Going on a road trip with kids is not just about getting from one place to another. It can be a great chance to learn new things and have fun along the way. In this article, we’re going to give you some handy tips on how to make road trips both educational and entertaining for your kids. We’ll talk about fun games to play, cool places to see, and ways to keep your kids interested and learning while you’re traveling. Whether you’re going on a short trip or a long one, these tips will turn your family road trip into a fun learning adventure.
Tips for Making Road Trips Educational for Kids
We love to go on family road trips and whether it’s a long drive that takes a few days or a short weekend trip having the kids in the car for extended periods of time as a captive audience gives you the opportunity to teach them new things. Here are some tips for turning your family road trip into a learning experience.
Set the right environment for learning.
When you’re planning a road trip with your family, picking the right car is super important. It makes a big difference in how much everyone enjoys the trip. Everyone needs to be comfy, especially the kids, and the person driving should feel good and confident at the wheel. That’s why having a nice, roomy car matters a lot for a great road trip. Right now, we’ve got a Toyota and a Mazda. They’re both really spacious and don’t guzzle gas, so they’re perfect for long trips.
When we say a Toyota Camry for sale a few months ago and realize what a great value it was, buying it was a no brainer. Road tripping in our Camry has been so much fun. It’s super smooth to drive, has lots of space for all of us, and comes with great safety features that makes us all feel secure, comfortable and happy on the road.
Read up on the place’s you’ll visit before you set off on your road trip.
A road trip is a perfect opportunity to put history and geography into context. We make learning about the states and cities we’ll be driving through beforehand in a fun way by watching videos and doing some state trivia.
Teach your kids map skills.
We have gotten used to depending on technology, but what happens when you have no signal on your phone and no navigation system on your car? Map reading is an important skill that everyone should know. A road trip is a perfect time to teach your children how to tell direction when you are driving and how to read a map and once they master this skill they will enjoy helping out the pilot by giving directions. Now the pilot may not enjoy that, but that’s a different story.
Reinforce a second language, or learn a new language.
Whether your kids are already speaking two languages or just one, the time spend in the car on long drives is ideal for learning a second or third language. We play music in Spanish and have a rule about only speaking in Spanish when we are in the car. Another great idea is to get audio books in the language your kids are learning or need reinforcement with or even have them watch a movie in Spanish.
Plan ahead and stop at historic locations.
With a little research, you will be able to find lots of historic locations along the way, it could be anything from a battleground or a historic marker to a historic building or even a historic restaurant! After your stop discuss further with your kids and be open to questions.
Use the car as a learning tool.
It’s important for kids to learn about what makes a car go. During long drives, you can discuss with you kids how engines work and also teach them about safe driving and road safety. This past weekend as we drove on the new
Minimize the use of technology.
We use technology only as a last resource. The kids know there is usually no technology in the care when we go on road trips so they are more willing to have conversations and discussions, ask questions and connect with us and with one another. When we see they are really getting tired of being cooped up in the care we’ll put on that movie in Spanish that we downloaded on the tablet and they won’t even complain that it’s in Spanish.
Don’t’ forget nature.
Road trips give you a perfect opportunity to teach your children about the natural environment and the biodiversity of the places you are driving through. Whether you plan ahead to make a stop at a local nature reserve or even a natural park, or just watch the birds and plants while you stop for a picnic you can start a discussion by asking questions like: How is the climate or the environment different here? What animals and plants do you see?
Choosing the Right Car
When you embark on a family road trip safety is super important and that is why you need a car handles well on the road and that includes lots of safety features like a rearview camera (which has been improved to expand the speed range at which pedestrians can be detected), forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring. Cars equipped with the i-Activsense package can now also recognize road signs, what?!
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Me encantaron esas recomendaciones, sobre todo porque amo salir a pasear con mi familia. Es mi actividad favorita para hacer con ellos.
El año pasado viajamos mucho y la experiencia es maravillosa y enriquecedora, excelentes consejos!
Muy buenos los consejos, realmente en viajes largos son excelentes sugerencias. El carro está espectacular ! me encanta 🙂
Love your tips and that car is to die for! OMG! that interior is AWESOME!!!!
Que excelente experiencia para los chicos! Y el auto está excelente, muchas gracias por los típs ???
Primero que nada, ese auto se ve súper! Segundo, a mi y a mi familia también nos encantan los road trips. Se aprende muchísimo y se pasa mejor!
I am currently on a road trip around Europe and your tips are awesome! What are your tips for using less technology?