Travel Tips

As the holidays approach, many students will be doing some long distance traveling.

This would be a good time to talk about activities students can do to avoid being bored on long travels. Many will suggest using their electronics but on long trips, batteries run down and there isn’t always a place to recharge them.

I remember some games I used to play as a child and some that I played with my children on long trips. Here are some suggestions for some family fun:

Spelling game: Say a word. The next person has to say a word beginning with the last letter of the word you gave. Keep going until the person can’t think of one.

Horse: another word game for older students. One person gives a letter. The next adds a letter to it that can begin spelling another word. The first (or next) person adds another letter, which may change the direction of the word. Keep going until a word is spelled. The person giving the last letter gets an H (or O or R or S or E). The person who spells Horse loses and is out of the game.

I Spy – The first person says, “I spy something with the color…” The others guess until they find the object. That person is now the Spy.

License Plate Bingo – See how many different states you can identify.

License Plate Words – Use the letters on the plates and come up with words they can spell in that order (or not in that order).

Elephant – What words can you make up using only the letters in the word Elephant (or Mathematics)?

I’m Going on a Picnic – The first person says, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to bring…” The next person repeats the sentence with the first person’s item and adds another. This continues with each repeating all the ones named plus one more. The person who misses is out of the game.

Most of these games can be practiced in the classroom (except the license plate game unless you take photos of plates and show them in class). Students can learn how to play the games and then when they are with their families, they can teach the others. This would help communication skills, social skills, and family bonding.

What would you suggest for long trips? Please share.