Let Jr. Plan the Next Road Trip

The next time you plan to load up the RV, minivan, station wagon or whatever your mode of transportation may be for your next summer road trip to your parents house, make sure you ask the kids what places they may want to see along the way or what they would like to see at the final destination. Depending on how far you may have to go out of the way or how grand the point of interest is, you may have to add a day or two to your trip.
Although I do not have any children of my own yet, I have seen how delighted they can be when they have a say so in certain decision-making situations. Rather than telling Jr. “This is what we are going to do on the way”, ask him, “Is there anything that you would like to see on the way?” Pull out a map before you all hit the road and show them the route you are planning to take. Whether it’s a Rand McNally map, or any other type of map, let them now of the landmarks you will be passing by.
This can be beneficial in several ways. One is they can familiarize themselves with the layout of different places throughout the United States. It’s amazing how so many children know so little about this country nowadays. For example, in some cases they may have heard about some points of interest, but actually getting to cross the 17-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel makes it more exciting than only knowing that it’s out there somewhere. This assignment will not only help them develop an interest in geography if they do not already have one, but will allow them to see things that they probably never knew existed or may have possible heard about it from someone else.
So, before you head out, do a quick research with them on the sites you plan to visit. Ask them what it is that they are expecting to see before they get there or even why they would want to see it. Also, remember to pick up any type of literature or souvenirs available for them to hold onto for keepsake. So when it comes time to write a report about what they did for the summer, they will have something interesting and informative to talk about other than the latest video games.