Ideas for Traveling with Kids

Happy summer to everyone in the northern hemisphere. If you plan to travel with your family anytime soon, read on! We have gathered links to ideas that may be helpful to parents preparing to travel with children. Planning ahead and “packing” some ideas and activities can make for a smoother and/or even more fun trip. 

Check out our ideas below. We’ve tried to amass a variety, in hopes that there will be something helpful for every family. But our list is far from complete! What additional ideas do you have? What have you tried before, or what are you looking forward to trying on a forthcoming trip? Please share them with the community. Thanks, and may you have safe travels and a blessed time together as a family. 

This travel prayer is a great place to start:

Lord Jesus,

You who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life;

You who traveled with Your servant Joseph;

You who accompanied Your two disciples on the road to Emmaus and set their hearts aflame with the warmth of your love;

Travel with (us) also and bless (our) journey.

Warm and gladden (our) hearts with the nearness of Your Presence.

Surround (us) with Your holy angels to keep (us) safe.

Deliver and protect (us) from all danger, misfortune and temptation.

Keep (us) in the center of Your love and obedient to Your will.

Journey always with (us) in (our) greater journey as pilgrims on earth on (our) way home to You.

Help (us) return home again in peace, health, and good will that (we) may praise and glorify Your exalted Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all the days of (our) life.

Amen

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Orthodox resources:

Let Us Attend, Sunday’s Gospel for children, is presented each week in audio format at two levels – a retelling for younger children, and a reading of the Gospel for older children. This is an excellent resource, whether you are taking a long trip or just driving to church on any Sunday morning. Give it a listen at the Antiochian.org website or on Ancient Faith Radio. There are also free printable handouts for each week’s Gospel, written at five levels, and they can be found here: https://antiochian.org/regulararticle/809 

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Daily Orthodox Scriptures for Kids is a daily podcast featuring children reading their way through the Gospels. This podcast is helpful whether you are at home or traveling, and can be found here: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/dailyscriptureskids 

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There are many beautiful Orthodox coloring books that can be helpful companions while traveling, such as: 

• more than 60 options for children of varying ages are available from Potamitis Press: https://potamitis.us/collections/orthodox-coloring-books
• these four (also available individually) from Ancient Faith Publishing: https://store.ancientfaith.com/coloring-book-bundle/
• and a series of free printable coloring/activity books about different saints can be found here: https://dce.oca.org/page/activity-books/ 
• if you would like to surprise your child with a coloring page of their patron saint, several original icon coloring pages of the saints are available to print from Sparks 4 Orthodox Kids: https://sparks4orthodoxkids.com/category/coloring-pages/

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Traveling with a stuffed Snuggly Saint doll may make the saint’s presence feel more real to a young child. Find these sweet dolls (available as a ready-made doll, a DIY kit, or the printed fabric) here: https://www.drawneardesigns.com/play?category=Snuggly+Saints

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These Little Saints blocks fit easily into a backpack or pocket for travel-time play. They also make a great gift to take to the children of a host family, if you’re staying with others. https://littlesaints.toys/collections/little-saints-individual-blocks 

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These playsets are easy to pack, offer options for quiet play, and will not roll off of a car seat, lap, or tray table! https://orthodoxpebbles.com/diy-fabric-learning-sets/ 

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Find peg dolls featuring church friends, saints, monks/nuns, and more; as well as tiny portable prayer corners that will be good companions for any sized journey, in this shop: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnalisaBoyd

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Find a parish near your destination so that you do not have to miss a liturgy, and so you can make new Orthodox friends: https://www.assemblyofbishops.org/directories/parishes/ 

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If your destination is too far from a parish to attend in person, join in on a live stream! If your home parish does not stream their services live, you can find a livestream here: 

LIVE Streaming Orthodox Church Services Around the World

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General resources and ideas:

Create an activity binder with plastic sleeves and dry-erase markers for long travel days. This link offers additional links, including links to printable pages for the activity binder; fun road trip games; travel goodie bag ideas, and more: https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/disneyland-week-what-to-do-in-the-car.html 

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Find additional printable pages for a road-trip specific activity binder here: https://www.kcedventures.com/40-free-printable-road-trip-activities/ 

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Find even more road trip ideas (many of which would also work on flights) here: https://runwildmychild.com/screen-free-road-trip/ 

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Use photos of favorite people, places, or subjects and make several craft stick puzzles like this: https://www.motherhoodonadime.com/kids/popsicle-stick-puzzles/
(You may want to add adhesive felt pads to the back of each craft stick and store them in a felt pocket that doubles as the “puzzle building” space. The felt of the pads will cling to the felt of the flattened bag during assembly, keeping the pieces from sliding off of a lap or tray table.)

