The holidays are a time to get together with family and celebrate. It’s also the season to be stuck in a car with the kids on your way to this special time. Road tripping with kids can be a challenge. Depending on how long you plan on being trapped in a car with them and the age of your child, your three-hour drive can feel like an eternity. If you are planning on flying instead of driving, these ideas to entertain the kids will work in that scenario as well. Here are just a few products that will save your sanity and pass the time on your way to grandmother’s house this year.
Travel Scavenger Hunt for Kids
This game is super cute and would work for your entire family. Adults and children all love passing the time in the car with this easy to pack activity. The best part about this game is that you can use the cards to make up your own game. Maybe you just name the pictures with your toddler. Maybe you play a guessing game with your 8-year-old… the sky’s the limit.
GoPicnic Ready-To-Eat Meals Kid-Friendly Variety Pack, 6 Count At some point on any trip, you’re gonna get hungry. If you are like me, you better be eating on this trip or the rest of your crew will have to deal with a hangry version of you! So, pack up some of these GoPicnic snacks. They are great to travel with on the plane because there are no liquids and they don’t require refrigeration at all. There is a large variety of snacks to choose from and plenty that kids would love like these. There are some more sophisticated varieties for adults, so grab a selection for everyone.
High Road TrashStash Leakproof Hanging Car Trash Bag I cannot stress enough the importance of this item. You are going to have trash if you are traveling long distances in the car. If you don’t have somewhere to put said garbage that is leak proof, you WILL regret it. Just do yourself a favor and grab one of these leakproof trash bags now. In the first 100 miles, you’ll thank me.
Magnetic Fun – Cars Planes and Trains This compact playset would keep toddlers and smaller children entertained with over 50 magnetic pieces. Moving the pieces for play will also be strengthening their fine motor skills. You can create scenarios, talk about the different modes of transportation, or just sort them by color or size. The possibilities are endless.
Anker PowerCore 20100 – Ultra High Capacity Power Bank If you are going to be stuck in a car or plane for a long time, you are definitely going to have something with you that requires power. The battery on an iPad with a toddler watching three hours of Yo Gabba Gabba is going to run down fast. Grab one of these awesome power banks that will charge anything you need, whether you are in the car or not.
World of Disney Eye Found It Card Game If you have Disney fans traveling with you, grab yourself a set of these hidden picture cards. These can be used to entertain kids as young as two and as old as ten. With your little ones, you are going to have fun trying to find the characters on each card. With the older kids, you can use the cards to play made up games like “What movie is this character from?” “Who else was in that movie?” “Sing a song from this movie.” So much fun for true Disney lovers.
Rugged Universal Backseat Car Organizer | Includes iPad Holder & Drink Holder Most kids will grow tired of holding a tablet after a while. If they are watching a movie, the neck strain of sitting that iPad on their lap and staring down can ruin days of a trip. Snag yourself one of these backseat organizers. It will not only hold a tablet for easy watching but will also keep all their stuff contained. There is a cup holder as well, so it would really be an extra set of hands.
Kidz Gear Wired Headphones For Kids We use our phones or iPad quite often in public, like restaurants, to entertain a toddler with a short attention span. We realized recently that some restaurants are loud and he couldn’t hear the sound. Also, turning it up just annoys everyone sitting around you. So, grab some of these kid headphones. They have a Kidz Control Volume, so it won’t be turned too loud either. Trust me, these will probably come in handy in the car as well because how many times can you listen to “Let It Go” without losing your mind.
AquaDoodle – Travel Doodle This no mess activity pad is perfect for kids of all ages. You simply “write” with a water filled pen. When it dries, it disappears and you start again. You can use this for just drawing fun or to play quick games of tic-tac-toe. One of our favorite drawing games with younger kids is “guess what this is?” It’s great fun for kids and parents who can’t draw very well like me. They always think my horse is a dog. There are replacement pens as well, so this is a toy that will stand the test of time.
Ideal Magnetic Go Snakes n’ Ladders You’ve probably heard of Chutes and Ladders. Well, the one thing that makes it more fun is snakes! This game is perfect for road tripping because it is completely magnetic. It is recommended for ages 5+ but I am sure a clever four year old would enjoy it as well. Its small size makes this a very convenient
Sleeping in the car or plane is not easy for kids or adults. It can be even more uncomfortable for a child that is trapped into position in their car seat. One of these adorable travel neck pillows for kids will make them more comfortable on a long drive. This pillow is a traditional U-shape but can also be converted into this adorable soft owl that could also work as a pillow or just a friend.
Pencils and papers and binders, oh my! Below are some organization ideas to get you started this school year.
Everything should have its place in the backpack.
Photo credit momoftheyear.net
Whether you use one binder with tabs or an individual pocket folder, it’s important to designate a place for each subject. This prevents losing papers in the shuffle. You can take your folders to the next level by color-coding them! Don’t forget to declutter your student’s backpack every night to keep things organized.
Everything should have its place in the house.
Establish a routine for all things school related. Designating a distraction-free area as the “homework zone” can help your child stay focused when completing schoolwork and it can also help you keep track of all the necessary materials your kiddos need for projects. Most importantly, these organization ideas will also prevent late night runs to the store for glue sticks and markers.
Use a transfer folder you check every night.
This folder’s sole purpose is to transfer incoming and outgoing papers. The pocket on the left is always for important incoming papers—field trip permission slips, t-shirt order forms or noteworthy information from the school. The right pocket is always for outgoing papers—signed syllabus, lunch money or permission slips. You can also apply these organization ideas to subject-specific folders. The left pocket is for homework that needs to be completed. The right pocket is for homework ready to be turned in.
