In the Car Games and Tunes for Family Trips

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Long family car journeys, and even some of the relatively short ones for that
matter, are often made much more problematic by the kids getting bored in the back.
We all seem to moan about it and complain that they’re “doing our heads in” and that
“we’ll turn this car around in a minute”, but we’ve been in their booster seat in the
past – trips in the car can be very, VERY dull at times.

Endless motorway miles are dull enough for the driver, it’s no surprise that the
passengers are bored and even your partner might start to go into “child-mode” and
start asking if we’re nearly there.

A lot of the problems stem from the type of car you have. A lot of the older or
more uncomfortable models can make your body go numb on the journey, which
makes you fidget and want to start stretching out. Fortunately, the majority of the
latest family cars are much more child and family friendly, with plenty of space and
comfortable seats, (take a look at some of the latest models in the range at www.twwhiteandsons.co.uk
for examples of some of the latest new and used cars).

To liven the journey up a bit for all parties, you could do a few things. Just
keeping each other entertained for a while is a great way of keeping the tensions
away and also ensuring that you stay alert – which is key for the driver who may
find that after a fair few miles their mind starts to drift. To help keep you all awake,
entertained and, most importantly, civil with each other, throughout your journey,
here are five things you can do on your trip:

Create a playlist

The majority of people have smartphones or iPods now, and many cars come
with the ability to connect your music device to the stereo and play it through the car
speakers. However, what one person thinks is cool music might be someone else’s
idea of hell! Let everyone contribute a few songs each and then everyone gets their
chance to listen to the songs they like and sing along, rather than listening to the
local radio station which is always a bit hit or miss!

Take a hand-held games console

Games consoles such as the PSP, Nintendo DS and also games that are
available on smartphones are a great way of keeping the kids quiet and letting them
play on the sort of games they might be playing on at home too. Just make sure you
take the charger with you for the return trip!

Play family games

Of course, you have the traditional car games like “I Spy” that can be both
entertaining for a fair few miles and also infuriating! Alternatively, you could end the
developing anger with “The Silent Game”, seeing who can go the longest without
making a noise!

Make up stories

A great way of having a laugh and using your imagination is to create a story.
However, unlike traditional made-up bedtime stories, you could each come up with a
line or few lines so nobody knows which way this story is going to turn! (A bit like Dad
in the driving seat!)

Spot the car

A final idea could be to give each person in the car a particular brand or colour
of vehicle to spot along the way, and the person who sees the most wins and gets
some kind of prize, such as choosing where you eat that night, the radio station or,
if you’re doing it during a period of time as opposed to the length of the journey, the
next game you play!