Video:How to Keep Peace in the Car
with Ben HessThis video offers great ideas for how to entertain the family and keep the peace in the car during a road trip. See these tips for how to keep peace in the car.See Transcript
Transcript:How to Keep Peace in the Car
Hi I'm Ben Hess for About.com – you're thinking about your upcoming family roadtrip, hour and hours, days and days maybe, in the car with the kids and you're concerned. How can you keep the peace? I may not be able to make the entire trip a cum-by-yah experience, but I've got a few ideas on how to make the trip a little more enjoyable.Avoiding Disputes in the Car
Like with any anything, pre-planning is key. Consider what each child is packing in their backpack - make sure each has a bag accessible during the drive. My son tries not to spend much time packing but I know how quickly he'll get bored and what things he might need in his backpack.Tips for Keeping Peace in the Car
All inclusive activities, like Madlibs, the license plate or alphabet games are fun, shared experiences for the entire family. Other shared auditory experiences can include audiobooks, music, or even reading aloud - but also make sure each kid has their own ear buds or headphones!Distractions to Encourage Peace in the Car
Before the days of GPS, remember those old fashioned paper maps? Even if your kids aren't old enough to follow along, maps are fun for kids to explore. If you've got a tween or teen, have them help navigate - it'll keep them more involved in the trip and also help prepare them for their driving career.And of course, if you have today's modern screens - gameboy, built-in or portable DVD players, mp3 player, or laptop - make sure the kids pack the device and the appropriate charger or batteries.There's nothing worse than not having power.
A final idea is to have the entire family participate in making a trip documentary - digital photos, videos, mementos all can be gathered together - either posted to a blog as you go or assembled after the trip and distributed via internet or DVD or scrapbook.
Have a fabulous, harmonious road trip with the kids - I'm Ben Hess, thanks for watching. And there's always more - check us out, Video.About.com.
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