Having 3 children in a car can cause fighting and the dreaded are we there yet question. Since we live in a small town and often have to travel for doctor appointments, visiting with family and grocery shopping. I am working on making time in the vehicle more pleasant, I have made rules for the vehicle and also made a few baskets of things to do in the car to hopefully help with the fighting and boredom.
The rules I have put in place are:
1.No electronics unless the drive is over 90 minutes on way. This rule also goes for everyone in the vehicle including my husband and I.
2. On longer trips you may not bring a charger in the vehicle, once your battery for your electronic is dead you have to find something else to do.
3. If there is one fight over the climate control for the back then it is locked out and only the driver can control it.
4. Always make sure to bring a book or magazine with you.
5. Everyone must bring a water bottle.
There are currently 3 baskets in my vehicle for the children, one is under the driver seat for Monkey, one is on the floor by Baby Boy and the other is in the 3rd row beside Artist. Each basket is geared towards whoever it is beside but the children also have to share what is in their basket. In the baskets I tried to organize the activities into pouches to help things stay organized and make it easier to find items.
Basket 1 (Artist)
1. Crayola Twistables erasable colored pencils: These work great for Artist in the back seat for her to draw with. It also means we don't need pencil sharpeners and their mess in the car.
2. Sticker book: The one Artist picked has different facial features that you put on faces. This keeps her busy the longest.
3. Ear muffs- these ear muffs are great for when someone is overwhelmed or just doesn't want to listen to the rest of the family.
4. A binder with paper in to draw, doodle or play a game.
Basket 2 (Monkey)
1. Sudoko book - Think I can pull this off as educational?
2. Pen and pencils
3. Books
4. Playing cards- I got this idea today when on our way home the two oldest started playing with some mini cards that Baby Boy had gotten in a happy meal.
Basket 3 (Baby Boy)
1. Snacks- Yogurt covered raisins, apple sauces, and water. It is not much but this is just meant for trips under 90 minutes one way.
2. Sensory items that stay in the car- squishy balls, play dough, weighted sock (I got a fuzzy sock from the dollar store and filled in with rice), handheld massager, and glow sticks.
3. Leap pad- This is only to be used if Baby Boy is having a hard time and needs something to help him calm down and nothing else is working. I know this breaks the rules but sometimes you have to in order to save the peace.
4. Water reveal paint books- These are great for the vehicle because they do not make a big mess. In the bag for this activity I included paint brushes and sponges that can be moistened with water to wet the paint brushes with.
Bonus:
1. I have a package of C.D.s with 150 french songs on it that we listen to at the start of our car trip to help with our french.
2. I have a basket in the trunk area with extra water bottles.
3. Note book and pens in the front for me to write in.
If you have any ideas you think would be helpful please leave a comment.
This summer our family is planning a 9 day road trip so I will be adding to this list as we will be spending lots of time in the car. I will make sure to share with everyone what we decide to pack and how we decide to pack it all in my vehicle. I drive a 2017 Ford Explorer that seats 6 and with a family of 5 it can be tight to have all our luggage plus sensory tools and items to keep everyone from complaining they are bored.
1.No electronics unless the drive is over 90 minutes on way. This rule also goes for everyone in the vehicle including my husband and I.
2. On longer trips you may not bring a charger in the vehicle, once your battery for your electronic is dead you have to find something else to do.
3. If there is one fight over the climate control for the back then it is locked out and only the driver can control it.
4. Always make sure to bring a book or magazine with you.
5. Everyone must bring a water bottle.
There are currently 3 baskets in my vehicle for the children, one is under the driver seat for Monkey, one is on the floor by Baby Boy and the other is in the 3rd row beside Artist. Each basket is geared towards whoever it is beside but the children also have to share what is in their basket. In the baskets I tried to organize the activities into pouches to help things stay organized and make it easier to find items.
Basket 1 (Artist)
1. Crayola Twistables erasable colored pencils: These work great for Artist in the back seat for her to draw with. It also means we don't need pencil sharpeners and their mess in the car.2. Sticker book: The one Artist picked has different facial features that you put on faces. This keeps her busy the longest.
3. Ear muffs- these ear muffs are great for when someone is overwhelmed or just doesn't want to listen to the rest of the family.
4. A binder with paper in to draw, doodle or play a game.
Basket 2 (Monkey)
1. Sudoko book - Think I can pull this off as educational?
2. Pen and pencils
3. Books
4. Playing cards- I got this idea today when on our way home the two oldest started playing with some mini cards that Baby Boy had gotten in a happy meal.
Basket 3 (Baby Boy)
1. Snacks- Yogurt covered raisins, apple sauces, and water. It is not much but this is just meant for trips under 90 minutes one way.
2. Sensory items that stay in the car- squishy balls, play dough, weighted sock (I got a fuzzy sock from the dollar store and filled in with rice), handheld massager, and glow sticks.
3. Leap pad- This is only to be used if Baby Boy is having a hard time and needs something to help him calm down and nothing else is working. I know this breaks the rules but sometimes you have to in order to save the peace.
4. Water reveal paint books- These are great for the vehicle because they do not make a big mess. In the bag for this activity I included paint brushes and sponges that can be moistened with water to wet the paint brushes with.
Bonus:
1. I have a package of C.D.s with 150 french songs on it that we listen to at the start of our car trip to help with our french.
2. I have a basket in the trunk area with extra water bottles.
3. Note book and pens in the front for me to write in.
If you have any ideas you think would be helpful please leave a comment.
This summer our family is planning a 9 day road trip so I will be adding to this list as we will be spending lots of time in the car. I will make sure to share with everyone what we decide to pack and how we decide to pack it all in my vehicle. I drive a 2017 Ford Explorer that seats 6 and with a family of 5 it can be tight to have all our luggage plus sensory tools and items to keep everyone from complaining they are bored.