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Traveling with Children during the Holidays
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If you're traveling this holiday season, you may be dreading those words, "Are we there yet?" But with a little preparation, your travels with your kids can turn into a fun family time. Keep your whole family entertained in the car with these tips:

Sing Christmas carols. Find a radio station that plays continuous Christmas music or take some CDs to sing along with. Or, if your family is creative, try making up your own holiday songs.

Have a story time. Stop by the local library before you go and pick up some holiday stories to read aloud. Or, try to find some books on tape that you can play in the car. And share your own favorite holiday stories as well -- your favorite Christmas with your family, a memorable gift, a fun trip, a funny story of cooking a holiday dinner for the first time. Then ask your kids what some of their own favorite memories are.

Provide some games. You can find inexpensive travel games in stores, or you can create your own. There are the classics, such as "I Spy" or the license plate game (print out a list of all the states and have them check off each state as they see the plates). But your family might also enjoy a scavenger hunt. Create a list of items for them to find before you leave (such as a billboard for a certain restaurant or a horse farm) and everyone watch for these items.

Get to know each other. Take the time to learn more about your family with a list of conversation starters. You can find fun books with hundreds of questions (or visit www.FamilyFirst.net for a free list) on everything from, "What is your favorite book and why," to "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" Or try a get-to-know-you game, such as making three statements about yourself, with one of them being untrue, and the others have to guess which statement is false.

Provide some surprises. Have a bag of special treats such as simple pocket games or snacks that the kids can choose one gift for each hour.  

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