May 11, 2005 10:50 PM
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(Updated May 11, 2005 10:50 PM)
“We’re all going on a summer holiday…” crooned dear Sir Cliff Richard merrily as he drove away in his double-decker bus years ago. Well, so are you…, you think smugly as you drive away, not so merrily though. The only difference is that you are not travelling in a double-decker bus; but in a four-wheeler; and your travel companions are not carefree bachelor boys; (you must long for those days!) but a crazy, holiday-mad family in the backseat! Between loud squabbles and million announcements of ‘I’ll-stop-the car-and throw-each-one-of-you-out, ’ you wish that Dr. Spock was kind enough to foresee parental dilemmas of this kind and offer his advice.
Driving down to holiday destinations is fun! And if you are looking for ways that you can make the car journey fun, you needn’t look any further than your own childhood games. If you are still scratching your head trying to recollect them, read on. Perhaps this will refresh your memory and offer you an opportunity to have a memorable summer holiday!
RED LORRY, YELLOW LORRY: It’s as simple as that! Get the brats to count the maximum number of red lorries or yellow lorries that they see whizzing past them! You will have them tongue-twisting not just the statement, but numbers for quite some time indeed!
WAIT A MINUTE, MR. POSTMAN!: want some quiet time while driving? Count your lucky stars if you and the kids spot a mail van passing you by. The rule here is that no one says a word until they spot a black car. Considering that its summer and no one in their right sense would want to get roasted in a black car, you’ll have moments and moments of quiet solace!
LICENSED TO KEEP BUSY: Ask the kids to identify as many different states that they can on license plates of vehicles. Some way of broadening their knowledge, huh?
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS: Two players each put one hand behind their backs. Each person turns that hand into a scissors, using the index and middle fingers; or paper, by holding the hand flat with the fingers straight; or a rock, by making a fist. Both players say ''One, two, three, '' and show their hands. The scissors beats paper because it cuts paper. Paper wins over rock because it can wrap up the rock. And rock beats scissors because it makes them blunt. A lot of scientific concepts being learnt and reinforced here!
DO THE LICENSE-LINGO ROCK: The kids will have to come up with a phrase using the letters on another car's plate. So if they see a plate MAH 248, the first to call out a logical phrase such as ''My arm hurts'' earns a point! Builds grammar skills too, this game!
TO MARKET, TO MARKET: One of those over-played party games, I do agree but good when you want to cut down on those “Dad-will-you-please-tell-Tom-to-get-his-elbow-of-my-ribs!” Here’s what you have got to do! Start a sentence like this, “I went to the market and bought some apples.” The next person uses the same sentence but also adds a word of his/her own, beginning with the second letter of the alphabet. The chain goes on and on. Make sure that all names are repeated by the next person. Try not to use only fruit names or only vegetable names. In that case, you’ll be hearing, “Anne-will-you-stop-singing-that-sickly-Westlife-song-into-my-ear!” pretty soon.
THE PLACE GAME: Begin with any country, state, city or suburb, say, INDIA. The next person uses the last letter of that word to think of another country etc. You never know, at the end of the holiday, you may just have a geography whiz of a kid to be proud of!
THE LITTLE DRUMMER PERSON: Now let’s see how innovatively you soothe an irritated pre-teen kid. What you do is ask your wife or any sane adult travelling with you to drum a popular tune on a hard surface. It is fun (for you) and perplexing, frustrating and hilarious (in that order) for your children. Try it with nursery rhymes for instance. You will have kids with tears rolling down their cheeks and once it would be tears of laughter!
COUNTING COWS: Play this game as individuals or teams. First, decide on a destination where you will stop counting (e.g. Alibaug). Then, count the cows (buffalos/dogs/ok any creature!!) on your side of the road. The goal is to have the highest number when the destination is reached.
If this has brought back and reconstructed many memories, give yourself an ‘Almost-Successful’ award! Use them and any more you can spruce up (believe me, it has been proved, although not officially; that the brain works ten times more innovatively during trying moments) and you will have your Eureka moment! Besides this Archimedean feat, you will be rest assured that the remainder of your journey to the holiday destination will promise you… “love and laughter on a summer holiday…no more worries for a week or two…for any of you!”
