By Bill Chappell
Thanksgiving is Thursday, and that means more than 43 million Americans will be on the road, driving to family gatherings. For many parents, the crowded roads can bring another challenge: Keeping a 9-year-old entertained along the way. And sometimes, DVDs are not enough. These days, kids love to tinker with smartphones and tablets, as well.
With that in mind, NPR's Renee Montagne spoke with an actual 9-year-old, Jane Frauenfelder, and her father, Mark. Together, they host the podcast Apps for Kids.
Here's a list of apps the Frauenfelders recommend for traveling kids, in an interview airing on Morning Edition Wednesday:
Story Dice — Making up stories is a time-honored way to pass the time on the road. This app gives you the basic elements of a story, in the form of simple images on dice (a face, a king's crown, a rocket, etc.). Players then string the images together.
"What we like to do," Mark says, "is take turns, each of us telling a story that uses all of those elements. And then we, as a family, vote on the best one."