what to do

[wdwfamilyinIL]

I am hoping that I can get some ideas on how to keep a child occupied for a long drive. We are thinking about getting gameboys for our two older children, but then what do we do for the younger one? Are there better options than gameboys? Are van has a vcr, but if we use it then we can't listen to the radio, which we really want to do. Please let me know what you think. Thanks

 

[ksloane]

How old is the younger one? My daughter has a V-Tech Vsmile and loves it. They are for younger kids. Leap frog makes a similar one. I'm not sure what it's called...Leapster, maybe??

 

[thunderbird1]

My 3 yo ds loves the gameboy. His 9 yo sister has one, and he just picked it up from her. They have a fairly new game out for younger kids called "Little Einsteins" based (duh) on the Little Einsteins show on the Disney channel. That's one of the things I like about the games--a lot of them are tied into Disney movies (I think we have Brother Bear, Kim Possible, Ice Age, Cars, etc.). Especially if you can get the older ones to show the little one how to do the games, they pick them up fast. Plus they love having the same thing as the older sibling, and they can all share the games (better than investing in a bunch of different platforms).

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

At the time of our trip, the youngest will be 4. His brothers are 6 and 8.

 

[staley7580]

My 3 yo ds loves the gameboy. His 9 yo sister has one, and he just picked it up from her. They have a fairly new game out for younger kids called "Little Einsteins" based (duh) on the Little Einsteins show on the Disney channel. That's one of the things I like about the games--a lot of them are tied into Disney movies (I think we have Brother Bear, Kim Possible, Ice Age, Cars, etc.). Especially if you can get the older ones to show the little one how to do the games, they pick them up fast. Plus they love having the same thing as the older sibling, and they can all share the games (better than investing in a bunch of different platforms).

My son is 4, and when grandma and grandpa took him to Reno they said that the gameboy was lifesaver. He watched the movies they have for it, we bought them used and cheap at the game store. It was great. He played tha whole time!

 

[ksloane]

My daugther was playing a gameboy by age 4, but still at age 6 she prefers her V-Smile to her gameboy. I think the screen is larger and brighter/easier to see. It also comes with Disney games. Off the top of my head, I know she has Aladdin, Cinderella, Little Mermaid and Cars. There may be others, I'm not sure what all she has anymore. Oh, and the games are educational which is a plus for me. She is learning without always realizing it. Also if you happen to have a DVD player in your car, her V-smile will plug into our DVD player and she can play it on that screen as well as the screen on the game. I have found this to be great economically as she's not asking for a game system for her room either...she just plugs in her handheld.

I agree that being able to share games though would be economical if you wanted to go that route. Does a cousin or good friend have a gameboy that maybe you can let you 4 year old play and see if he picks it up? If you wanted to go the gameboy route that would let you see before you invested in it?

 

[mericletwins]

I am hoping that I can get some ideas on how to keep a child occupied for a long drive. We are thinking about getting gameboys for our two older children, but then what do we do for the younger one? Are there better options than gameboys? Are van has a vcr, but if we use it then we can't listen to the radio, which we really want to do. Please let me know what you think. Thanks

Bite the bullet and let them watch the movies. We found peaceful children is more of a plus then our musical preferences. We just made sure to take movies that we liked also. Mostly Disney ones that we thought were funny!

Gameboys for the older is good. How old are your children. We have the hand held Leapsters for our 6, 7 and 7's. Nothing lasts as long as a movie though. I would get a couple new movies that they haven't seen before also and save them for the trip.

It really depends on how old your children are, how long your drive is and how you plan to break it up.

 

[dsnymomof4]

You don't say how long your drive is, but for our 18 hour drive back in August, the DVD player was a MUST! It kept them occupied for hours. Yes, they also brought their gameboys - there are games for the preschool crowd - but ultimately, its the movies that kept them quiet the longest. Believe me, keeping the kids quiet and occupied is FAR more important that being able to listen to music! Good luck!

 

[ampc3]

I would see if you could borrow one from someone also (the game boys).. Every year we make a 10-12 hour car ride.. We DON'T have a dvd player in the car or even a portable..
My kids LOVE there leapsters.. that keeps them occupied for along time, the little one has the my first leappad.. They also have one of those car coloring trays, so they do alot of coloring too, I print a bunch of stuff on the net and put together little activities for them, both fun and learning stuff..
My youngest likes looking at books also. I bring a big bag of stuff for her and just give her stuff from time to time.. she also likes to bring a barbie and some clothes to dress her in.
Lastly, the thing that really makes this work for us, (some people might not like this)but we fill up a lunchbox for all of them with a water bottle and ALL sorts of snacks, and treats, candy etc...They can eat what they want when they want.. I don't do another refill until we stop for gas or lunch etc... but that keeps them occupied!
good luck and have fun!

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

I'm suscribing... we're taking a long trip (12 hrs straight through... never done it with little ones!) in Feb, and looking for good tips. Keep 'em coming!

