Putting together a kids activity pack.

Spendless

We are going to France May 1/2 term, stopping in a mobile home. We have a 4 hour drive till we get to Dover and an o/n stop. Then the ferry and another 4 hour drive till we get to our campsite.

I want to put together for each child (DS 10yo, DD 7yo) a small bag with things to do during the journey and also if we have any rainy days abroad.

So far I've thought of
Book -I'll get DS percy jackson and the demi-god file and these are the books that keep him the quietest and it's the only one he's not read.
DD - has a load of books on her bookshelf she's not read yet, so will take one of those.

colouring books and pencils,stickers
can gather all these things from around the house.

and then I'm stumped for inspiration. Anyone any ideas?

mrcow

I'd pack them a snack box each too that they have each have for the journey. It's fun to have your own stash of goodies

Also - for 7 and 10 year olds - comics.

4 hours in a car really isn't that long for kids of that age. You'll probably find they'll read a lot of the way if it's daylight. Just pack enough reading material.

Silaqui

A road map? Could be bought or printed off, and they (probably the younger one, although the older one could help) can mark off where they are and follow the roads and things. I remember when I was a kid I used to alway nick my dads road map!

If they can gonna be reading in the car don't forget car sickness tabs, paper bags and spare clothes if they are so disposed - I was always fine but my sister used to throw up without fail and leave us sitting in a stinky car!

A list of random items for 'spotting' - my sis once yelled out - mum there's an elephant over there! - of course we didn't believe her, then turned a corner and there it was, an elephant in a field in the middle of france! (From a circus I reckon)

Puzzle books?

Cards? You can play things like 'chase the ace' and stuff easily without a proper table, also good for on the ferry.

I'm trying to think back, when I was 10 and sister 5 we went on a marathon holiday with lots of travelling - we went from Leicester to Dover, on the ferry and then down for an overnight stop near Paris. Then from Paris to La Rochelle, stayed there for 2 weeks then drove all the way from La Rochelle to Dijon, stayed there overnight then on to Frankfurt in Germany for a week. Then we had to drive all the way back home!

That must have took my poor mum some entertaining! Oh and we had this little tetris game that was really annoying and everyone hated by the end of the trip!

I'll post if I think of anything else!
x

Supermom

How about a pack of Top trumps? or cards?
Travel game and maybe a wordsearch book/activity book?
Do they have MP3's ? you can download stories to put on them
I find that mine always sleep lots, not so much the eldest anymore but we did buy them portable DVD players last year with headphones which were a godsend.
Have fun

mrcow

Also - if it doesn't drive you completely nuts - what about an audio book for everyone listen to (make it one you could all bear?).

itsallinthemind

http://www.hawkin.com/find/category-is-All/sort-is-PriceASC

Maybe look through these cheap bits? Some puzzles etc

elfen

I was thinking cheap MP3 players with music or audiobooks on them, so then they have a choice of reading or listening, and the listening might help them sleep a bit.

babyshoes

What about those handheld games? Are those really expensive? I have seen cheapo versions in poundland / 99p shop.

Information about the place you are going - touristy leaflets etc.

A child's 'learn French' tape/CD that you can listen to in the car and practise together, focusing on basic phrases for common situations and emergency situations. (eg how to say their name in French and explain that they speak english.)

A laptop with car charger may well come in useful for watching video, listening to music, downloading photos etc.

Do the kids have cameras? At that age, a cheapy camera is good fun, especially if you don't have to worry about the cost of film and development - a few years ago we got £20 digital cameras from Tesco for teenage relatives, and the quality was actually surprisingly good.

You could set them a challenge over the holiday to take photos of certain things, or within a couple of 'themes'. Themes could be things like fun, water, green, unusual vehicles etc. Aim to think of themes that will excite them, so if they are keen on animals for example, that could be a theme.

Try looking on teaching resource websites for passive games and activities to take along. Things like wordsearches, spoken word games, colouring in etc.

What about wrapping a few things up, and write on them when they can be opened, for example one could be opened on the ferry, and be a boat related toy, one for a rainy day and be a board game, one for the journey home etc.

kingfisherblue

I always make up a pack of mazes, wordsearches, colouring pictures, spot the difference, etc for each of my two boys. I search the internet and print off things that are suitable for each son. I put them all into a wallet style file (if it is card rather than plastic, they can decorate it). I also give them a clipboard each, so that they have something to lean on. Both also get a new packet of pencils or washable felt tip pens.

One of the boys has an MP3 player and the other has a portable CD player, both with headphones. This way, they can swop over. We take CDs of stories as well as music.

A blank notebook to make a holiday journal can be a good idea - if you take a small glue stick, the kids can paste in any postcards or leaflets when you get there. On the way, they can draw or write in it.

Car bingo is a good idea for kids. Make a grid on Word and add in things that you might see on the journey. Be adventurous. Each time they see one of the items, they cross it off. You could use pictures or words, depending on the child.

Google DLTK. It's an American site with plenty of ideas on. You can make your own set of dominoes, choosing from a variety of themes. If you print the balck and white option, the kids will have to colour them first, but you could laminate a coloured option before you go. there are lots of other ideas as well.

Play the registration numbers game - make up silly phrases from the letters on the registration plate.

Take a couple of magentic games like snakes and ladders or draughts.

Print a sheet of paper with dots. I've shown an example below. Each player has to connect two dots to make a line. When a box is made, the player who completes the box puts their initials in it. My kids love this - I usually laminate a couple of sheets so that they can be reused.

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Teach the kids how to play hangman and noughts and crosses before you go. If you laminate a sheet for the dots game, they can use the back of the sheet for these games.

Do they have any handheld games (DS, or maybe games on a mobile)?

Don't forget the return journey. I always have a separate pack in my luggage for this, so that they have different things to do on the way home.

Enjoy your holiday x

maman

There is an I-spy book on France which I used years ago for my niece. From memory, it needed some driving on N roads (or smaller) as I don't think you would see all the things on the autoroutes. It's worth getting for your holiday in general though.

Spendless

Anything to eat is a no no I'm afraid. The slightest amount of food combined with car travel and DD is sick. She threw up the other week going to the next village 1/2 hour after eating toast! I was exactly the same as a kid.

That's why I was wary of too much reading material.

Thanks for the ideas, I especially like the idea of making up something by searching on the internet and putting it into a folder and supplying a clipboard.