Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Great ideas for looooong car ride?

I don't think they're gonna sleep for 9 hours! (I know some people drive at night--we don't like to do this.) We do do the alphabet game, and 20 questions.

Klutz books - tons to choose from - all time favorite for the little guy - eye find - although that's under their chicken socks imprint.

Pod casts - we are into science Fridays, but you can find tons which don't require long term commitment like an audio book!

DeHe

Can your DS4 listen to a chapter length audiobook? I read my DD and DS their first novel length book when DD was 4. We read "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and they were both spellbound. It's about a mischievous little boy and very funny so your DS might be interested. Also I would suggest Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books. The chapters are stand alone vignettes and also pretty funny and entertaining.

If you have time you could buy audiobooks on a CD but if you don't there is a website called Audiobook.com that offers downloads. Not sure how it works (where does it go? what can play it? etc) but this could be done immediately.

If your kids love to have books read to them this could be a great solution. Last summer we listened to 3/4 of "Fellowship of the Ring" on a 15 hour drive and had almost no whining or bickering.

My children have become fans of some classic rock, partly through exposure in the car. On the Crosby, Stills & Nash greatest hits album they sing along to Suite Judy Blue Eyes, Southern Cross, Teach Your Children Well etc. They can see CSN perform on YouTube
and also view versions of the videos with lyrics.

Use long car rides to expose children to good music, whether they initially like it or not .

I highly recommend any of the Hank the Cowdog audio books. They're hilarious and well told, and they'll entertain the entire family from you all to your kids.

We took two- day road trips when our kids were small, and this was the one thing we all enjoyed together. My adult kids still quote lines from the stories.

I found my kids liked their own, familiar toys over new things - action figures, Hot Wheels, etc. I let my kids pack their own back pack that sat at their feet with the things they chose to bring.

I credit hundreds of hours of road trips from Washington to California when I was young, for my vast musical knowledge. It was pre-DVD and iPad and we would play name that tune for HOURS!

We drive a lot now, and my DS9, likes audio books best. His favorites when he was a little younger were the Ramona books and Harry Potter. The reader for Harry Potter is fabulous! If your library allows, you can check out e-audiobooks using Overdrive and put them on an iPod or other mp3 player.

We have a portable DVD but on an 8 hour trip, he might only watch one movie, depending on daylight. When he was 4-6 though, he would watch for several hours at a time. Now he'd prefer a new book.

I usually buy some random new junk from the Dollar Tree to dole out over the trip. We also take advantage of spoiling him on the road. We aren't a family of candy and junk but we love to stop at a gas station on a long trip and buy one junky thing! My son had his first Slurpee just a few days ago on a 3 hour trip. Sometimes we will stop and have lunch at a roadside attraction place or just eat a picnic on the way.