 

[MSSANDRA]

I agree to forget the radio and let them watch the movie. We have a portable DVD player with ear phones so the radio can still play but if that is not an option go for the movie. I would invest in some games that the younger child can play on the gameboys that you already have and then have them take turns playing. Go to "game stop" and get some used older games for really low cost. Snacks are a great distraction. When DS was little we would stop for fastfood at a place with a play area and let him play while we ate and them he took his food back to the van to eat while we starting driving again.

Also found that interating with your children in the car is a great way to not only pass the time but spend quality time together. Get a clasic story book and read out-loud. Look for a mad -lib work book and do the funny stories, take the questions out of a child's trivia game and ask questions, play the car tag game and read out loud from the WDW guild book to build the excitment.

We really always enjoy our car time together. It really is what you make of it!!

MsSandra

 

[erddig]

Our family loves audio books they seem to work for all ages. They offer many advatanges:

• Gameboys can be like reading in a car and kids can get carsick, some kids get carsick with the DVD players as well.
  
• Kids can still look at the scenery, seeing the American Landscape has advantages.
  
• My favorite, exposure to literature, and if the whole family is listening, you can talk about the book

.
Audio books (tape and CD) are available at your local libaray-- for free!

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

Thanks for the suggestions. Someone wanted to know how long the drive, and so forth. WE are planning on leaving around 8 at night or so, and driving straight through, which will be around 17-18 hours.

 

[karibritt01]

I buy DVD's from ebay, then pack them away for the trip (9-10 hours.) I try to get things they haven't seen, and they will both like. This year I have Dennis the Menace, Inspector Gadget, Pippi Longstocking, just to name a few. You can buy them used for cheap, and a new movie can do wonders for holding their attention. We also did the Mc Donalds thing with having them play while we ate, then taking their's back to the car. This got their energy out, and let us relax. Then killed another 1/2 hour or more while they ate. We also brought the books that you paint with the magic pen for DD3, and the mystery puzzles for DS8. A few new small toys work great. The magnetic drawing boards are good. Individual snacks... they will fight over a single can of Pringles! An extra cost $1, and is worth $100! As for driving straight through... I can't do it! We drive during the daytime, and sleep outside of the gates at a cheapie hotel. Then start our day the next AM. I would think about doing something similar. If you drive 18 hrs, you will be so exhausted you won't enjoy yourselves. Also, I don't know about your kids, but mine are very uncomfortable sleeping in their car seat/booster. They wake up often, and are generally miserable afterwards because of poor sleep. JMHO!

 

[susieq76]

My twin 4 yr olds & their 2 3/4 yr old brother all LOVE their Leapsters. Great for a long car ride.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

I again want to thank everyone for there great ideas. At least I now have some things to think about. Thanks

 

[Aristomommy]

We take long car trips and airplane trips every year as our families are scattered all over the world (literally), Some of my favorite ways to keep our kids busy over the years have been:

-felt board: you can buy a ready made kit or if you are crafty, cut out shapes of felt such as cars and traffic signs or animals and create a felt background
-travel bingo: for the younger one, find simple things such as barn, red car etc. to search for,older ones can find smaller signs or license plates from different states
- if your youngest sits by a window, buy window clings (we do this on airplanes too)
- wrap small presents (dollar store) and give each child one either once an hour or what ever time you decide. these don't have to be anything fancy, but my kids love opening presents, works also as a bribe if they get restless..
- when you find books, dvds or videotapes on sale, set them aside. this is the perfect time to watch a new movie
-travel size magnadoodle, etch a sketch etc will also work if you can find them

Traveling in the care is easier than flying as you can bring more things with you and noise (as long as you can stand it) isn't as big of a deal. Enjoy your drive!!

 

[flying_babyb]

a cousin or good friend have a gameboy that maybe you can let you 4 year old play and see if he picks it up? If you wanted to go the gameboy route that would let you see before you invested in it?

Try your childs daycare (if they have one). Our local daycare has a bunch of them the owner picked up at rummage sales (im talking like 8). Some arnt color gameboys but theres still nice. Mary (owner and boss), is very sweet and has loaned them out to kids on vacation (especally if the family only has one). Also try your older childrens freinds. One many be willing to loan you one or let you borrow it for a few bucks.

 

[bzzymom]

We have a portable DVD player and it keeps the kids occupied. DS is 9 and has a gameboy and well, but DD is 2. She enjoys her DVD's.

 

[kribit]

Twin 4yo here too who LOVE their Leapsters. We purchased 2 new games which kept them occupied for a bit.

We also packed treats for each stop off (I purchased some things on sale at the Disney store) and added a few of their favorite things (small items). We also brought lots of crayons and coloring books and the Color Wonder books by Crayola were great. We managed to keep them busy for the whole 20 hours. We also did a lot of singing and talking.