"Are we there yet?" Remember that question ... or, more accurately, that desperate moan? There’s nothing quite like the misery of feeling trapped in the back seat of the car for hours on end ... unless, of course, you’re in the front seat listening.
Different strategies work with different ages, of course, but if you’re planning a trip with a third grader, consider this. With a few simple tools—a road map, a highlighter, and pencil and paper—you may be able to harness that impatience and reinforce some solid academic skills while you’re at it.
What You Need:
What You Do:
- For this activity, be sure to choose a big map with a clear key showing scale and types of road. It should also include junction markers with mileage numbers indicated. (Rand McNally makes good ones, as does AAA).
- Before your trip, spread your map out on a table and talk about it. By the beginning of third grade, your child should be familiar with north, south, east and west. He should be able to show you what is land, water, city, state, town, highway and road. Check to make sure your kid can find these on your map and that he can read the key.
- Going to meet Uncle Fred and his six kids in their orange minivan at Cousin Max’s summer cabin, the one with the pet ferret? Put your child to work figuring out the best way to get there (and while you’re at it, consider routes to a decent motel for Mom and Dad). Start by helping your child find your starting point and destination, and mark each one with a highlighter.
- Now point out heavy interstate lines, lighter state and local roads. What does your young explorer recommend? “Scenic” roads on which the car will travel slower, or “speed” roads that may be less gorgeous but will get you there faster? Talk it over—and when your kid has made a decision that you think you can live with too, invite him or her to trace it with a highlighter.
- If your third grader is on track in math, he or she should be ready for the next stage: calculating distance. On a piece of plain lined paper, have your child record distances using the numbers between “flags” on the map. Create a chart like this, and have your kid tally total miles:
| Home to Route 101 |
5 miles |
| 101 from Gulch Road to Swamp Flat |
30 miles |
| Swamp Flat to Valley Parch |
18 miles |
Your child will probably work slowly at first, but will gather speed, especially if you make this a regular part of your trip-planning process. By allowing her to explore routes and topography, you are reinforcing key skills in social studies and math, and your teacher will thank you. But the best reward can come on the trip itself: put your child's itinerary on a clipboard and have your young navigator watch for road signs and junctions to check off each section you complete. Build in extra subtraction skills by asking "How far have we gone?" and "How much farther?" Who knows? You may even find yourself being the one to ask, "Are we there yet?"
By Julie Williams
Julie Williams, MA Education, has been working in education for more than twenty years. For the last five years, she has worked in classrooms with primary-level students learning to read. She also taught English and History for seventeen years at Aragon High School in San Mateo, California. She is the mother of two young sons.
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