3 Brain-Stimulating Travel Activities Without the Screen
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3 Brain-Stimulating Travel Activities Without the Screen
With travel restrictions easing this summer, millions of Americans will be eager to hit the road. And for many children, it may be the first time - or the first time in a long time - that they've been on a long-distance journey.
With so many games and videos available to occupy children's minds on electronic devices, it's tempting to hand them an iPad and have them watch videos until you get to your destination. But with so much time spent in front of screens over the past year, it's a good idea to look at alternative ways to occupy your child's mind in between destinations.
Read-Along Audio Books
For children who are just beginning to read, read-along audiobooks are a great way to improve reading skills. In addition, this is an activity that can be useful in the privacy of your own vehicle or while traveling on an airplane.
According to WeAreTeachers, audiobooks improve children's reading skills in several ways, including increasing word exposure, improving vocabulary, and improving their ability to quickly build background knowledge of the material they're reading. In addition, listening to professional narrators can help children understand the language of books - to get a better sense of the emotion of the story and pace of the writing. This helps their overall reading comprehension and can help them better appreciate the written word.
Magnetic Puzzles
The magnets help prevent losing pieces and making a big mess. But the actual puzzles themselves give your child an opportunity to engage in one of the best intellectual activities for early childhood development. According to Teach.com, puzzles are a great way for children to develop areas: Cognitive, emotional, and physical.
Cognitively, puzzles help children with memory, problem-solving, shape recognition, and spatial comprehension.
Puzzles help children build emotional skills by improving their ability to set and accomplish goals, as well as the patience that is needed to accomplish those goals.
Children also benefit by improving physical skills for toddlers. Puzzles help them with improving hand-eye coordination, as well as gross and fine motor skills.
Hidden Object Games
Hidden object games are easy to take with you and can keep children occupied and stimulated for long periods of time. More importantly, they can help improve one's ability to intellectual ability in several ways.
According to Highlights, which produces the trademarked Hidden Pictures games, hidden objects games help improve one's attention to detail and visual perception. Children have a simple, clearly defined goal that takes effort to accomplish. The simplicity of the goal - find the object - makes it easier for children to focus. As they search for the object, their mind notices all sorts of details and differences. During this process, they are constantly thinking, comparing, and contrasting. It's a great mental exercise that is both fun and rewarding.
Whichever activities you choose, enjoy the time away from the screen and with your family. Happy travels!