A parent can learn a great deal about the youth culture, Dr. Singer says, and may find teenagers are more willing to open up in the car or to each other about their concerns. Sometimes you can learn a great deal about your own child when you listen wisely. For younger children, the trip may drag. Take along finger puppets, sing along with audiotapes or listen to story tapes. Give smaller children magnetic boards with numbers and letters instead of using pencils or crayons, which can roll to the floor.
Older kids can play checkers or chess using magnetic game boards.
The local library is a good source of game ideas, like spotting license plates from different states or obstacle signs along the road. Keep a copy in the car so you can refer to it before you set out. You can read, sew, knit, work cross-word puzzles, catch up on correspondence, plan your menus for the week, listen to favorite tapes or just close your eyes, relax and daydream, she says. Dorothy G. Singer, who has a doctorate in education, co-directs the Yale University Family Television Research and Consultation Center with her husband, Jerome, a Yale psychology professor. Together, they designed a national television curriculum for teenagers called RCreating Critical Viewers,S which expands upon a similar program for younger children used in hundreds of elementary schools.