The upsides to a traveling spouse are lots of frequent flyer miles and fun tag-along trips but I am not sure those outweigh the very sad kids every time daddy leaves on a trip.  Through trial and error we have worked out a few things that help.  He leave each girl one of his favorite t-shirts that they sleep in or suggle with every night.  He sends pictures from the road and calls frequently.  And he never goes on a trip without explaining to everyone when he leaves, where he is going and when he will be back.

I know there are a lots of families that deal with traveling spouses/parents – my question for you:  What are your tips and tricks for helping kids deal with a traveling spouse?

traveling spouses

Creating a travel journal or log is an easy, inexpensive way to get kids excited about a trip and keep them entertained along the way.  While there are elaborate versions on the market, a simple notebook or printable version works just as well.   You can download ours here.  We print out a log or coloring page for each day of the trip and spend 15 minutes every evening winding down and completing the page.  At the end of the trip, the kids have a wonderful travel log to remember the trip by and, for school age kids, this is a fantastic item for “show” days.

Some tips:

• Keep the log pages simple – decorating the pages is part of the fun.
• Include a mixture of drawing and writing – even for older kids.
• This is a great activity on the plane or in the car.
• Customize by adding extra drawing or writing pages.
• Put the travel log pages in a fun folder, add a cute pen and new crayons and give it as a present right before the trip.

travel journal

I hate getting party bags filled with cheap novelties.  Especially since the bags aren’t cheap (just the toys)!   After several request from current customers, I decided to create a line of party favor bags using high quality toys that are kid tested and mom approved.

We start with a color-your-own gift bag, stickers and crayons.  Let the birthday kid decorate bags for everyone or use this as a party opener.  Hand out the bags at the beginning of the party and let the kids decorate while waiting for everyone to arrive.

Bags are filled with an assortment of high quality items – choose from our pre-made options or create your own.  We can match almost any theme or budget.  Kids will flip for the great bags and mom won’t cringe at the selections!

The best part – ordering is fast & easy!  Just a few clicks and your favor bags are on their way.  Start here!

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Kids think every trip is an exciting adventure.  Why not feed the excitement and throw in some education on the side by working with maps?

Road Trips:

• Buy a map that shows the start and destination.  Let the kids find both spots and highlight the route.  For older kids, have them read the legend and figure out how long it should take.  Check the answer on-line.
• AAA member?  Request maps and route information.  Let the kids pick a few pit stops along the way.  Also visit www.pitstopsforkids.com for some suggestions about places to stop along the way.
• Bring the map along.  When the chorus of “Are we there yet?” starts from the back seat, hand out the map(s) and let them figure out where they are.

Destinations:

• Buy several destination maps and give the kids the hotel address to mark on the map (this is great for on the plane!).  Keep one clean – you might need to use it later!
• Let the kids pick several activities and figure out their map location and how to get there.
• Many cities have colorful, free maps of historic, tourist or shopping districts.  Grab a few of these and use them to find an interesting spot to visit or to recap the day.
• If the kids need to return to school with a journal of the trip, mark a map with small stickers and use Post-It notes near the stickers to record interesting facts.

What ideas do you have for keeping kids entertained with maps?

entertaining kids with maps · maps · travel wth kids

Kids Ski Packing List

Travel Plans

Travel Journal

Office Scavenger Hunt

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