Ah, remember the good old days when you would travel cross-country for a family vacation with nothing to do but listen to your Walkman headphones and fight with your siblings about how much room they were taking?
Family road trips can have much less drama now thanks to all the things you can take with you to entertain the troops. But that doesn’t mean everyone has to have their face stuck in a screen the whole time. Find time while traveling to reconnect. These car games and activities are a great way to make some great travel memories with your kids.
Car Games and Activities for Kids Ages 2-5
Simon Says
Simon Says was a game that was fun before the iPad and DVD came along, and it is still engaging today. Someone is assigned to be “Simon” and they direct everyone to perform some action. Simon begins by saying, “Simon says….,” followed by something like “touch your head.” If they say Simon Says, then everyone should do it. But if they direct everyone playing to do something without the introduction of, “Simon says,” whoever does it, is “out” until the next round of play begins.
I Spy
You begin I spy by saying, “I spy with my little eye…,” and then follow it with a description of the object that you are thinking of. For instance, if you are thinking of a stop light, you would say, “I spy with my little eye something that has three colors and blinks.” Then allow everyone to ask questions to guess what is on your mind.
20 Questions
For 20 questions, the person who is “it” thinks of an object. You can play one-on-one or with several people. Whoever is guessing has a combined number of 20 questions they can ask to figure out what the “it” person is thinking. But the questions can only be yes or no answers. If the guesser(s) can name the item in less than 20 questions, they are the winner. If not, then the person who is “it” is the winner.
Car Games and Activities for Preschool Aged Children
Bingo
You don’t have to spend any money on a bingo card when you can make one that is a whole lot more fun! Before you hit the road, create a bingo sheet that has your child’s favorite images on it. Take the same images and place them each on an individual piece of paper, then put those papers in a hat. On the road, pick the images from the hat, and call out what is on what you have picked. It is a great way to enhance your child’s listening skills and help them learn how to follow directions. Whoever gets four images across, or four down, first, wins the game. And the best part is you can play again and again.
Ruby Red
Every time someone in the car spots a red car, they yell “ruby red.” The first to say it earns one point. At the end of the trip, whoever has spotted the most red cars wins the game. Or, to advance the game a little, make a “scavenger hunt” list of things that everyone has to look for. Keep a tally of how many different objects each person can spot. Whoever can find the most things on their list of “to-finds,” wins the game.
How Many Can You Find?
To keep your child’s attention off the screen and focused on seeing the journey well-traveled, play the game, “How many can you find?” Think of an object like a stop sign or livestock, and each time someone finds one, have them count it aloud.
Car Games and Activities for Kindergarten to Middle School
The Storytelling Game
Get those creative juices flowing by playing the storytelling game. Begin with the sentence, “Once upon a time…,” and then go around the car letting everyone tell the next sentence to the story. Depending on the mood of the car, your story can get super funny and outlandish, really quick. But if things get out of hand, you can always jumpstart to a new story and being again. For some additional learning, have your children write down the story as you go. When the vacation is over, they will have a story to read at bedtime. It will give you a chance to reminiscence about the good time you had together.
I’m Going on a Picnic
Begin the game with the phrase, “I’m going on a picnic, and I am going to bring….”. Then, the person who goes first has to say an item that begins with the letter A. The next player has to begin the entire sentence by saying, “I am going on a picnic, and I am going to bring…” followed by the A item just recited, and then adding a “B” word item to the list. The next in line has to continue by starting with, “I am going on a picnic, and I am going to bring…,” followed by both the A and the B item, and then adding a “C” word item. The game continues until someone forgets an item. Or, until the car has gone from A to Z, reciting all the items in succession.
Car Games and Activities for Ages 10+
Definition Debacle
Lookup a random, complicated word in the dictionary, and then make up three different definitions of what the word means. Have everyone guess which of the definitions is real and which one is a fib. The person who guesses correctly wins the round, and they are the next to find another word and create three new definitions.
How Many States Have Passed by?
Hand each person a piece of paper, and every time they spot a license plate from a different state, have them write down the state’s name. At the end of the trip, tally up and see who spotted the most license plates from different states. They are the winner.
There are a lot more ways to stay entertained on a trip these days, but don’t let electronics dominate the entire trip. Getting there is half the fun. Build memories along the way and spend some time reconnecting with your kids.
Before you hit the road to play games, make sure your car is in top shape to keep everyone behind the wheel safe. Contact My Mechanic today to schedule your pre-trip service.
