Games to Occupy the Youngest Travelers on Holiday Travels

This holiday season when packing up for grandma’s house, be sure to bring along a variety of electronic games for kids and kids at heart including Nintendo DS games, Leapster games, Pogo games, and other video games to occupy time during travels and for fun nights together. Many resorts offer a gaming area for kids now and some accommodations are even supplied with a gaming console. These games are compact and make great stocking stuffers and gifts for future car trips, long waits in airports and other transportation means. The biggest trend noticed is how companies are capitalizing on movies and creating games to keep the movie alive after returning home from the theater or when the DVD ends.

Nintendo DS Games
Gaming has evolved quite a bit since Atari’s Pac Man and Asteroids as there are many more games that have been introduced offering new ways to play, immerse and engage. Every popular character seems to have transcended into its own video game. It is not uncommon for video game launches to coincide with theatrical releases. Good news is that the Nintendo DS games offered by Electronic Arts (EA) are compact, easy to travel with and ensure hours of fun. With its wireless element, family members can compete against each other, creating another level of competition!

Below are just a few titles and descriptions to take along during holiday travels or to surprise your favorite traveler.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Experience the thrills, action, and excitement of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince while engaging in exciting wizard duels, mixing and brewing magical ingredients in Potions class and taking to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory!

Littlest Pet Shop Friends: Offering co-operative play and delightful new graphics, Littlest Pet Shop Friends takes girls and their friends on fun quests such as delivering party invitations, serving up cake and ice cream and gathering party decorations, all in preparation for the biggest party ever!

Hasbro Family Game Night 2: Featuring OPERATION, JENGA, BOP-IT, PICTUREKA, and CONNECT 4X4, Hasbro Family Game Night 2 offers traditional and new modes to play these Hasbro favorites. MR. POTATO HEAD returns as master of ceremonies and your host in a brand-new “GameShow” mode which transports players to a live television game show studio complete with an audience and “Challenge Wheel.”

G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra: G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra features 16 playable characters – including four unlockable COBRA bosses – each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush is an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil to defeat the powers of COBRA.

SimAnimals Africa: With its brand new art style, SimAnimals Africa takes players on an adventure across jungles, deserts, savannas, river deltas and more! All new animals, each with their own unique skill, are ready to play like never before. Kicking zebras, rock-breaking rhinos and lions that excel at hunting will assist players in keeping the environment happy and unlocking new areas, animals, and special items. New mini-games give players more ways to interact with the animals.



There are games for everyone and many are available on multiple platforms including the Wii and Sony Play Station. Below are a few other titles by Warner Brothers and stimulating creativity and taking movies to the next interactive level for kids.

Where The Wild Things Are: The award-winning children's adventure coincides with the movie release in 2009 as players assume the role of Max, “King of All Wild Things” and team-up with the fearsome but loveable creatures to solve action puzzles and overcome challenging obstacles to save the tribe before it's too late.

Scooby-Doo: First Frights: An action-adventure game for the Wii, DS and PS2 complements the DVD release, Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins, this title features co-op play allowing two people to work together to solve mysteries, combat enemies and collect clues to unmask each episode's mysterious villain.

Scribblenauts: The award-winning pick-up-and-play game for the Nintendo DS from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in which the character Maxwell acquires the Starite in each level by solving a series of puzzles armed with their stylus, notepad and imagination.

Astro Boy: The Video Game: The official game of the upcoming movie, a young boy robot utilizes his full arsenal of iconic weapons and abilities to battle robot enemies and colossal bosses on multiple platforms.

There are other electronic-based games that are sure to delight travelers of all ages beyond the Nintendo DS platform.

Pocket POGO Handheld: Yahtzee, Connect 4, Battleship, & Monopoly: Perfect for waiting in line and compact enough to fit into a pocket or purse, test your skills with some childhood favorites that grownups still like to play. POGO games incorporate electronic elements with the classic games and are the perfect travel accessory for backseat or in-flight fun!

