Summertime Family Road Trips: How to Reduce Screentime

Traveling in cars, or other forms of transportation, can be challenging with young children (and big children too) as they can get restless and unhappy leading to discomfort for everyone. Before long, one of the siblings is poking the other and the havoc begins. There are many ways, today, to entertain children with electronic gadgets and screens. But, if you are trying to get your children off of the screen, this article might provide you some ideas on how to pass the time, and help children look up and out the window. This article suggests some fun games to play with children that  will allow them to be actively involved with others and off of individual screens.

The "Classic" Song Game

This game can be very challenging, and involves the memory of song lyrics.

The first person will sing a song and then stop at a word and then the next person must think of a song with that word in it. For instance, one person might sing a Justin Bieber popular song and end with the word, "baby" and the next person might sing, "Rock my baby on the tree..." Ending with word, tree the next person playing this song game will have to find a song with tree in it. This game can be played until no one can think of a song with the word or this song game can simply, and cooperatively and collectively,  be played together.

Name That Tune

A classic television show can be played while traveling the long distance in a car with each person, or just the parents, giving clue notes about the song they have chosen. The players try and see if they can think of what song is being hummed or whistled. If older children are playing this game, they can try and guess how many notes they are going to guess the song in. Start with one note, then another and so on until the song is guessed.

Make a Playlist of Songs for a Guessing Game

This suggestion takes some preparation but might end up passing the time effectively in the car ride. A version of name that tune is to copy the beginning of songs onto a playlist  for the travelers to guess. Another suggestion is to make a full playlist of songs, or portions of songs, and the players have to guess an aspect of that song. Following are some ideas or variations for the guessing game:

• Movie Soundtracks: guess what movie the song can be found
• Who is Singing?: guess the artist
• Now or Then? : find songs from the past and present, and the players have to guess
• World Music: guess what part of the world the song is from
• What Decade? players have to decide which decade the song comes from

This activity could be prepared by different members of the family before leaving home.

ABC's and Children's Songs 

This game can be a collective song or played individually. Moreover, the parents might sing songs for their restless toddlers. Use the alphabet and with each letter find a word that starts with that letter and then a correlating song. Finding the word is a great activity for young children learning phonics and the sounds of letters. To illustrate this game: A is for apple and the song could be I like to eat apples and bananas.

ABC's and Shopping

This is another memory game, and is great for learning the alphabet and phonics. It is a cumulative game matching the alphabet with a bought item. The first person begins, "I went shopping and bought an apple.
The next person says, I went shopping and bought an apple and a b__________(anything that begins with a b, such as a banana. The next person says, "I went shopping and bought an apple, a banana and a c______. See which family member can remember the whole alphabet!

The Geographical Game

This ia game that can have any topic, but originally was created with geography. The rules are only one geographical spot (city, town, state, province, country, ocean, river...) can be said once, no repeats. The first person will say any place, such as Canada. This ends with a, and so the next player, must think of a place that begins with A.


Long car rides can be trying, but with some creativity and music, hopefully your next trip might go by a little faster with these fun game suggestions.

Online Early Childhood Workshops with Circle of Ideas

Indoor Hands-on Activities and Games for Young Children

Whether it's in the middle of summer vacation, a declared snow day or freezing temperatures outside, young children inside can get very restless. This article provides some different ideas to keep them busy instead of relying on the electronics. These suggestions are best for ages three to five, but older children can certainly join into the fun!

Inside Science Experiments for Young Children

Even if you, the parent, are not science savvy, these ideas are simple hands-on experiments to keep the young children busy.

Making Goop:

This sensory, hands-on experiment involves only three ingredients: a box of corn starch, water and a few drops of food coloring. Use a big bowl, or pot for the goop and have another pot of soapy water and a towel nearby for clean up. Put the cornstarch into a big bowl. First, choose the color by adding a few drops of food coloring to a measuring cup full of water. The key for this mixture is to add the water slowly. If too much water is poured in, there is no turning back until the mixture evaporates over time. When the right amount of water is mixed with cornstarch, the texture will be hard on the bottom, with just a bit of moisture resting on top. When the mixture gets picked up, it will start to run down the fingers: a great goop mess. The goop is easily cleaned. The mixture dries and the corn starch is left and washes off clothes without any hassles. This goop mixture can be left on a shelf and brought back out at a later time. If it hardens, the children can have fun breaking it into little pieces, and then add more water to start enjoying all over again.

Sink or Float:

A classic game that does not lose its appeal. Fill the sink with water and allow the children to find safe things that can get wet in the house. Have a guessing game on whether the item will sink or float ( an apple is always a great choice). To extend this science experiment, find out why things sink or float as well as charting the results into a graph.

