Making an Educational Trip for Kids
Making an Educational Trip for Kids
When I was a kid, we didn’t have all of the electronics that kids now a days have. Now when we prepare for a trip, we have to bring hand held game systems, the games to go with them, chargers, cell phones, tablets, portable DVD players, etc etc etc. All in hopes of keeping our kids occupied while on a trip.
Yes, traveling with kids can be challenging and one of the biggest challenges is keeping them occupied. Resorting to all those electronics may keep kids entertained and quiet for awhile but what if you could turn your vacation into an educational trip instead? This is a perfect opportunity to teach your children a variety of things.
As a homeschool mom, I’m always teaching. Always looking for great in the moment teaching ideas. Taking a trip and making it an educational trip is awesome learning. Check out these ideas for making your next trip an educational trip.
Educational Trip for Kids
1. Teach Map Reading Skills: Yes, we do have smart phones with GPS and the latest Tom Tom but what happened to actually reading a map? We love to take a map with us (yes, an actual paper map) and highlight the roads we travel. What a great way to learn the states too if you’re traveling across country.
2. Learn State Trivia: When preparing for an out-of-state vacation, look up some trivia questions regarding the state you and your family will be visiting. Then you’ll have great conversations with your kids asking them the questions and reading the answers. You can also use this time to teach your kids the various states and their corresponding capitals.
3. Plan Ahead: Plan ahead when mapping out where you’ll be spending your next vacation. Look for areas to visit that have historical significance. If you already have a trip planned, investigate the areas surrounding the area. Visit the attractions where your kids will learn something.
4. Make Pit Stops: Finally, allow time in your travel to make pit stops. One of our favorite things about traveling across country is that we stop where ever we want to. If we see a sign for an attraction, we make a pit stop. For us, getting to our destination is sometimes more fun than the actual place we drove to visit. 😉
I also wrote a post about Traveling with Kids. Check it out before you hit the road!
Where are you planning to take a trip this summer?
~Dawn