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Create a seek and find jar with small items buried in rice (you could make child-specific jars with items of interest to each child, or make a travel-themed one, or a destination-themed one), along with a list, in words or pictures, of the items in that jar. Children turn the jar to find the items buried in the rice, and see how many of the listed items they can find. 

https://www.instructables.com/Search-Find-Jar/

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At the bottom of this blog, you will find free printable pages for license plate games, travel bingo, and I Spy:

https://mothersniche.com/the-ultimate-travel-activity-kit-free-printables-and-super-fun/

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Create a travel lego kit, complete with lego challenge cards 

• use legos to recreate the lego brick patterns shown on these cards: https://www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/06/diy-portable-lego-kit-with-free.html?m=1 
• create 3-D lego shapes to match these challenge cards: https://chaosandquiet.com/travel-lego-kit/ 

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Assemble an artist box or block building book like one of these: https://thesimpleparent.com/diy-travel-activities-for-kids/

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Use that artist box (or any art supplies that you bring along) to create tiny shareable art. Encourage your children to draw or write kind words on small paper (for example, sticky notes) that can be hidden at rest stops, stores, or other tourist locations for others to find and enjoy. 

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Read aloud to your kids while you travel. If that’s not a viable option, check out audiobooks from your public library or its online resource offering app (Hoopla, Libby, etc.) and listen together. Need some ideas for books? Check out https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/great-audiobooks-for-kids; or https://www.orthodoxmotherhood.com/best-audiobooks-for-children-and-teens/

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Bring a small stuffed animal, plastic toy, peg doll, or even a cardboard-mounted photo of a friend/family member “along” on the trip. Brainstorm photo ops together and document the item’s “adventures” with all of you on the trip. Share the photos with family or friends; or print them into a book after the trip is over. (Here’s an example of a cardboard-mounted “fellow traveler”: https://www.flatstanleyproject.com/)

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Start a family collection as you travel. Make crayon rubbings of textured surfaces at each stop, or gather postcards, or collect tiny stones/shells/flowers/leaves that will remind you of each part of your journey. Have a plan for displaying your collection when you return home.

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Here are tips and tricks for road tripping with kids: https://talesofamountainmama.com/road-trip-hacks-for-kids/ 

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Double check your packing list with one of these: https://www.bonvoyagewithkids.com/road-trip-packing-list/ 

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This post is an update to the original Orthodox Christian Parenting post, On Traveling with Children, from July 12, 2017. Several useful and fun ideas are shared in that post if you are looking for even more options.

New Releases for Children from Ancient Faith Publishing: “The Good Samaritan: A Children’s Catechism” by Fr. Michael Shanbour, illustrated by Nicholas Malara; and “Beautiful Days: An Orthodox Coloring Book for Children”, illustrated by Abigail Holt

Ancient Faith Publishing has just released two publications for children. The Good Samaritan: A Children’s Catechism by Fr. Michael Shanbour, illustrated by Nicholas Malara; and Beautiful Days: An Orthodox Coloring Book for Children, illustrated by Abigail Holt. 

Fr. Michael Shanbour previously self-published The Good Samaritan: A Children’s Catechism, and at that time, he generously allowed the Department of Christian Education to review each of its lessons closely. Read an overview of this beautifully concise catechism here https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2019/12/11/gleanings-from-a-book-the-good-samaritan-a-childrens-catechism-by-the-very-reverend-fr-michael-shanbour/ and take a closer look at the lessons, beginning here https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/a-closer-look-at-the-good-samaritan-a-childrens-catechism-by-fr-michael-shanbour-introduction-and-lesson-1/.

Ancient Faith Publishing has slightly reformatted the text and pictures, and has bound it into a beautiful hardcover book. AFP is helping the book to be more widely available to the Orthodox Christian world. Purchase your copies of this very helpful catechism at https://store.ancientfaith.com/the-good-samaritan-a-childrens-catechism/. 

Abigail Holt, whose art may be familiar to many (she has illustrated everything from board books to cards, stickers, prints, tea towels, and even mugs – all available in various Orthodox marketplaces) walks her readers/book colorers through the Church year in her 64-page coloring book Beautiful Days. Feasts, fasts, and family are all themes in this coloring book filled with the beautiful experiences in an Orthodox child’s year. Holt’s clean lines and joyful pictures bring the Church year to life. Purchase your own copy here: https://store.ancientfaith.com/beautiful-days-an-orthodox-coloring-book-for-children/.

Reviewed by Kristina Wenger, educator, podcaster, co-author of Tending the Garden of Our Hearts.

