We just took a six-hour trip to Philadelphia yesterday, and traveling with two young children makes for a different experience when you’re on the road. It made me remember when my sister and I were young and we would go on trips with our parents. We played games like the alphabet game. “I’m going to Indiana, and I’m taking apples.” “I’m going to Indiana and I’m taking apples, and biscotti.” “I’m going to Indiana and I’m taking apples, biscotti, and candles.” Or we would play the license plate game to see who would find the most different states. My most exciting game was the waving game. I would wave out my side, and she would wave out hers, and we would see how many people we could get to wave back at us. She would always win, but it was cool just to see the looks on people’s faces, wondering if they knew us. For my kids, these trips are a little bit different. So here are the top five roadtrip games for my little ones.
5. Are we there yet? This game is always precipitated by my seven-year old getting bored with any of her other games, or when we have to stop anywhere, like for gas, or to break for lunch.
4. Memory. Children, what do you remember about the last time we were in Philadelphia? (or insert whatever place name we are visiting at the time.) What fun things did we do? (or if this is the first time going to this place — What do we know about the place?)
3. Singing. Who can sing the loudest and the most off-key before the four-year old tells you to “Stop!”? I think I won the last round of that one when I sang Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” Sometimes she can be tricked into remaining silent if she’s eating food at the time. That’s my trick to winning that one. Shhh.
2. How long until we get there? This game is very similar to the “Are We There Yet?” game, but instead of supposing we will eventually be wherever we’re going, this game seems to presuppose that we won’t ever get there. This game is also only played after “Are We There Yet?” has been won by mommy or daddy saying, “If you say that one more time…”
1. iPad apps. I know. I know. We should totally have just revived the “Going to Indiana” games from our youth, but we took the easy way out. Let them load up on a plethora of screen time, with the four-year old watching multiple episodes of The Fresh Beat Band and the seven-year old using as many free dress-your-doll apps that she can find and asking us when we’re going to get to a wi-fi hotspot.
Oh how the times have changed.
Sam
P.S. If I were really going to Indiana, I would be bringing Aspirin, beer, cake, dock for my iPod…
Sam's Online Journal 
Did you ever play the alphabet game? Where you each have to find all of the letters of the alphabet on street signs or license plates, etc.—the first one to “z” wins?
Oh yeah! I had forgotten all about that one. I was the worst at that game (the reasoning for my memory slippage, I’m sure). That and the punch buggy game. I never saw them first. My arm still hurts from that one.