe travels
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