Traveling with children can be a challenge, it can be especially challenging for children with learning disabilities, other disabilities, and behavioral disorders. You can reduce, and possibly prevent, behavior problems such as fighting between siblings, tantrums, and general misbehavior. These tips will help you prepare activities with positive strategies during long trips on planes and cars. These strategies can also help on your daily commute to work, school, and everyday errands.
1. Manage Behavior on Trips - Take Backpacks of Educational and Fun Activities
A Girl Reads in the Back of the Family Van - Photo by Getty
Keeping your child occupied with age appropriate activities that he enjoys will reduce boredom and general misbehavior on trips. Well before your trip, help your child, or children, pack a backpack with their favorite portable toys and games.
For extra long trips or for children with short attention spans or hyperactivity, pack your own secret backpack including new activities for your children. This will be your backup backpack. Periodically, when your children finish activities of their own, bring out a new activity from your own pack. The novelty will be more interesting to them and will fight boredom, which is a top reason kids misbehave.
2. Managing Behavior on Trips - Pack Enough to Keep Kids Busy for the Duration
Ensure that you include sufficient activities to keep kids busy for the duration of the trip. Pack at least one activity for each half hour of travel for elementary children. Older children typically attend longer to tasks and may need fewer activities.3. Fight Boredom and Behavior Problems with a Variety of Activities for Kids
Ensure the activities you and your child choose offer a variety of experiences. The novelty will help keep children entertained and reduce arguments and overall behavior problems. Include both activities that can be completed alone and with others. Try to spend at least part of the trip playing along with your children.4. Include Physical Activities to Manage Hyperactivity - Control Impulsive Behavior
We all want to minimize travel, but physical activity breaks are a good idea. If possible, include exercise in your trip.- Choose rest areas with safe play areas. Always supervise your kids.
- Consider a Frisbee, jump rope, softball and gloves, or football.
- Walk together around the rest area.
- A total body stretch works wonders! Try this two minute stretch.
- Play classic outdoor games.
5. No Place to Play En Route? Find Creative Alternatives for Exercise
No place to play on your travel route? Weather too bad for outdoor play? Finding places for physical activity may be a challenge on some driving routes. Consider using shopping malls for a brisk walk. Check for restaurants with indoor play areas along your travel route. Working out on the road takes some forethought, but it will pay off in increased relaxation, reduced stress, and a reduction in hyperactivity in your children.6. Traveling with Learning Disabilities - Entertaining Kids with SLDs
Children with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) may have more difficulty entertaining themselves long trips. Select activities adapted for their learning needs:- Visit your library for books on tape or CD.
- Try 101 Things to Do When There's Nothing to Do.
- Family and kids' movies are good choices. Check for appropriate movie content on Kids-In-Mind, About.com's movie rating site that provides a complete and separate analysis of all of the instances of inappropriate movie content such as sex, nudity, violence, gore, and profanity and rates each on a scale of 1 to 10 for quick reference.
- Educational video games on portable players are a great way for kids to learn while having fun on long trips.
