Taking a road trip with your family can be a great way to experience things together and spend some quality time with one another. However, being packed into a car with your kids can also make for some very traumatic moments as well, especially if your kids are fighting so much that you’re becoming a hazard for a car accident on the freeway.
But luckily, with the right planning, preparation, and mindset, you can find ways to keep your kids acting civil while you put the miles behind you. To show you how this can be done, here are three ways to keep your kids from fighting on family road trips.
Create Physical Boundaries
One reason many kids end up fighting with their siblings in the car is that it’s very hard to have personal space in such a small area.
To combat this, Ginny Osewalt, a contributor to Understood.org, recommends that you create some physical boundaries in your car that your kids aren’t to cross. This could mean putting a piece of tape to separate their sides or even blocking them from each other by having a seat in between them. With physical boundaries created, your kids will know which area is theirs and what areas they’re to stay out of. Make sure these boundaries are visible so you and your kids will always know if they’ve crossed the line.
Prioritize Food And Sleep
No one is going to be pleasant to be around if they’re tired or hungry, and this is especially true for young kids. Knowing this, it’s important that you make sleeping and eating a priority if you’re expecting your kids not to bicker or get on each other’s nerves while in the car.
According to Heather Greenwood Davis, a contributor to Smarter Travel, you should try your best not to overschedule your days in the car or skip meals or snack times. While you may be anxious just to get to your destination, if your kids need to sleep in a bit in the morning or it’s getting close to dinner time, it’s best to just stop so everyone can maintain a happy mood.
Give Them Something To Do
While you might have envisioned your kids playing nicely together while you go on your family road trip, the truth is that you might have better luck if you give your kids something individual to do while they’re in the car. This can help you to avoid fighting over items that they otherwise would have to share.
Some of the best individual items to bring along with you, according to Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, a contributor to Trip Savvy, are coloring books and crayons, classic car games, and even their own tablets if available.
If you’re worried about your kids fighting in the car during your family road trip, consider using the tips mentioned above to help keep the peace.
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