Try playing travel games that help keep children looking out the window and entertained.  These can help to avoid motion sickness for children who are prone to it, but they are equally engaging and fun for all children in the car.

I Spy

This was a favorite in my family growing up.  We played it often in the car and also in places where we children were required to wait quietly such as in restaurants, lines at stores etc.  It requires nothing other than your eyes to play and can be played anywhere by two people or many people all at once.  There are several variations based on the age of the children playing.  Not only does the game help to occupy the child’s mind and keep them looking out the window, but it also encourages thoughtful observation and helps them to develop their ability to pick out objects within a visual field. 

The basic first player looks out the window and silently chooses an object that they see for the other players to try to guess.  Player one then says “I spy with my little eye something that is green.” (Or whatever color player one chooses.)  For older children you can use the first letter of the object that they are trying to find.  For example: “I spy with my little eye something beginning with R.”  Or for children who understand beginning sounds but have not yet mastered spelling you can use the letter sound rather than the letter name.  The person or people who are trying to guess can ask questions such as “is it inside the car?” and player one is welcome to give hints if the turn is dragging on.  When somebody correctly guesses the “spied” object then it is their turn to be player one and spy an object for others to guess.  This game can go on for a long period of time and is amazing effective at keeping children engaged.

 

Letter Hunt

This is another simple game that helps to keep children looking outside and keeps them focused on something fun.   You can print our alphabet sheet before your trip if you want to be able to mark each letter off as you go or simply keep track of the letters of the alphabet mentally.   In addition to being fun it a great way to practice letter recognition, visual scanning, and alphabetical.

The object of the game is to find each letter of the alphabet, in alphabetical order.  Letters found on license plates, road signs, the sides of vehicles, on buildings, etc.  Any letter that is seen outside of the car is fair game.  Everyone who is playing looks outside and when someone spots the letter A they announce where they see it and the letter is checked off and everyone begins to look for B, then

Audio Books

Books on tape are a great way to keep your childs mind occupied without contributing to motion sickness the way reading, watching a movie, or playing handheld video games can. Many public libraries have a good selection of books on tape or CD that you can borrow for free. If you have an iPod there is a wonderful site called Story Nory where you can download lots of children's stories for free before you leave home. Click on the link above to visit http://storynory.com