Road Trips, Flights, and Kids, Oh My! How to Keep Your Kids Happy While Traveling
Tucson, Arizona (PRWEB) June 27, 2014 -- Are you taking a family vacation this summer? Many parents fear traveling with children, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. The key is to make sure you are prepared when traveling with young ones.
By packing the right toys for your children you can increase the likelihood of a peaceful and enjoyable travel experience. Happy and entertained children not only put their parents at ease, but other passengers appreciate it too!
Scholastic Parent & Child recommends, “Stock up on boredom busters. Smartphone and tablet apps and games are staples for most modern family road trips, as are DVDs. But if you’re like me and want to limit how much time your children spend on screens, you’ll need some other things for them to do." - Mara Gorman
One of the best pointers is to make sure you plan everything for entertainment for the entire trip. It is good to create a list of things that are provided for “child entertainment”, such as snacks and games.
IVillage suggests having a few surprises up your sleeve. "Eventually that DVD will end. Or the baby will get bored and antsy. This is the time for you to pull a few well-planned goodies out of your purse or carry-on (one at a time, of course!) so that you can divert a meltdown with something new if necessary. New books are good options -- just try not to choose anything that's too loud or has too many pieces that could fall all over the floor." - Ylonda Caviness
Travel bloggers recommend that you pack toys that are self-contained, don't require batteries and pass TSA requirements.
A new mom-developed product fitting this criteria is ‘Desert Dweller: Southwest Animals from A-Z’, desert inspired flashcards created by Julie Rustad. She wanted to teach her son the alphabet by using the unique animals they see in the Sonoran Desert.
Desert Dwellers Flash Cards don’t use a battery so you can entertain during take off and landing. They also will not annoy fellow passengers the way that noisy electronic games can.
Colorful, educational, and fun - they are compact and fit in a purse or glove box. Just give kids the pack of cards, and when it is time to clean up, they conveniently slide right back in the box.
From Anna’s Hummingbird through to the Zebra-Tailed Lizard, children can learn about the colorful and diverse wildlife of Arizona. An "Activity Card" and additional questions are included in the set.
Fun family games using Desert Dwellers Flash Cards:
• Pick a card and find other things that begin with the same letter. If you're on a plane, find a picture in the magazine that starts with A, B, C…or if you're in the car - look out the window to find objects.
• Group animals by how they move, their color, if they have fur or feathers, etc.
• Match each card to an object that starts with that letter.
• Choose a card and give clues and facts about the animal for others to guess which animal it is. For instance, "I'm fast, I'm feathery, and snakes don't like me. Who am I?" A roadrunner!
• Use the cards to read stories and facts about each animal. Either you or your child(ren) can make up a story about that animal or a group of animals.
• Make up your own game. Not only do cards keep kids busy and amused, but they're also a good way to teach skills such as taking turns.
So when you are on the road this summer, remember to always be prepared. Make sure you have packed everything you will need to have stress-free travels. Have fun trips!
About Desert Dwellers Flash Cards
• Received a Silver ‘Addy’ award from the American Advertising Federation Tucson.
• Desert Dwellers Flash Cards on The Morning Blend
• Customers can order the Desert Dwellers Flash Cards, along with greeting cards, calendars, and prints, online at http://www.julieoriginals.com.
Julie Rustad, Julie Originals, http://julieoriginals.com/, +1 520-240-7839, [email protected]
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