Do your kids drive you a little crazy on long car rides? Mine use to, until I starting packing fun packs (that is what we call them). Fun packs consist of cheap or free things, I pick up year round and add it to a storage bin hidden in the top of my closet. To keep fun packs special they are only given out during road trips that take more then 2 hours. All of the items in the fun packs are new to my children. New to them toys are exciting and fun. They will usually keep my kids entertained for a few hours at least.
In case you wondering you, can buy your very own Vans Toy Story Aliens old Skool backpack by clicking here.
You are probably wondering what I add to the fun packs. Usually I give each kid a tablet with movies, shows, and a new app preloaded, a few small toys, coloring book, a school supply box with Legos, and any other doo dads I find that will keep them busy. The goal here isn’t quality it’s quantity. In my experience the more you add to the fun packs the longer they are busy exploring. Since you are traveling things will get lost. For this reason I pack things that are cheap or free with the exception of the tablet. I don’t want the added stress of keeping up with toys, since I already have to keep track of the tablets.
Everywhere I go I keep my eyes open for any little treasures. I am constantly collecting items. By collecting items year round, I save myself money. If I waited until the last minute to go to the dollar store and buy each kid (10) $1.00 items that would be $10.00 per child. By purchasing things year round I am able to spend no more then $5.00 per kid. That is a savings of $20.00 or 4 Dole Whips!
Here are some tips, I’ve learned thru the years. Check those clearance racks, shelves, bins, and where ever your stores put clearance items. You will be amazed at what you find. Garage sales and thrift stores are great places to find trinkets. Even if the item has been used it will be new to your child. More then likely your child will not know that the item was used. At the doctors office ask for extra stickers. After Christmas or birthdays wait a few days, then take a few small things and put them up for later. My children never notice that I took a few of their Christmas presents. When I give them the items back in the fun packs that is when they remember and say, “Hey I got that for Christmas.” Swagbucks is a great source of free or cheap kids items. Often times Swagbucks will have offers for kids books where you pay less then you get back in SB.
I use each child’s backpack as the holder of the fun packs. The day before we leave I ask each kid to bring me their cleaned out backpack. I get down my box of treasures and divide them out amongst the kids. I aim for 5 – 10 items each. That way they have a nice mix of new things, but not to many that is a burden to haul around. After backpacks are packed I put each one on that child’s seat in the car.
Using each child’s backpack works great. Most children easily recognize his or her backpack and is taught at school to be responsible for it. Backpacks are large enough to give them space to add any other personal items they may want to bring from home. When flying I add granola bars, nuts, pretzels, and other small nonperishable snacks to each child’s bag. That way I’m not stuck lugging around snacks for everyone. The backpack counts as there personal carry on item.
(Thanks Brandy)
