“Are We There Yet?” - By Rachel Newcombe

The words, “Are we there yet?” are likely to be familiar with any parent who’s ever travelled short or long distances with children. Despite good intentions and pre-travel advice that it’s going to involve a fair bit of sitting still, children inevitably become restless and eager to reach their destination. So what can you do to make the journey more bearable for both you and them?

Simple games usually go down well, but you may need several up your sleeve if you’re on a long journey, so be prepared and plan in advance. A good old favourite is I Spy, but a variation on it is to look for certain landmarks, such as a building, a red car, a sign, a particular animal in a field etc, and be the first to spot them. Other simple game ideas include:

* The Name Game: The first person says the name of an animal, then the next person has to name an animal starting with the last letter of the previous one. For example, antelope, elephant, tiger, rabbit etc. Once you’ve exhausted the animals, you could use names of TV characters, children’s books, famous people or anything else you can come up with. 

* My Car Game: Each pick a number between one and 30. Count the cars that pass you by and when it gets to your number, that’s your car. If imaginations are in full flow, this can lead to some funny and creative ideas of what you’d do in this car, where you’d go, who you’d take, whether you even like the car, etc.

* The Story Game: Start by making up the first line of a story, then get your children to each add a line in turn – the more imaginative, the better. On subsequent journeys, you can even bring back characters you’ve created previously and re-tell their adventures with a new made up story.

* The Category Game: Choose a category, such as flowers, animals, colours or food, and get each person to name something different that fits in that category. For example, in the case of flowers it could be, rose, daffodil, sunflower, crocus etc.

Toys

Depending on the age of your child, a small bag of favourite toys is essential, although Jenny Graves finds that keeping toddlers amused, even with favourites, can be tricky on a long journey.

“We recently had to take the family on a trip to America and I was aware my son may get quite restless,” she explained. “A friend suggested we buy a few small new toys, just inexpensive things, and wrap them up before we left. Every time he started getting a bit restless I grabbed the goodie bag and allowed him to pick one thing out.”

“It certainly did the trick,” she said. “Unwrapping the toy filled up some time, then he happily played with it for a good while longer than his ‘old’ toys.”

Sometimes children find the most unexciting objects interesting, and sick bags on planes have often proved to be fascinating to little ones. “My daughter had a lot of fun emptying the contents of her backpack into the sick bag, then back again,” one mum said. “And after that pastime was fulfilled, she proceeded to draw a face on it and make it into a puppet!”

Entertainment

“My top tip for peaceful travelling with kids,” says mum of two, Claire Sheldrake, from London, “is to stock up on books on tape from the library.” In fact, she says, “Most children’s books are available on cassette or CD and it keeps them occupied for hours. As an added bonus, they can look out of the window and enjoy the scenery whilst ‘reading’, but don’t feel car sick like they would if they try and read a hand-held book.”

If your children are all different ages and don’t fancy listening to the same thing, then walkmans or CD players solve the problem and allow everyone to listen to their ideal book.

Colouring books can provide some entertainment and quiet activity, especially if travelling by train, plane or ferry, but it’s also possible to print out individual colouring sheets from the Internet for free (see resources). Coloured pencils are generally a safer option than crayons or felt tip pens, as they don’t melt or stain if accidents occur. Sticker, activity and puzzle books also aid amusement and help keep young minds occupied for a while.

Some companies produce travel packs, including items such as colouring books, pens and activity games. For example, The Travel Scribbler, from the Early Learning Centre, for children aged 3+ comes equipped with a magic wiper, thick and thin pen and two pattern shapes.

As essential as keeping your children entertained on a journey is keeping their hunger pangs fulfilled. To avoid unnecessary food stops or having to pay for over-priced snacks at airports or motorway service stations, pack some healthy nibbles and drinks in advance, so there’s something to munch on when hunger strikes.

Small bite-sized foods, or finger foods, are good as they’re not too big or messy to handle and can be packed compactly into sandwich boxes. Try non-squashy fruits, such as apples, packs of raisins and pears, carrot sticks, bread sticks, crackers or small cubes of cheese, and remember to include bags to put the rubbish in.

Long journeys can seem like a chore, but with a bit of imagination, preparation and creativity, the time can pass by with ease and enjoyment – both for you, and your children.