3 for the Road
Written By Mary Cleary Kiely
print
Those of us in front seat need a bag of tricks to keep the peace in back. Make that a board of tricks, as in the Travel Board, a low-tech idea that reintroduces kids to the lost art of taking in the scenery. Each of these three games occupies wandering minds with colors and shapes, vehicles and buildings, and basic geography. When attention spans wane, the board shifts gears and becomes an art pad (bring a dry-erase marker), collage board (using the game tiles), or simply a tic-tac-toe template.
How to Make the Games
First, create the Basic Travel Board, then use it to play the following three games:
Materials
Set the board vertically on a work surface. Using the tape, make three horizontal lines and two vertical lines to create 12 squares. [Supplies for the Basic Travel Board and individual games are available at office supply and craft stores.]
Next: Use the Board to Play These 3 Games
Car Game 1: Out My Window
ages 3 to 6
Sorting and grouping are hallmarks of the preschool years, so go with it. Breaking the outside scenery into concrete categories allows kids to concentrate and see the trees within the forest, so to speak. Around town, the game also helps kids learn local geography and landmarks.
Prep
Glue a picture to each card-stock square and label it with the name of the object, if desired. Stick a strip of magnet on the back of each square, then store these in plastic bags (grouped by category).
Short Cut: No time to make playing tiles? Use Post-it notes with stickers instead.
Play
Choose a category and put one tile in each space on the Travel Board, then hand it over to your child (older kids can set up the board on their own). Ask her to look out the window and find objects that match the pictures on the board. Every time she spots one, she gets to remove that particular tile from the board and put it back in the bag.
Materials
- Basic Travel Board
- Glue stick
- Pictures in various categories: vehicles (tractor, bus, bike); road signs; landforms (mountain, river, field); landmarks (supermarket, farm, train station); and so on. Use stickers, images from magazines, or printables from Wondertime.com.
- Card stock, cut into 3- by 3-inch squares (you'll want 12 squares for each category)
- Self-adhesive magnetic tape, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
- Sealable plastic bags
Car Game 2: Shapes and Colors
ages 2 to 4
Sure, you could just call out "Square!" and ask him to tell you when he sees one. But having an example right in front of him increases the chances of success. And seeing the names underneath the colors and shapes helps with letter and word recognition.
Prep
Using the markers, draw various shapes (a triangle, rectangle, diamond, and so on) on some of the card-stock squares and scribble color swatches on others, labeling each. (Or glue the printable shapes and colors onto the card-stock squares.) Stick a strip of magnet on the back of each square, then store the tiles in the plastic bag until you go.
Short Cut: No time to make playing tiles? Use Post-it notes with stickers instead.
Play
Choose a category and put one tile in each space on the Travel Board, then hand it over to your child (older kids can set up the board on their own). Ask her to look out the window and find objects that match the shapes on the board. Every time she spots one, she gets to remove that particular tile from the board and put it back in the bag.
Materials
- Basic Travel Board
- Colored markers
- Card stock, cut into 3- by 3-inch squares (make at least 12)
- Glue stick (if using printables below)
- Printable shapes and colors from Wondertime.com (optional)
- Self-adhesive magnetic tape, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
- Sealable plastic bag
Car Game 3: Road Map
ages 5 and up
This early course in orienteering introduces kids to geographic concepts such as maps, distance, and "Where's north?" Now you can counter every are-we-there-yet with a you-tell-me.
Prep
With your child, use a yellow highlighter to trace your route from beginning to end on the map. Now use different colored highlighters to break the route into segments of 1 to 50 miles. Attach the map to the Travel Board with four pieces of magnetic tape. Glue or stick the car image onto the card-stock square, then trim around the car, leaving about a 1/4-inch margin. Stick the last piece of magnetic tape onto the back.
Short Cut: No time to make playing tiles? Use Post-it notes with stickers instead.
Play
Hand your child the board and the bag of stickers, and have her place the car where the route begins. As you drive along each highlighted segment, ask her to find different things. For example, if the first stretch takes you through farmland, have her look for cows. Every time she sees one, she can put a sticker on that section of the map. (Not familiar with the territory? Gas stations, blue houses, and airplanes are safe candidates.) Each time you reach a new segment (if there's not another adult to help keep track, road signs will jog your memory), have her move the car to that spot. If kids start to get antsy, tell them that as soon as they find 10 cows (or trucks, or houses), you'll hit the nearest rest stop for some high-quality vending-machine chow.
- Basic Travel Board
- Colored highlighters
- Map showing route of journey from beginning to end, trimmed to fit Travel Board (you can photocopy a map you already have or download maps from aaa.com or mapquest.com)
- 5 (1-inch) strips of self-adhesive magnetic tape
- Glue stick
- A 1- to 2-inch cutout picture of a car, or a car sticker of the same size
- A 3- by 3-inch square of card stock
- Scissors
- 1/4-inch dot stickers (preferably restickable), stored in a sealable plastic bag
