|
 Although
everyone loves to take vacations traveling a long distance in a car with
children can be difficult. Simple car games are a great way to to
pass time away and keep children amused during a long trip. I have
compiled a list of games that I have played over the years with my
children in the car and they have been a great success. Give it a
try and have a great trip!
Great Craft -- Magnetic
Car Tray: Learn how to make a tray of magnetic games
and drawing supplies that will keep your kids amused when you are
heading out on a long road trip. Click here for
details: Car
Tray
Alphabetical Trip
One person
starts with the letter "A" and says, "I'm going on a trip, and I'm going
to bring ____ " and names something that begins with the letter "A." The
next person repeats what the first person said, and adds something that
starts with a "B." The next repeats what they said, but adds a "C" item,
and so on until someone can't remember the whole list. For small
children, don't repeat and just let them add a new item that is the next
letter of the alphabet.
Instant Messaging, Car Style
Pack along a
large drawing tablet and thick, black markers. Have kids make signs to
send messages to other cars, such as "If you like Texans, wave!" or
"Your brake light is out!"
Count to win
Pick a theme – it can be anything. Some
examples are Tractor Trailers, Pick-up Trucks, SUVs, White Vans,
Volkswagons, Billboards, Stop Signs etc… Set a timer for 30 minutes.
Start to count all the items that you find on your sideof the road. The
person with the most when the timer goes off is the winner.
I Spy
Look
around and pick an object you can see inside or outside of the car. Then
give others a clue such as, "I spy with my little eye... something
blue.” Continue to give more clues until they guess the object.
TV
or
DVD
Player
A
great investment for long trips is a built in TV or better yet a
portable DVD player. The portable player is better because your child
can also take it on trips when you are flying. This way they can watch
movies at the airport during layovers or use it at resorts if you are
out of the room and they need to be kept amused. Just remember to bring
a few good movies.
Guess Who?
Think of a friend or relative, write
their name on a piece of paper, and then give a hint to help the rest of
the family figure out who the mystery person may be. For example, "It
is a female". Each person then gets a turn to ask a question to help
figure out who it is. The first person may ask “Does she wear
glasses?” You answer the question and they take a guess. If they are
not correct it goes to the next person who has a chance ask a question
but if they are correct they get to select the next mystery person.
Name That Song
Each person in the car gets a turn at
selecting a word and then everyone else has to see if they can come up
with a song that uses the word. The key here is that they have to sing
the song! For example: Someone gives the word “cheeseburger” What
song has cheeseburger in it well someone in the car begins to sing Jimmy
Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. You can take it a step further and
then ask who the artist is who sang the song.
Next Car is Mine
Pick
a number from 1 to 10. Count off the number of cars that pass you based
on your number. When you reach your number check to see what “your car”
happens to be. Everyone takes a turn and then you vote to decide on who
is the winner. The winner can be the person with the nicest car or the
worst car or the biggest car or the smallest car. You decide – be
creative.
Hand Held
Electronic Game
If you child has a hand held video
game be sure to take it along. You may consider purchasing a new game
for it prior to the trip and giving it to your child on the day of
departure. This will keep them interested and amused.
Music and Headsets
Individual musical electronics with
headsets is a wonderful thing to take on a trip. Kids, especially
pre-teens and teenagers,
can listen to their music forever thus ticking away at travel time.
License Plate
Letters
Search
for an out–of-town license plate and call out the letters on it.
Everyone takes a turn coming up with a different phrase using the
letters in order as they appear on the license plate. For example if the
letters were WIG the phrase could be “Watermelon is good”. When you
can't think of any more phrases then find another license plate and
start again.
Car
Scavenger Hunt
Kids love scavenger hunts! So
why not do one while driving in the car?
CLICK HERE FOR
<< printable format >>
| City
Scavenger Hunt |
Country
Scavenger Hunt |
Suburbs Scavenger Hunt |
| Bus |
Cow |
Mini Van |
| Person on a
cell phone |
Brown Horse |
School |
| Taxi Cab |
Picket Fence |
Gas Station |
| Statue or Art
work |
Silo |
Fast Food Restaurant |
| Subway or
train sign |
Sign with
Farm or Ranch Name |
Car Dealer |
| Ladies Retail
Store |
Tractor |
Playground |
| Book Store |
Pond or Lake |
Church |
| Museum |
Dirt Road |
Red Light |
| Billboard |
Country Store |
Bike |
| Hotel
|
Mail Box |
Dog |
| Restaurant |
Railroad
Tracks |
Child Playing |
| Theatre |
Stop Sign |
Movie Theatre |
| Men at work
sign/ construction sign |
Church |
Post Office |
| Skyscraper |
Pick-up Truck |
Super Market |
|
