Entertain the kids for free!

by Rachel Robson on 24 July 2009  |  0 comments
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The school holidays have started, but how much are you prepared to fork out to occupy the kids on a long car journey?

Well, the kids have broken up from school and the long summer holidays have begun - ahh how I miss those...

But that means there's a good chance you're going to be setting off for your family holiday any minute now. And that usually leads to very bored children sitting in the back of the car.

So the big question is, how do you keep the kids entertained on a long car journey?

According to the Post Office, parents could end up spending almost £800 on the latest in-car entertainment to keep their offspring occupied this summer.

In fact, this is how it all breaks down:

One child

2x 7 inch headrest screens and DVD player          £144.97

The Simpsons Season 12 DVD box set                £28.98

Nintendo DSi                                                          £132.12

MarioKart DS                                                         £22.99

Travel Hungry Hippos game                                  £4.39

iPod video (30GB)                                                 £169.99

Harry Potter story CD                                            £34.99

Haribo Tangfastics                                                £1.32

Evian 750ml                                                          £0.76

Neck pillow                                                           £6.95

Total                                                                    £547.46

Two children

2x 7 inch headrest screens and DVD player          £144.97

The Simpsons Season 12 DVD box set                £28.98

Nintendo DSi x2                                                      £164.24

MarioKart DS x2                                                     £45.98

Travel Hungry Hippos game                                   £4.39

iPod video (30GB) x2                                             £339.98

Harry Potter story CD                                            £34.99

Haribo Tangfastics                                                £2.64

Evian 750ml                                                           £1.52

Neck pillow                                                             £13.90

Total                                                                      £781.59

When I first read the figures in this chart, my eyes nearly popped out of my head! I mean, seriously, £781.59 on just keeping the kids entertained? What happened to 'I Spy' and 'Animal, Mineral, Vegetable'? They're the type of games I used to play in the car, and they didn't cost a penny!

Either that, or I listened to my Sony Walkman which I remember saving up for and buying myself for about £25. (Actually I think I won that £25 in a competition, but that's beside the point.)

By no means did I go without, and yes, I probably was a bit spoilt as a child. But I certainly didn't have a television to watch in the car and I was able to keep myself entertained on long journeys without requiring my parents to dish out hundreds of pounds on fancy gadgets. Then again, most of the fancy gadgets above weren't even around when I was a kid - but I'm still pretty certain my parents wouldn't have bought them all if they had been.

And surely having all these groovy gadgets sitting in the backseat is just asking for trouble - a lovely target for thieves, don't you think?

At a time when money is a little tight, many parents can't even afford to take their children on holiday. But if going on holiday means handing out £800 just to keep the kids entertained, I'm not really surprised! Surely that £800 could be put towards the holiday itself.

So if you're looking for cheap ways to occupy the little ones in the back seat, I suggest resorting to more 'old-fashioned' games such as:

I Spy With My Little Eye

Surely this doesn't need an explanation? Oh ok. Someone starts 'I spy with my little eye something beginning with A' (or any other letter) and everyone else has to guess what it is.

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

Someone chooses a specific animal, vegetable, or inanimate object. Everyone else takes it in turns to ask yes or no questions to work out what it is. Whoever guesses it correctly chooses the next object.

Silly Stories

Someone starts with 'Once upon a time...' and everyone takes it in turns to add a word or sentence to build up a story.

The Alphabet Game

Decide on a topic and take it in turns to name something from that topic in alphabetical order - just wait until you get to X and Z!

Bingo

Make your own bingo cards with things you might see on a journey. See who is first to get a line crossed off. Things to include might be a police car, a bicycle, a post box, a lorry, a red car.

I Packed My Suitcase...

Someone starts 'I packed my suitcase and I brought...' and adds an object beginning with A such as apple. The next player repeats the sentence and adds something beginning with B - such as 'I packed my suitcase and I brought an apple and a boat'. Then the next player repeats this and adds something beginning with C, and so on.

If you're looking for further inspiration, good websites to check out are UKFamily, Raising Kids, and Activity Village. And of course, if you have any of your own ideas, just add them in the comments box below!