Are We There Yet?

Now that November is here, that means the holiday season will be here before we know it. And for a lot of us that means traveling to visit family.

Car rides full of "He's on my side!", She hit me!", and "Moooooooommmmmmm!" can be more exhausted than the act of traveling itself. Need something to distract and entertain the kids, and save your sanity?

Try audiobooks! I love audiobooks. They're perfect for making a long drive seem shorter. Trust me- just like a kid, I start to get antsy after being in the car for too long.

Get the kids involved in the story. Make guesses about what you think might happen. Ask them questions about who their favorite character is and why. What did they like best? Do they think the ending should be different?

Get several different titles so if the family isn't getting into one story, you can switch to another. Some titles that would be great for families of all ages are:

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has the cures for such common children's diseases as Won't-Put-Away-Toys-itis, Answerbackism, and Fighter-Quarrelitis.

Three Tales of My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Adventures begin when Elmer Elevator runs off with an alley cat to an island to rescue a flying dragon.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
A story about Despereaux who is a tiny mouse with enourmous ears, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who desires to be a princess, and a rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

The BFG by Roald Dahl
BFG stands for Big Friendly Giant. It's up to him and Sophie ( a little girl) to save the world from giants who love to eat children.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The first book in a series, Percy Jackson discovers he's the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea and becomes involved in a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Savvy by Ingrid Law
In Mibs Beaumont's family, children receive their "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member. When her dad is in an accident she goes to rescue him believing her soon to emerge savvy will save him.

Do you have any favorites that your children enjoy listening to in the car? Please post them in the comments section. Meanwhile when you're traveling to Grandmother's house give one of these, or one of our other audiobooks a try. I bet you'll end up being entertained too!