Taking your kids on a road trip is a wonderful family bonding experience and it will make for some great vacation memories. Packing all of the supplies, planning the route and keeping the kids occupied during the long drive can be a challenge but the adventure is worth it in the end.
Going on a road trip will also be a great learning experience for your kids. There are very valuable lessons that they will learn from the journey. Here are some of the things that a road trip will teach your children:
Patience
Being squished into a vehicle next to your sibling for a number of hours will make any child feel antsy, but going on a road trip will help your child to learn the value of patience. They will learn that asking “are we there yet?” every five minutes doesn’t make the trip go any faster. Instead, they will learn how to keep themselves occupied and stave off boredom by reading, playing games, doing activities or listening to music. Being able to keep yourself entertained and deal with long and boring situations is a very important skill to have.
A Sense of Time and Distance
Going on a long distance road trip will give your child a much better understanding of the general scale of distances between destinations in their area. They will get to know that Grandma’s house is a three hour drive away and the camping ground is two hours further than that. You can give them a map or let them watch the GPS so that they gain an understanding of North, South, West and East how everything fits together on the map. When they ask about other locations in your area, you will be able to explain to them in regards to terms that they already know. For example, “Uncle Marcus lives two hours north of the waterpark.”
How to Be Spontaneous
Sometimes the best memories from a road trip will be the spontaneous side trips that you take when you decide to veer off the beaten path. Be spontaneous on a road trip with your kids so that you can discover some of the amazing sights and attractions that you wouldn’t otherwise see. Don’t be too worried about getting from point A to point B in the most efficient manner – take the time to wander and check things out along the way. Your children will learn that it’s not all about the final destination – the fun is in the journey.
How to Deal with Setbacks
Sometimes things don’t always go smoothly when you are on a road trip. There can be breakdowns and delays, you might miss your exit and get lost or the weather might turn sour. Although these setbacks can be frustrating, they are a great opportunity for your children to learn. You can show your kids how to handle problems in a calm and mature manner. For example, if you get lost don’t get too stressed out or angry. Stop for a minute to consult your maps and calmly figure out where you are, then retrace your steps to get back on the right path. Your children will see that you deal with adversity in a calm and controlled manner and they will better be able to handle any problems that they might have in their lives.
That there is a World beyond Their Homes
Another thing that your child will learn on a road trip is that there is a world outside of their home just waiting to explore! If your little ones have never really left your home town, visiting somewhere far away and different will really open their minds. If you don’t ever go somewhere different, you will never really know what is out there! They will realise that there are different towns, landscapes and even different countries and they will see things that they couldn’t see back home. They will try new foods, see amazing landscapes and come home with a bigger perspective on the world.
These are just a few of the things that your children will learn when you go on a family road trip. It’s only a great learning opportunity, it’s also an amazing experience that your family will remember for a long time. So, whether you are driving to another town, a camping ground, a relative’s house or a theme park, why not load up the car and hit the road?
