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Dad Field Manual · Field card 141 · Dad-and-Kid Dates

Tiny adventure ride: bus, train or walk to somewhere new

To a 4-year-old, three stops on a city bus is a real expedition. Make them the navigator, ticket and map in hand, headed somewhere new.

Time
2 hours
Cost
About $5
Ages
3 to 6
Where
Your town's bus or train, or a walk

What you need

  • Fare for two, or a transit card (check your agency's site for kids' fares)
  • A printed route map or a hand-drawn one with the stops
  • Water and a snack in a small backpack they carry
  • An envelope for the souvenir: ticket stub, leaf, napkin

Before you go

  • Hold hands near traffic, in parking lots and on platforms. New York State's health department says kids 1 to 4 never cross without an adult; NHTSA says under 10 shouldn't cross alone.
  • On a platform, stay behind the edge tiles and wait until the train fully stops, as BART advises. Dropped something on the tracks? Tell staff; never reach.
  • Agree on a plan if you're separated: "Stand still and tell a driver or worker your name. I'll find you."

Steps

  1. Pick somewhere new and hand over the invite. Pick a stop 10–20 minutes away, check the schedule and give the navigator invite.
  2. Make the map. Draw the route with a dot for each stop; they mark each one on the ride.
  3. Ticket in their hand. Hold hands at the stop. They pay or tap, then count stops out loud.
  4. Explore the new place. Let them lead around the new place and pick one small, free souvenir.
  5. Ride home and tell the story. Ride home, retell the trip from the map, and file map and souvenir with the date.

If it stalls

  • If they melt down, end the adventure early. Riding one stop and back still counts.
  • If transit isn't an option, walk a new street and use the same map: each corner is a stop.

Cut out: the invite

Adventure day, Saturday morning. You hold the ticket and the map. We're going somewhere we've never been.

— Dad

Ask on the date

  1. What do you think we'll see out the window?
  2. If this bus could fly, where would it go?
  3. What's the best part so far?
  4. Where should we go on our next adventure?

Keep it

Put the map, the ticket stub and one found souvenir in an envelope; write the date on the front.

We went on Next time: Date