A Glimpse at “Northern Lights of Christ: Lessons on Faith from Above the Birch Line” by Nic Hartmann

Winter approaches in the northern hemisphere. This season often feels dark, chilling, and lonely, but it does not have to be so. There is much to be learned from the Nordic lands, where winter is darker, chillier, and lonelier than most of us will ever experience: whose inhabitants have learned to not only endure, but embrace the season by virtue of the values at the core of their being (and their society).

Folklorist and author Dr. Nic Hartmann knits together his love for Nordic cultures with the Orthodox Christian faith in his book Northern Lights of Christ. The book introduces the reader to a handful of values esteemed and practiced by people in Nordic countries. Dr. Hartmann entwines these values with stories from the lives of Orthodox saints, stitching in glimpses of how each value is reflected in Orthodox practice, and breathing in the warmth of stories from his own life.

Northern Lights of Christ takes a look at five Nordic values: Hygge, Koselig, Lagom, Sisu, and Ísbíltúr. The book explains each in its particular cultural context while also demonstrating how beautifully it relates to the Orthodox Faith. Readers will quickly warm up to each value, as they recognize the ways in which it can (and should!) be a beneficial part of our Faith journey. 

The first chapter focuses on the Danish concept of hygge, a mindset of pursuing coziness/contentment through embracing light and simplicity, while engaging all of our senses. The second chapter introduces the Norwegian value of koselig, a deep contentment experienced by slowness, creating, and simplicity. The third chapter discusses the Swedish practice of lagom, a pursuit of balance in life, achieved by simplicity and moderation. The fourth chapter considers the Finnish characteristic of sisu, the stamina and resilience that is required of us in adversity. The fifth chapter focuses on the Icelandic practice of ísbíltúr, literally “a drive to get ice cream” that is more about the drive and the companionship on the journey than it is about a destination or even about the ice cream.

This book can be read by an individual, who will certainly learn and grow through reading it. But reading (and processing) Northern Lights of Christ together with a group will add a great dimension to the learning. After all, each of the Nordic values addressed in the book is best practiced in community, as is our Faith. The questions at the end of each chapter will make it easy to discuss the book with others.

Warm your heart and grow in the Faith alongside good friends as you gather around a handful of candles with hot drinks and the Northern Lights of Christ.

Reviewed by Kristina Wenger, educator, podcaster, co-author of Tending the Garden of Our Hearts

You can purchase a copy of Northern Lights of Christ from Park End Books https://parkendbooks.com/shop/northern-lights-of-christ/ . It can also be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

On Ideas for Winter Fun

Those of us in the northern hemisphere find ourselves right in the middle of winter. In case the winter is getting to any members of our community, we thought perhaps this might be a good time to offer some ideas for winter family fun. Several years ago we gathered some ideas to that end, and shared them here: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2018/01/10/on-winter-fun-and-learning/. If you have not yet read that and gleaned from the fun activities therein, you may want to check it out!

Because we are constantly seeking additional resources for those in our community, several additional winter-fun related ideas have come to our attention, and will share them below. May they inspire your family to have a fun time (or many of them) together, regardless of the weather!

What fun things does your family do together during the winter?

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Families with young children may enjoy creating these yarn-sewn snowflake-printed plates (first link). The second link suggests a way for families with older children to create a similar (but more complex) project on plain paper plates. https://iheartcraftythings.com/paper-plate-snowflake-yarn-art.html

https://thecraftingchicks.com/snowflake-paper-plate-kids-craft/

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Families with toddlers will find a variety of winter craft and activity ideas here:

https://www.craftsonsea.co.uk/winter-activities-for-toddlers/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes

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Families will find seven fun winter-related activities (links for directions included) in this blog post. Author Mireille Mishriky also includes suggestions of related Bible stories if you want to tie in a family scripture discussion. https://www.mireillemishriky.com/indoor-family-activities-to-beat-the-winter-blues-with-biblical-references/

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Recycle a few paper or styrofoam cups to make “snowmen” faces, then grab some sock balls (or fake snowballs) to play this indoor game! https://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/12/snowman-slam-game-for-kids.html

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Find fourteen different winter craft ideas here. We especially liked the sparkly snow paint recipe, and the egg carton penguins are adorable. “Snow” much fun!

http://www.flairflickers.com/14-jingling-winter-crafts-for-kids-to-bring-flurries-and-fun-at-home/

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If your winter is snowless, but you’d enjoy the fun of playing in snow, consider these ways to make “snow” to play with indoors:
Here’s a recipe with shaving cream and baking soda: https://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2015/02/foaming-snow-recipe.html

This one is made with hair conditioner and baking soda: http://mommasfunworld.blogspot.com/2013/01/fake-sensory-snow-that-feels-real.html

And here’s one made with cornstarch and lotion: https://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/11/snow-dough-recipe-for-play.html

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If you have a lot of fresh snow, you may want to make this “snow candy” by boiling down maple syrup and pouring it on a pan of fresh snow! https://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2018/01/snow-candy-for-kids.html (For a literary extension, you may want to do this after reading about it in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book “Little House in the Big Woods”.)