Practice using an assignment notebook early.
As soon as your children are old enough to write, teach them how to use an assignment notebook to keep track of their responsibilities. If your student gets in the habit of keeping a list of tasks early, they are more likely to stick with it as they get older. Checking items off the list is also a satisfying way to keep track of all they accomplished that day. There are some great options out there for kids of all ages. Try this student planner for elementary school kids. Start your younger kids on a daily checklist to get them used to keeping track of their responsibilities from an early age.
Add it to your calendar.
At the beginning of each year, take 20 minutes and peruse the school calendar. This is usually posted on the school website. Add relevant dates to your family calendar. This can be an actual wall calendar or the calendar you keep in your phone. Never used Google Calendars before? Now is a great time to give it a try. You can sync this calendar with all your devices. In addition, you can share it with other people so everyone in the family is in the know. Check out this quick tutorial to get started.
Parent teacher conferences are right around the corner. Here are seven easy steps you can take to better prepare yourself for a productive conversation with your child’s teacher.
Talk to your child in advance of parent teacher conferences about any concerns or issues.
These parent teacher conferences are an opportunity for you to talk with teachers about any areas of concern as well as possible solutions. These may be academic concerns, but this is also the time to bring up conflicts with peers or disciplinary issues. The teacher may be able to provide information that will help you and your child resolve the problem.
Check your student’s most current grades and any missing assignments.
Most schools have moved to electronic grading systems that rely on live data. This means you can view your child’s grade for each assignment as it is updated in real time. These websites also keep track of how many assignments were turned in late or were never turned in at all.
Bring work samples to the parent teacher conference.
If you are concerned about how your student is performing academically, or you want to better understand the teacher’s grading standards, make sure you bring in samples of your child’s work as a reference. It’s much easier to discuss these expectations with concrete examples rather than in the hypothetical.
Bring a list of questions or topics you would like to discuss at the conference.
Parent-teacher conferences are usually about 10-15 minutes. That’s not a lot of time to cover every facet of your child’s education. Be prepared with a list of questions to keep your conversation on track. You can even rank the items on your list in order of importance to guarantee the most productive discussion.
Take notes.
No doubt these conferences can be overwhelming for some parents, especially at the middle school and high school levels where your child has upwards of eight different teachers. Bring a pad of paper and pen to keep track of what you discussed, as well as any future steps you or the teacher proposed during the conference.
Ask about upcoming events.
You can help your student stay on track by knowing what’s coming his way. Are there major units coming up? Ongoing reading requirements? Field trips you should know about? Some teachers use classroom websites like Google classroom, Edmodo or Weebly to help parents and students stay organized. Don’t forget to ask your child’s teacher about these resources to stay informed.
Follow up.
After the conference, add important dates to your calendar and set a reminder to follow up with the teacher on any significant topics discussed. Reference your notes to be as specific as possible. If there’s nothing that needs following up, consider sending a quick thank you; this can establish rapport with the teacher to ensure a positive relationship throughout the remainder of the school year.
With Black Friday sales starting earlier and earlier every year, the spirit of Thanksgiving seems to be getting lost amongst the shopping bags. Below are some unique ideas to put the focus back on giving thanks and making the Thanksgiving dinner even more special for your family.
Bring the gratitude of Thanksgiving dinner to each family meal for the month of November.
Every night when your family eats dinner, go around the table and share one thing you are grateful for. Too busy to sit down for dinner together? Hang a chalkboard or dry erase board in a prominent location in your house. Each day of the month, one family member writes something he or she is thankful for.
Making personalized placemats to use at Thanksgiving dinner is a great way to get the kids involved and add a little something special to the table décor.
Use construction paper to design and color individualized placemats for guests. These can include finger paintings, acrostic poems using the person’s name or a simple drawing of a turkey. You could also include one reason your kids are thankful for that person. Then laminate them. Not only will you have custom-made placemats, but your guests can take them home—grandparents will especially love this!
Ask your kids to help plan the Thanksgiving menu.
You can teach them how to make a family recipe or a delicious new dish you’d like to try out. There are tons of Thanksgiving recipes for beginning to experienced cooks. Check out our list of Thanksgiving side dishes and Thanksgiving desserts for people who can’t cook!
Start a new family tradition of charity.
This is the time of year we should be giving thanks for what we have, but many of us are often busy compiling a list of presents for the upcoming holidays. Share an experience with your family that reminds them how lucky they are to have each other. Clean out your closets and donate clothes to a local thrift shop or shelter. Take your kids to the toy store to pick out a gift for donation to Toys for Tots. Volunteer at a food pantry on the weekends or donate to Feeding America.
Host a Thanksgiving food scavenger hunt party for your kids and their friends.
Divide kids into even teams and ask an adult to chaperone each group. Contact the local food pantry and ask about the most needed, non-perishable items for Thanksgiving dinner. Give the list of items to each team to use as a scavenger hunt worksheet. The team that collects all the items on the list the quickest wins!
for elementary school kids. Start your younger kids on a 
to get them used to keeping track of their responsibilities from an early age.
With Black Friday sales starting earlier and earlier every year, the spirit of Thanksgiving seems to be getting lost amongst the shopping bags. Below are some unique ideas to put the focus back on giving thanks and making the Thanksgiving dinner even more special for your family.
or 
in a prominent location in your house. Each day of the month, one family member writes something he or she is thankful for.
