Road Trip Boredom Busters

The family road trip can be a time for bonding, a time for learning about each other's interests and points of view - a time to practically pull out every last hair on your head for every instance the words, "Are we there yet?" are uttered.

A beloved tradition likely observed even back in the days of the horse and buggy, road trips really can be an enlightening, educational, sane experience for all, with just a little planning, creativity, and preparation. Here are some ideas for games and activities to get your whole gang revved up for a trip long on smiles and short on frustration:

• Can-Do Cards: Don't underestimate the power of a deck of cards. There are endless possibilities for all ages, and they lend themselves to hours of entertainment and concentration. If your kids are sick of the standard Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Rummy games, buy - or check out at your local library - a kids' card games book for new ideas. Or, buy a deck of quiz or trivia cards to keep their brains plenty busy.
• Contest Craze: Hold an official family spelling bee or trivia contest, using index cards to write down words or questions. Winners can earn trinkets, stickers, activity or coloring books, trading cards, food treats, money (the younger the child, the smaller the amount), or extra minutes of hotel pool time or stay-up-late time that night.
• Good Ol' Games: Use the fallback road-trip games - 20 Questions, the License Plate Game, and I Spy. Or, try the Alphabet Game (you pick a topic - say, animals - and a letter, then have everyone spout off animals that begin with A: i.e. aardvark, antelope, ape...). The best part about this game is that kids can pick the topic of interest - cars, TV characters, countries, cities, foods, names, etc. - and there are 26 possibilities (one for each letter) for every topic. Make the games into marathons, awarding special treats or trinkets to whoever wins each round. Then, have lightening rounds or finals for extra-special awards.
• Journal Jotting: Buy cheap, but sturdy, journals (or just plain old notebooks or create your own using construction paper, hole puncher, and yarn) and have kids write down and describe what they see along the way. Have them collect something small (a stone, a seashell, a flower, etc.) or buy a super-small trinket from rest stops (buttons, stickers, postcards, etc.) to glue into their journal, describing each stop and each location or landmark they pass. Bring along a stack of old magazines, and have kids cut out and paste pictures into their journals to illustrate some of what they've seen (i.e., cows, fire trucks, palm trees, deer, cars, etc.). Buy a disposable camera for each child, so that they can capture their own memories and place their very own pictures in their personal road-trip journals.
• Make It Magnetic: Stock up on a few super-cheap magnetic games (i.e., tic-tac-toe, checkers, etc.) at the local dollar store or at gift shops along the way.
• Map Quest: Bring a large map (or smaller map book that little hands can better handle) just for the kids. Have them use stickers and highlighters to mark each road you take on your journey.