Travel Tips for Summer 2001

Smart Parent Tricks™ for Travel from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
Traveling with your kids can be hectic, but can also be a great time to connect with your kids without the responsibilities of day-to-day work and home life. You can enjoy each other without the pressures of homework, getting dinner ready or being on a schedule. If you're traveling by car, it's a great time to share some favorite music, play some words games and talk (you may be surprised by what you hear from the backseat). Not everything needs to be bought - whether your family likes to belt out folk tunes or play endless rounds of Twenty Questions- you're putting memories in the family bank. Here are some tips and games to play with your kids. You can print these out and put them in your travel bag or glove compartment.

Toddlers
A Present for Me. Before you set out on a trip with toddlers wrap small items for them to unwrap. They don't need to be new-little books, a tape, a box of cereal, and a small manipulative toy. Don't show your bag of tricks all at once. Dole them out as you go! Toddlers love surprises and the unwrapping process is part of the fun and a real time burner.

Preschoolers
If I Say Game. This is a fun word association game to play in a car or
waiting room and requires no props or preparation. Just introduce the game by saying, "Let's play a word game of things that go together. If I say shoe- what goes with a shoe?" If your child doesn't get it, ask "How about a sock?" Try another, such as peanut butter and jelly; salt & pepper; bread & butter; hat & coat; pancakes & syrup. Switch roles and have your child give the clues.

School-aged kids
Where are we? Map reading is an important skill that nines & up work on in school. Make the experience come to life next time you're in a zoo, theme park or museum. When you arrive, hand your young navigator the map and tell them that they need to get the rest of the family to an agreed spot. With more than one child, have them take turns. What they learn: translating a two dimensional map to a real world experience takes practice. For some, it comes naturally. Others may need a few clues along the way to keep them on track. Build this into your time frame for the day. If you only have a short amount of time to get to a particular spot, this is not the game to play. For those occasions your kids could time how fast you navigated them!

You can also play this game in the mall by taking the time to look at the posted map. Can your kids locate where you're starting from and where they'd like to go? What's the best way to get there- the elevator, escalators? Point out some of the stores you will pass on your way- visual clues that may come in handy later on!

Collecting States
Have your child send himself a postcard when he travels. How many states can he collect? Sending a postcard home is a good way to make a collection and to remember all the places you've visited together. You might want to suggest that he write down the best thing about the place he's visiting. This is a collection that you'll both enjoy looking at from time to time. He can keep them in a photo album with see through pockets so he can see both sides. Have your child make a list of the states in the front of the album and check them off (enter the date, too) when he gets a new state. WHAT THEY LEARN. School aged kids love collecting and this kind of collection can grow with them to whet their appetite for seeing the world and learning about the places they visit. What starts as a hobby at this stage may well blossom into a life long interest.

Sports Facts of Three
Name three players that play for the Texas Rangers? Three catchers in the National League? Three players on the women's world cup soccer team? Three sports that involve a net? You can adjust the questions to suit your child's interest and level of knowledge. A good game to play with mixed ages. Your kids will enjoy a turn at asking the questions. More advanced players (and questioners!) can play facts of five. WHAT THEY LEARN. School aged kids love trivia and amassing facts. This game stretches their sports mental muscle to see how well they know their facts.