Toddlers can be seemingly impossible to entertain on a long trip.  They have short attentions spans, cannot sit still, are not able to read and, despite what the advertisers want you to believe, there is no wonder toy that will entertain toddlers for hours.  So what options does a parent have?  Use a well-stocked activity bag to survive the journey.

While no one toy will do the job, several small toys will.  In fact, the right assortment of simple toys, frequently traded out and some imagination are better than even the most elaborate toy.  The goal is a quantity of quiet toys.  Any toy that makes loud or repetitive noises should be left home – it will certainly drive you (and the other passengers) crazy and some airlines even prohibit toys that make noise.

Before the trip, buy or create a toddler activity kit containing a variety of age-appropriate toys.  A good activity kit will include items that engage a child’s imagination, fine motor skills and problem solving abilities.  We always include stacking cups, links, cars, puzzles, finger puppets or small squeeze animals and chunky crayons.  All of these can be used in multiple ways to entertain a toddler if you think outside the box.  For example, the stacking cups can obviously be used for stacking and nesting activities but you can also hide a small toy under a cup and play the shell game or practice pouring items between the cups.  Squeeze toys are always fun in the bathtub but they are also perfect for creating a distraction.  Puff some air in a toddler’s hair or on their arm and you immediately get their attention.  In desperate times you can even fill one with water and watch the giggles start.

Use their short attention span to your advantage by swapping out toys often.  If a toy doesn’t immediately capture your toddler’s attention, stash it back in the bag and pull out the next toy.  As every parent knows, it never works to force a toy on a child – they are sure to hate it.   I always save squeeze animals for last because, for my kids, a quick puff of air in the hair always stopped a melt-down.

Afraid your toy supply isn’t up to the task?  Check out my previous post on entertaining toddlers with everyday items – no toys required.

Happy Travels

toddler travel activities · travel activities

Think all crayons are the same?  Think again.  We did a comparison test between the standard Crayola crayons and the washable Crayola crayons – with surprising results.  First, a  crayon fact.  Both the standard and washable crayons are made to wash out of most clothes.  The washable ones are formulated to come off of walls and other surfaces easier than the regular ones.  I haven’t tested this – have you?

We keep our BusyKiddy bags in the car at all times – even in hot summers.  As everyone knows, crayons gets mushy in the heat; but, as long as you cool them off prior to touching them, they reconstitute nicely.  Thinking all Crayolas were the same, I recently refilled our kits with washable Crayola crayons.  Imagine my surprise when we opened up the crayon case to find a mess.  The washable crayons had melted and molded into a single block while the regular crayons that were in another BusyKiddy were just fine.

Lesson learned – only regular Crayola crayons survive a summer in the car!

crayons · Road Trips with Kids

It is that time again when class lists come out, school supplies are purchased and the fall activity schedules are created.  Although we limit our kids to tennis plus one activity of their choosing, the calender is filling up fast.  With 4 kids at two schools (not to mention the one that is home schooled) my day is filled with pick-up/drop-off activities.  I am wondering how other moms do it and stay sane – or even just find time to hit the bathroom once in a while?

My “free” time in a typical day is an hour in the morning when all the kids are at school.  The entire rest of the day is spent in transit between schools and activities.  YIKES!

Ask for help?  Here are the comments I have received in response….

“Cut down on the activities” – We want all the girls to play a sport and have stuck with tennis because they all enjoy it and I can coordinate the schedules so lessons are at the same time.  It only seems fair that they get to choose one other activity to experiment with.  This activity is only one day a week for each child so, by itself, not too taxing.

“No complaining if you voluntarily home-school.”  – We are home-schooling at our oldest daughter’s request.  She wants to be a professional tennis player and asked to spend a year playing A LOT of tennis to see if she likes it.  My mom is a retired educator (with her doctorate in education) and jumped at the chance to home-school for a year.  We will split the instructional time between us so, as with the activities, this doesn’t take an extreme amount of time.

“What else will you do all day?  Watch TV?” – Ummm, maybe run my small business, work at my other job, clean the house, do the laundry, cook, – need I go on?

I know I am not alone – anyone have the magic solution?  Or should I resume my countdown until Emily gets her license in 2,628 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes….

back to school activities · Kids Activities

I can always tell that summer is winding down because the kids start bickering even more and my patience begins to wear thin.  I have also run completely out of fun, boredom-busting activities – my creative juices are tapped out.  I seem to accumulate books of kid crafting ideas so I decided to do a search and come up with a few fun projects to get us through the rest of summer.