Pocket POGO Touch Screen: Scrabble, Battleship, Solitaire, Casino Island & More: With eight available games, the Pocket POGO is a step up from the POGO Handheld games in terms of advanced play. Using a stylus, in the Scrabble game, users can select from the four games testing speed and word making skills!

New games have launched throughout the year to keep the library fresh and coincide with big movie premieres or DVD releases, as reported by Leapfrog. This year’s titles will build on the established library of games that offer traditional learning, such as math and spelling, and will expand on the traditional with new curriculum, such as geography and map reading in X-Men: Wolverine and music in High School Musical.

The Leapster2 system, the industry’s first educational gaming handheld for kids aged four to eight, has released eight new titles in 2009. Many of the new titles below are connected to movies, which helps the younger kids identify with the brand on multiple levels. The Leapster2 and games are perfect for traveling (just bring batteries). Below is a sampling of the new games available this holiday season and what each title emphasizes on the educational level.

• Disney/Pixar’s Up! – early number sense, addition, subtraction, shapes
• Disney’s The Princess and the Frog – early math
• The Wolverine and X-Men – geography, shapes, word sounds
• Disney Fairies: TinkerBell – early math, addition and subtraction, patterns
• Star Wars: Jedi Reading – letter identification, phonics, spelling

“Educational gaming has evolved and is now recognized for delivering competitive and exciting gaming that rivals traditional videogames,” said David Perkinson, director of game development for LeapFrog.

Christmas Toys for Travel Joys

Besides decking the halls and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, families are preparing to travel over the holidays. Whether traveling to grandma’s house or creating a new holiday tradition while embarking on a winter wonderland or tropical oasis, packing some toys, books, games and other time-consuming activities will make any trip more festive.

There is no shortage in choices for kids, but below are a few recommendations of toys that are sure to delight kids on their winter road trips and vacation journeys.

Elmo’s Tickle Hands
Fisher-Price lets kids have a chance at being Elmo…well, at least part of Elmo using his silly furry red hands . These funny hands vibrate and hear familiar phrases from Elmo and allow kids’ imaginary play to soar and gets them dancing when the Dance Mode is activated and kids are guided through Elmo’s new dance, step by step. There is even a DVD that accompanies these hands to teach kids the dance.

Matchbox® Mega Rig®Pirate Ship
Ready to sail the high seas and journey into pirate hood and swash the decks? With the Matchbox® Mega Rig® Pirate Ship, kids will feel as though they have joined the pirate clan as they sail away into their next adventure. Creative play is stimulated with the large pirate ship, the giant squirting sea creature, all while defending their treasure.

Uno Moo!™
The grown up card game has been transformed into farm animals for toddlers. Educational and fun, UNO Moo! Encourages colors and animal recognition and teaches kids to shout out when they are down to one figure. Even the adults will like this version and its packaging is ideal for traveling.

Barbie® Glamour Camper™
Now this is one camper that I would consider going on an outdoor exploration. A modernized and glammed out version of the camper many moms will remember as girls in the 70s, today’s young girls are ready for a road trip! Like the Barbie dollhouses, the camper is completely decked out and provides hours of enjoyment from the pop out tent to roasting marshmallows. The compactness of this Barbie vehicle is perfect to take on the road for real!

Barbie™ and the Three Musketeers Barbie Corinne™ Doll
Girl power strikes this holiday season as Barbie Corinne and her friends recreate the legendary Three Musketeers. Hot this holiday season, these princess Barbies are like the Diamond Castle characters and transform their outfits as they take on heroine roles. Barbie continues to be a role model for young girls.

My Toon TV
Kids love having people “watch” them, now they can see themselves in performance action by inserting themselves on TV with their own personalized character. Easy to use (no software required), kids will spend hours pretending and performing and most importantly, laughing as they watch their “character” dance away. Five songs are provided, but the ability to customize with their own music is also an option.

