The Easter long weekend is this weekend and traditionally it’s a weekend for road tripping for families. Whether it’s to see family and friends or to go camping as a tight-knit group, there are thousands of Aussies packing up their cars, stocking up on snacks and getting ready to head to their next destination. Because of this I thought it would be fun to give you just one idea of what you can do with last week’s travel tin: make a road trip tin for the kids! To help keep the “are we there yet?”s to a minimum!
What you’ll need:
- A Travel Tin (see how to make your own here) to put the goodies in
- A Book for them to read (if they don’t get car sick, of course)
- An ipod (or electronic device) with headphones so they can listen to what they like without everyone else hearing the same song on repeat
- A Treat because road trips aren’t every day
- A Camera so they can show how they see the world (this one is shockproof and waterproof)
- A Sketchbook for drawing and writing stories
- Coloured Markers to go with the sketchbook because colours are awesome
Once you’ve chosen a tin or made your own, you can start filling it with goodies that you kiddos might like for the road trip. You could either involve them in making up the tin or you could surprise them with it once they’re in the car. Everyone travels differently and likes different things so these are just some suggestions as to what you could put in the tin as a jumping off point.
Packing a book, particularly a new book can be a way to keep your reader entertained for hours. It will give them a chance to just catch up on a story and zone out for a while. An ipod or electronic device with headphones can help keep your car feeling happier, when everyone can listen to their own music or watch their own show without the rest of the car having to hear that same pop tune for the 150th time!
You might like to pack them a treat for the road. I chose mini Easter eggs because of the season, but we always travelled with our own packets of Mentos and fruit tingles when we were kids. It was great because we didn’t have to share and no one ate more than their fair share ;)
If you’ve got a kid friendly digital camera, you might like to pack that for them too. Then they can take photos from the car of what they see. You know your own kiddos, so you’ll know whether this is a good option for them. It can be a fun way for them to document their trip and not just the times where you’re in the car.
A sketchbook and coloured markers are great for kids who like to write and draw wherever they go. It can be good both in the car and on the lunch stops in tiny towns that might not have many kid-friendly things to do. It’s good to switch up from reading to drawing when they get a little bored or tired.
I think this could be a great idea for long road trips with kids, and seems a lot more fun that 5 hours of listening to “she’s looking out my window” and “he’s breathing my air”. Some cars are a lot fancier these days and have DVD players and all sorts in them, but I think a fun tin that’s just for them can also be a sweet idea for keeping them entertained. It could also be fun to make one for a grown up friend or yourself with things like crochet or knitting supplies or something that you don’t always get time for.
Do you make up tins like this for your road trips? What would you add? How do you make them run as smoothly as possible?
If you do try this, I’d love to see a photo or hear about how it went! Tweet me your pics at: @danniellecresp or instagram me at: @dannielle with the hashtag: #styleforahappyhome
P.S. Happy Easter to those who celebrate. I hope you have a happy and safe long weekend and that you come out the other side with some fun memories and feeling just a little more relaxed. x