1.  Start getting back into a routine by creating an activities chart.  Similar to a chore chart but with fun things to do everyday.  Our list includes playing outside, reading time, art time, practicing ball tosses (for my budding tennis stars) and more.  They get a sticker for each activity they complete and it has really energized the kids (tv and computer time aren’t on the list!).

2.  Make crayon resist paintings.

What you need:  black tempera paint thinned with water, drawing paper, crayons, paint brush

What to do:  Design a picture using light colored crayons (dark colors don’t work well).   Lightly brush one coat of paint over the whole picture.  The crayons resist soaking up the paint so the picture stands out.

Tips:  If you want an area of white on the picture, be sure to color it white.  For easy clean up, put your drawing on newspaper before painting.

3. Create peek boxes.

What you need:  Shoebox (with lid), paper & craft supplies, glue, tape, scissors

What to do:  Take the lid off the shoe box and make a whole in one end of the box.  Build a scene inside the box (facing the hole).  Cut a 2 inch hole in the box top to let in light.  Tape the top of the shoebox on and decorate the outside of the box.

Tips:  This is a good way to introduce the concept of perspective and for stimulating creative writing projects.

4. Play the button pitching game.

What you need:  20 buttons for each player, tape or string, tape measure.

Rules:  Measure 1 yard from a wall and mark the spot with tape of string.  Take turns pitching buttons at the wall.  The object is to get your button to bounce off the wall but land very close to it.  All buttons must hit the wall.

Game Play:  For each round, every player pitches one button.  The player with the closest button to the wall wins the round and collects all the pitches buttons.  Play continues until one player has all the buttons.

5.  Go on a collage walk.

What you need:  Piece of cardboard or flat board and a bottle of glue.

What to do:  Go on a walk around the neighborhood.  Collect objects as you walk along and create a collage.

Tip:  For my little kids, we use plastic containers for collection and glue them on when we get home.

6.  Create puppets from paper bags, socks, popsicle sticks or even spoons.

What you need:  Puppet base, supplies for trim (buttons, feathers, year, markers, straws, etc) and imagination.

Help me out – what fun, crafty ideas do you have for the end of summer blues?

summer activities

Where is your favorite resort?  Ask my kids this question and they will rave about the Britt Resort.  With its private pool, pond, lush grounds, nearby park (complete with carousel), children’s program and gracious hosts – they make it sound beyond compare.  My kids have stayed at five star resorts and hotels around the world and yet the Britt Resort is hands down their all-time favorite vacation destination.

Just where is this spectacular place?  It is actually my Aunt & Uncle’s house nestled in the heart of Chesterfield, Missouri.  Not necessarily the hot spot for tourist travel but my kids love it just the same.  And what is not to love?  A trip to the Britt Resort is all about the kids.  We swim, visit the park, play games, do crafts, bake cookies and eat all their favorite foods.   While it is a fun and relaxing for all, it isn’t the only destination we want to visit on vacation.   It does, however, highlight the value of having a portion of each vacation day focused on the kids.

Unless you are headed to Disney (or have a Britt Resort of your own), it is unlikely you will find a completely kid-centric vacation destination.  So how do you mix in some fun for the kids with the things you actually want to do?  Take some good planning, flexibility and a sense of humor and you have the ingredients for a great family vacation.

Good Planning: Before the trip, decide on the non-negotiable must-see sites and plan on visiting these early in the trip but limit it to only one or two a day.  Find a few kid things to do (like the zoo, aquarium or park) and mix these throughout the trip – including one within the first few days.  Do something fun and unexpected everyday.  Head to the hotel early for swimming, stop at a playground, visit a book store or grab an ice cream cone.  These small things are often the best vacation memories that come home with your child.

Flexibility: Change the itinerary as necessary.  Did you plan for 2 stops but you aren’t done with the first by mid afternoon?  Roll the second activity to later in the trip.  Or, if things are going well, add an additional activity for a day.

Sense of Humor: Simply stated – this is a must for any vacation with kids!  Things can (and most certainly will) go wrong – the ability to laugh along the way will go far towards making it a fun vacation.

While a vacation shouldn’t be ALL about the kids, it is important to remember it is a family vacation and they should have fun too!  What steps do you take to create a fun, family vacation?

family vacations · General Travel With Kids · traveling with kids