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Paint some of the snow outside of your house with the help of a few varied koolaid packets, some water, and a handful of squirt bottles as described here: https://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/02/kool-aid-snow-paint.html

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Recycled cups, parts of balloons, and a few cotton balls become super fun “snowball shooters” here: https://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/12/snow-shooters.html

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Here are a host of family-fun ideas that can be done outside in the snow. Our favorites include “pin the smile on the snowman” (using chocolate cookie “coal” for the smile pieces); hunting for brightly-colored ice cubes (frozen ahead of time and hidden around the yard); and using beach toys for tubing. Find these ideas and more here: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/outdoor/snow-activities-kids/

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On Overcoming the Winter Blues

The beginning of February marks the middle of winter for the northern hemisphere. For many people, winter can a dreary and depressing time. Why is this the case? Are children also thus affected by winter, or is the sense of gloom limited to adults? Can anything be done to help those of us who feel discouraged during the winter months?

We did a little research into the above questions, and learned a few things which we will share with you. We learned that there are multiple reasons why winter can drag down our emotions, especially because of the reduced light and/or sunshine that people living in wintery climates experience. The combination of less daylight and colder outdoor temperatures also discourages people from getting fresh air and exercise (two other possible remedies for combating gloom). We learned that children are affected by these struggles in a similar way as adults are affected. We found many suggestions of things to do to combat the so-called “winter blues” including the idea of getting out of the house within 2 hours of waking up, and exercising (outside, if possible). (Author’s note: my teen son invited me to try this out, so this morning we got up a few minutes earlier than usual, threw on our coats, and briskly walked around the block before beginning our regular morning routine. It was an invigorating and sweet way to begin this dreary, gloomy winter day! We will do it again.)

Below you will find links to a few favorite articles we encountered in our research which address  the above questions. We hope that the next time you experience mid-winter (whether right now or in a few months, depending on where in the world you live), you will find some of this information and these ideas helpful. Together, let us take steps to combat the gloomy feeling that winter can so easily invite in our own life and in the lives of our children!

“If there were no tribulation, there would be no rest; if there were no winter, there would be no summer.” ~ St. John Chrysostom

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Here is a resource that offers a quick overview of the difference between the Winter Blues and  Seasonal Affective Disorder. Included in the graphic illustrations: who is susceptible to these seasonal changes in their well-being, where these struggles are the strongest, and ideas for how to help overcome them.  http://visual.ly/how-beat-seasonal-affective-disorder-and-winter-blues

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Here are 8 great scientifically-backed ways to beat the Winter Blues: http://time.com/3692785/beat-winter-blues/

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Find 30 simple ways to beat the Winter Blues in this collection of tweets: http://www.citizenwatch.com/en-us/blog/30-ways-to-beat-the-winter-blues/

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This article helps its readers to identify whether or not their child is suffering from Winter Blues and then offers a variety of really fun outdoor and indoor activities to help your child to combat them: http://blog.connectionsacademy.com/fight-winter-blues-and-sad-with-fun-activities-for-the-family/

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This blog post offers 10 practical things to do to make your winter less “meh”: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/life/10-ways-beat-winter-blues/
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This blog post was written to be used during the month of January. Although January is already over, this post is still useful because it contains so many fun and outside-the-box/outside-the-self ideas: http://momlifetoday.com/2011/01/ideas-to-beat-cabin-fever-and-the-winter-blues/ (And we can tuck away the day-specific celebrations for NEXT January!)

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Here’s a list of 16 indoor and outdoor activities for having fun with kids in the winter: http://bcparent.ca/2016/12/28/16-activities-to-beat-the-winter-blues/

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This article offers more ideas of ways to help kids beat the Winter Blues: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-usky-/beat-the-winter-blues-with-these-8-family-friendly-activities_b_6764100.html

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We need light! “The amount of daylight we get each day has a dramatic effect on our mood too. Without this daylight our body produces substances that make us feel lethargic and lacking in energy.” ~ http://woodlandclassroom.com/got-the-winter-blues-nature-has-the-answer/

Read about how to handle the lack of light in a winter atmosphere here: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/welcome/features/20090211_healthtip_winterblues/

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This article offers creative ideas for indoor activities to do with children during the winter: https://www.momooze.com/indoor-activities-winter/