Teachers, parents, and field trip organizers know that children have short attention spans — especially when they are stuck on a bus during a long ride to a fun destination. Excitement and boredom mixed together are highly combustible. So it’s a good idea to have a plan to keep children occupied — or at least distracted — until you get where you are going.
One technique is to split the trip into smaller segments and plan an activity for each leg of the journey. For example, if you’re driving to a destination that is 90 minutes away, come up with a different playful thing to do for each 15-minute increment. That way children never get bored and are always engaged with the activity.
Young and Old
It’s helpful to understand your audience. The younger the children, the less likely they are going to be able to sit still for long-distance travel. So if you are planning on taking kindergarten students on an outing that requires four hours each way, plan again.
Older children can go further but still require entertainment or distraction. Community games, sing-alongs, and storytelling are good ways to break up the time. But thanks to modern technology, all you really need to do is to let them bring their smartphones and most children will be happily distracted until the moment you arrive.
Onboard Entertainment
If you don’t want to have to deal with keeping track of all those smartphones and tablets, FloridaTours.com has luxury charter buses that feature the latest in onboard entertainment, including high-definition flatscreens that can show age-appropriate TV shows and movies during your journey.
Think back to your own school days: Didn’t you love watching a movie or TV in the classroom with your classmates when you were supposed to be learning? Now you can use that same concept to keep your charges engaged during long bus trips.
