The Journey
Long drives children look forward to — the running order, the packing list, where to stop, and car sickness sorted.
Where to start
The Running Order is the one to read first — it's short, and it's the part that changes everything. Then Before You Go and What To Pack the day before a big trip. Everything else is here to dip into when you need it. If anyone in your car gets carsick, read that section before the entertainment ones — it decides what's even possible on your back seat.
When it all falls apart anyway
Some journeys go wrong no matter how well you've planned them — a child is coming down with something, the traffic doubles the drive, everyone is already frayed before you set off. When that happens, stop trying to run the plan. Pull in somewhere safe, get everyone out, and let the schedule go. Arriving late and kind is a better outcome than arriving on time with everybody in bits, and no child has ever remembered what time you got there. If most ordinary journeys are a fight rather than just this one, the answer is usually further back — sleep, hunger, or how much of you they've had lately — and that's what Turn It Around is for.
Make It A Game Thinking Games Rhymes & Songs Read-Alouds & Audiobooks Days Out