Christmas is coming, and it won’t be long before millions of us who are lucky enough to have the festive period off work take to the roads to head home or away for the long Christmas break. Getting away for Christmas is exciting and for many families it is an integral part of Christmas – taking a rare opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones, relax and enjoy the festive period. Unfortunately, the journey can be a very stressful part of this otherwise relaxing Christmas break, especially for those with children who will already be very excitable at this time of the year, with the impending arrival of Father Christmas!
If you are going to be travelling with the kids this Christmas, there are a few ways that you can hopefully alleviate the stress of the long care journey. First of all, make sure that you are well prepared for the journey. Pack your car in good time, prepare a list to ensure that you have everything that you need (you don’t want to have to go back and make the journey even longer!). It is also important to make sure that your car is in good order – check the usual things like tyres, oil and water. It is also a good idea to have a service and if it is due an MOT by a professional company such as Gloucester MOT specialists to make sure you don’t have anything that could potentially cause a break down on the way.
When you are good to go, it is only keeping the kids entertained that you need to worry about! Games are a great way to keep the whole family entertained in the car, and classics such as I spy go down a treat. Alphabet based games also keep them amused for hours – name a theme (how about Christmas?) and then each take a letter through the alphabet to name something beginning with hat letter that fits the theme. Books are also great to take in the car if your children enjoy reading (if they suffer from travel sickness however, this may not be such a good idea, as reading can make this worse!).
If you have a tablet, download some of their favourite shows and games to keep them entertained, or a portable DVD player with a festive film loaded and ready to go! If you have a cheap digital camera, or a disposable camera, give it to the kids to take photos of anything interesting that you pass on the journey. Many children adore taking photos and it will be a something that they can print off and keep, reminding them of their childhood Christmas! If you have a long journey ahead of you, take breaks, so that you can all get out and stretch your legs or use the toilet – this will stop the kids getting bored and cranky!
