Does the thought of how to entertain your kids with learning disabilities while traveling seem like a challenge? If so, here are some tips I've found to be useful when on the road.

Faced with a long car trip, start off your day as early as possible. We get up and out on the road by 6am and about 8am pause for breakfast, bathroom, stretching - a mini change of pace.

This gives you about 100 miles of travel while your passengers are still really waking up. I like to get in a maximum of 400 miles a day driving.

Back on the road again, kids fully awake and probably noisy, time for the games of the road. My kids like to count colors of cars passing by. Give everyone of at least preschool age a notebook and crayons for use on their trip. Tell the kids it is their travel journal. They can record the colors of the cars they are counting up by adding a circle on the page, using that color of crayon or watercolor marker.

Or this can be a good time to teach how to count by fives using 4 straight marks for one to four and a diagonal line across for number 5. The kids really can see how this works visually since they are recording real cars.

The older kids can even keep track of several colors of cars at the same time by using the stick counting method just described.

When another hundred miles of driving have passed it is time for the lunch break, and the same routine as breakfast of getting out, stretching, eating, resting for a few minutes before getting back on the road. Now with 200 miles behind you it is back on the road for another 2 hours driving.

This is a good time for napping or reading or coloring or any quiet play the kids can hold in their laps. After two hours take another break at a rest stop if possible so all the facilities can be used. I have always carried thin blankets to throw out on the grass to really lay down on and rest for 15 minutes. (See photo of blanket on lawn at Santa Barbara Mission.)

With the last hundred miles looming, the kids are probably getting antsy and saying the proverbial "are we almost there." This is the hardest time of the day in my opinion and some ideas are to point out landmarks and have the kids try to identify where you are, or for the school age kids, write a story in their journal about something they have seen during the day.

Okay, your 400 miles are behind you, motel in sight - I've learned to make reservations ahead of time through one of the popular chains with a swimming pool. It is a great stress relief to get in the pool and splash or swim some laps. Then have supper and bed down early enough so everyone is rested and ready to get back on the road by 6am.

This plan has gotten us all the way across America while driving, so happy traveling!

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Article and photo credit of blanket on lawn at Santa Barbara Mission by Susan Kramer