“Don't touch me, Mommmmy--she's touching me, Mommy, did you hear me, she's touching me, Mommmmmy!”

Sound familiar? If these are the not so precious words still resounding from last summer's vacation, then you probably traveled more than twenty miles away from home. Don't be discouraged, your kids are not different, just typical kids full of energy, just like us before we slipped into the realities of redundant chores, utility bills, and anti-aging cosmetics. Ah, the fleeting fancy of youth, such sweet memories…

It's time to dig a little deeper in the “parents' bag of incredible tricks” and excavate another delightful remedy for the “Bore Monster” whose nails clench into the car's bumper as you exit your driveway. Leaving your house without a kid travel game in tow reduces your credibility as a worthy competitor against the “Bore Monster”.

Having a remedy for the monotony children associate with long trips doesn't necessarily guarantee peace and tranquility from the back seat, but it does at least offer some reasonable mileage relief.

One of the biggest drawbacks in planning kid travel games is the space constraint. Here is where we're forced to focus on our creative abilities a bit, the optimum word being focus, more so than creative. Kids can positively expend their energies on almost anything that requires the active use of their eyes if encouraged to “be on the lookout” for a particular thing in the hopes of potential winning a game. You can play these types of kid travel games even if you are traveling with only one child. Only children enjoy the pursuit that takes them to winning, not having any competition doesn't even faze them. It's the thrill of the chase that makes a kid travel game a fun experience.

This is one of the most dependable favorites in kid travel games. It has weathered time and has many miles under its belt, but it has stood the test of time. Best of all, this game is practically cost-free and doesn't require you to drag along lots of extra things that you'll have to keep up with while you're traveling. You can place this game in a re-sealable plastic bag and tuck it away under your car seat.

 Tag Travel Game: This is a great game for long trips, particularly interstate highways travel.

 Supplies:

Standard Printer Paper

Colored Markers or Small Stickers (50 stickers for each child)

 Directions:

Visit a homework web site or an online atlas to find a U.S. Map and simply print a few copies. Give each child a colored marker or a set of stickers.

 Idea of the Game: For each license plate a child spots, he/she gets to either color that state or place a sticker on it. The child who spots the most different license plates wins.

This kid travel game lends itself well to variations as your kids get older. Put a spin on it by letting your children write the state mottos identified with each state. You can even expand this game further by letting your children list things they know about the individual states.

The Tag Travel Game not only allows your children to enjoy a fun kid travel game, but also assists in furthering their reading and writing skills, not to mention the opportunity to learn more about geography. In defeating the “Bore Monster” with this kid travel game, you will have given them the opportunity to increase their learning edge as well.