Map Out Your Trip For Car Ride Fun

A long car ride to a family vacation destination can provide the ideal time to teach your older children a lesson or two about geography. Hand out a road map, a few crayons, a pencil or pen, a notebook and a map of the United States to each child and the miles will pass by quickly as you all study up on the parts of the country you will travel through.

To play the “geography game,” make sure the kids have all the above supplies. Then draw a line on the road map to show where your hometown is in comparison with your destination. Make sure all the roads you intend to travel on are marked out for the children to follow along with.

As you travel down the road, have the kids trace your steps as you go. Encourage them to color in each state as you pass through, as well. To make travel time through each state pass by unnoticed, have the kids use the notebook to jot down their observations about each state. They might want to write about the weather, the topography, the unusual sights or even the kinds of birds and animals they are able to spot from the car. They may even want to write about any stops you make along the way. Let them have free reign with their notebooks as long as they are having fun.

For a bit more of a challenge, you can quiz them on their map-reading skills. Let them know what cities you are in as you pass through and ask them where you will be next. See if they know which state border you are heading for, based on the maps. Have fun and make a game of it. Before long, you will arrive at your destination with your children’s geography skills the better for the trip.

You can take questions from the backseat about how long your trip will be, or you can fight back. The “geography game” provides a fun distraction that is educational and enjoyable, too. It sure beats waiting to hear that “Are we there yet?” question!