Traveling in the Car
Family trips in the car can be fun and enjoyable. They can also be quickly spoiled for everyone when children misbehave. Misbehaviour in the car is not only stressful for parents but it can also be very dangerous if the driver is distracted.
Why do children misbehave in the car?
- Preschoolers may find car travel boring. Children tend to misbehave when they have little to do.
- Sometimes parents avoid taking their children out because they misbehave in the car. If children are not given opportunities to learn how to behave responsibly on car trips, it is likely that the problem behaviour will continue.
How to prevent problems in the car
- At first, plan short car trips lasting about 5 minutes.
- Try not to disrupt your children’s usual sleeping and eating routines.
- Prepare your children ahead of time - tell them where you will be going and how long the trip will take.
- Explain the rules - decide on two or three simple rules for car travel - this way the will have an easier time remembering and telling you what the rules are.
Some examples of car travel rules are:
- Keep your seatbelt on
- Use a quiet voice
- Keep your hands and feet to yourself
- Talk about rewards - at first you may want to reward your children for following the rules.
- Talk about consequences - let your children know ahead of time what will happen if the rules are broken (quiet time or stopping the car)
- Plan some activities - play "I Spy" games like spotting horses or red cars, bring books or toys that are safe to travel with.
How to manage Car Trips
Keep Your Children Busy - introduce new toys or activities regularly to keep your children interested. For long car trips schedule breaks regularly.
Encourage Desirable Behaviour - praise your children from time to time for following the rules.
Ignore behaviour if it is a minor problem (i.e. whining, talking loudly) - tell them that you will not answer them until they speak quietly. It may get worse before it gets better. But if you give in, you will teach your children that they need to whine and yell louder to get you attention. As soon as your children are behaving well, praise them.
If they break a rule - act straight away - tell them what to stop doing and what to do instead.
Use quiet time if they continue misbehavior after speaking with them.
Pull over to the side of the road if misbehavior continues after using quiet time. Tell them why you are stopping and that they must be quiet for 2 minutes before you can continue driving.
Review the car trip - once you arrive, tell them what you liked about their behaviour, praise them if they followed the rules, and follow through with rewards.
Source: Triple P Positive Parenting Program