A Family Christmas CD
For car trips, creating a festive mood for this “quality” time together, playing holiday tunes are sure to add a fun element and one that is participatory in nature. Putumayo Kids has a series of international music selections that inspire travel around the world, but “A Family Christmas” CD is one that also has an educational twist on yuletide favorites. A few childhood favorites include a new version of “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Martin Sexton and a jazzy rendition by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy singing Louis Armstrong’s hit “Is Zat You Santa Claus?”.


Blokus® Game
Nothing beats a family game night and the new Blokus game allows entire family to participate. With only four colors, it is fairly easy for kids to catch on to the pattern and learning to keep building their pattern while blocking you in the process. Don’t be surprised if the kids outwit the parents!

The Night Before Christmas: Special Edition DVD Set
No trip should be taken without a portable DVD and with many hotels providing DVD players, The Night Before Christmas: Special Edition 2-DVD collection by Scholastic Storybook Treasures™ is a holiday tradition to be packed. This collection features animated stories about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other holiday celebrations are narrated by Anthony Edwards and Christopher Lloyd. The second DVD included in the set is The Twelve Days of Christmas, which features a sing-along to this recognized holiday song. Other holiday stories are featured on this disc to build upon children’s excitement – and parents too!

Treasury of 50 Storybook Classics: Animal Antics
This seven-DVD set is a must to wrap up for the holidays and to take on any journeys. Scholastic Storybook Treasures™ features “Harry the Dirty Dog”, “Click, Clack, Moo…Cows That Type”, “Make Way for Ducklings” and more. The collection of animal tales will have kids mooing, barking and laughing with these entertaining and quality animated tales.

Santa’s Game Bag:
Packaged in a miniature version of Santa’s bag, Minimus.biz packs some travel-sized games and activities to make traveling time fly, just like the attached reindeer can do! Available in different age ranges, the 4-year-old product includes pocket size Ohio Art® Etch A Sketch®, pocket size Ohio Art® Doodle Sketch, travel-size CandyLand®, travel-size Memory® Game, and more.

Boggle
Hasbro’s Boggle, the original three-minute word search game, is now packaged to take on the road. The ability to twist and shake and search for words will not only stimulate a kid while on winter break, but will also provide a fun challenge. With a built in timer, a competitive angle is also provided.

Monopoly Go
Hasbro’s Monopoly Go is a compact version of the classic Monopoly game, but is now packaged as a travel-friendly entertaining game for entire family. Taking a break from holiday stresses, families can spend time together by playing games such as Monopoly Go together.

Tag Junior
Leapfrog’s Tag Junior is specifically designed for the younger toddlers to stimulate reading and fun. Like it’s senior product, the Leapfrog Tag reader, the same technology is used, but now little hands have a bigger wand to help guide them through the magical stories. Now our youngest kids can “read” words on study board books in the Tag Junior collection. And for our senior Tag users, just in time with the release of the new Disney movie, “The Princess and the Frog” for Tag is now available and is beautifully illustrated.

Leapfrog Zippity System
Even if you’re travels are taking you to cold climates this holiday season, Leapfrog’s new Zippity System gives you a way for kids to burn off that holiday sugar while learning. LeapFrog and Disney have joined forces to create the Zippity Learning System—a TV-based gaming system for preschoolers that combines full-body movement, music, education and fun. The Zippity system lets kids bring the fun of Playhouse Disney to life at their house. Kids can dance, jump and move with characters from Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney Little Einsteins, Winnie the Pooh and more. Featuring an interactive mat designed for lower-body movement, kids can run, dance, jump and march their way through the eight provided programs coupled with additional ones such as Princess and the Frog.

Never have there been more options, but sticking to the basics of spending time together with games, books, music and movies, families are sure to create new holiday memories this season.

Note: Due to the growing popularity and surge of Nintendo DS games and other electronic games that are easy to travel with, these products will be featured in a separate article.