The Revise "Volcano" Experiment:

An experiment which should be done on a tray to keep the final result intact. The kitchen is a great location for this activity. There are only three ingredients required for this activity: baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring. The child will scoop a heaping tablespoon into a glass container and then fill a measuring cup with vinegar and a few drops of food coloring. The final step is to allow the child to pour the vinegar mixture into the baking soda. The ingredients will mix together and cause an explosion that will bubble up and out of the container. When the bubbles are gone, the mixture must be emptied before beginning again. Try different shaped vessels for this experiment and adding some popcorn kernels. The kernels will dance inside the mixture, up and down for quite some time.

An Art Project for Inside: Rainbow Spin Art

From Plum Pudding

This art activity does make a little mess so, it is best to be done on a large tray or the bottom of a large cardboard flat box. The material required:

• a salad spinner (an old one at home, or a cheap "dollar" shop find)
• different color liquid paint
• large paper

First step for this art project is to cut the paper to match the inside of the salad spinner. Then, allow the children to choose the paint they want for their creation. The amount of paint required is a minimum of one tablespoon each of two colors. Place the lid on tight and spin. The result is a swirling effect. Plan ahead for a good place for the art pieces to dry. Some learning concepts about colors are found in this project. For instance ask the question, "I wonder how green got on the paper, when we do not have green paint?"

Another version of this arts and crafts idea is to use a shoebox or an empty ice-cream bucket, paint and a marble or golf ball. Once the paper is inside, the children will shake the box to allow the paint and marble to roll around making an art piece that is worth framing.

Making a Board Game

Find a large piece of cardboard in your home, perhaps by cutting a box, and some drawing tools: crayon, felt pens, and pencils. Then allow the children to make their own game. The child might need help making the main path of the game (think of snakes and ladders) and the printing. Guide the child along with some ideas: "Should the person get a bonus on this square, such as moving ahead spaces or should they lose their turn?" When the game set up is complete, the children have to decorate the game. Stickers would work well in this step as well. When complete, the game can be played. Young children enjoy having the ownership of this activity and their ideas being honoured.

Online Early Childhood Workshops 

Indoor Preschool Games

 

In early childhood settings, it is important to have a curriculum that includes physical activities that will foster gross motor development. But, sometimes, there are those days when the weather does not cooperate for the young children to have their allocated outside play time. When those days occur, whether it's due to rainy days, or too cold or hot temperatures, then it is a good idea to have some games and movement activities available for young children to engage in. Following are some game ideas for young children to play inside. These games are helpful in preschool and daycare settings but can also be used at home and for birthday parties.

 

 

Who is Under the Blanket?

One child is chosen to leave the group, and is sent away somewhere so that he/she cannot see the rest of the class. The teacher then chooses one child to hide under the blanket. When the selected child returns to the group, he/she must guess who is under the blanket. It is important to tell the children, before the game begins, how everyone must keep the secret and not give the child's name away to the guesser.

Fruit Basket

Every child in a circle receives a picture of a fruit. There are pairs of fruit. A teacher calls out a fruit, such as "apple" and two people will stand up and change seats. This is done several times, and then the teacher says, "fruit basket" and all the children must stand up and move to another seat. This game can have other variations, such as bug dance.

Doggie, Doggie, Where's Your Bone?

One child is selected to be the dog, and sits in a chair with his/her back to the children who are sitting in a circle. The teacher chooses a child from the group to steal the bone which is sitting under the chair. The child makes sure that bone cannot be seen and the group says, "Doggie, doggie, where's your bone? Somebody stole it from your home. Guess who? Maybe you! Maybe the monkeys from the zoo. Wake up doggie, find your bone". This game can have many variations depending on seasons, holidays and themes. For instance, it can be a squirrel and the nut is stolen.

Duck Duck Goose

This is a classic game that requires some room. The children sit in a circle and one child is chosen. He/she moves around the outside of the circle tapping each child's head while saying "duck." But, when the child says, "goose," then that child must stand up and run the opposite direction of the first child in atttempt to get his/her seat back.

The Bunny Hop

Have a number of flashcards with shapes or numbers on them, and one card that has a bunny. The teacher shows the cards to the group and the children can call out the right answer to the picture being shown. Then the teacher shows the bunny card, and all the children can hop up and down while she sings, "hop little bunnies, hop hop hop, hop little bunnies till you stop and drop."

 

 

The Shoe Game

Everyone takes off one shoe and puts in the center of the room. Then a child is asked to leave the room. The teacher selects one of the shoes and hides it away. The child returns to the circle and has to guess whose shoe is missing. This is a great visual and memory game.

 

Number Game

The children dance and/or move around and when the teacher pauses the music she will call out a number. The children will then try and make groups with that number. So, for instance if she calls out three, then the children try and make groups of three.

 

Obstacle Course for Preschoolers

If the young children inside are very active, an indoor obstacle course can do the trick. Use things around the room to help create the course, such as furniture, cushion and carpets. The children each take a turn. They have to listen to the instructions carefully. The teacher might say, "first I want you to go under this table, then go around this chair, hop up and down twice and then sit back down."
Young children need to move their bodies. When outside time is not available, then it is becomes necessary to find indoor games and activities which allow them to move and have fun.