How To Re-Create a Favorite Childhood Trip For Your Own Kids
Are we there yet? How to revive your best car trip memories.
Set out on a road trip adventure, where everyone is sure to get a little silly.
Oh, to be a kid again. To ride in the wayback of your parents’ station wagon—not buckled in—on the way to some state park or exciting new city. Of course, you can’t do it that way anymore (and how was it ever legal, anyway?), but even snuggled safely in their car seats, your kids are forming their own vacation memories. The roles have changed, and you’re in the driver’s seat now, but you can still re-create some of your memories of childhood trips with your own children.
Pack coloring books, notebooks or sketch pads
Quell shouts of “Are we there yet?” with coloring books, paper and markers, and crayons.
No matter your kids’ ages and interests, they’ll appreciate the opportunity to artistically express themselves from the back seat. Before you set off, swing by a craft store and pick up a new notebook just for this trip—one for each child, of course. Don’t start a movie or hand them a tablet in the car. Instead, encourage your kids to look out the window for creative inspiration. They can use their notebook throughout the weekend or week, jotting down memories or drawing pictures from your travels. They’ll look at their notebooks later and remember the vacation time you spent together.
Listen to a story
As fulfilling and noble as it is to read to your kids in the car, there are many reasons why it’s not always practical. Even if you are in a position to safely read out loud during the trip, you certainly can’t sustain that for a whole eight-hour journey—you’ll lose your voice! So give a podcast like Storynory or Stories Podcast a try. And if you’re in the car without the kids (or if your kids are in high school), give LeVar Burton Reads (remember the host from Reading Rainbow?) a shot. It’s excellent.
Drive down the (noun) with your (adj) family
Or create your own stories with the delightfully absurd Mad Libs. You can also make your own: bring some magazines, cross out select words with a pen and fill in the blanks by asking your kids for new verbs and nouns. You’ll turn regular ol’ articles into a hilarious romp.
Sing along to songs you loved in high school
Let out your inner pop star with singalongs.
And torture your children the way your parents tortured you—it’ll be good for them. If your kids are a little older, you can get them involved by letting them pick a tune or two and trading back and forth between children and adults.
Bring a friend
Why not coordinate a trip with another family? That way, your kids have their friends along and you have your friends along, which can lead to especially memorable experiences. If you’re not up for the logistics that would require, encourage younger kids to pick one “travel buddy”—favorite stuffed animal, action figure, etc.—to come along on the adventure.
Listen up
And follow your kids’ lead, within reason. This may be the most important tip: before you plan a slew of activities based on your own memories of childhood, ask your kids what would be the most fun for them. Their imaginations can contribute as much to the plan as your memory can.
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