7 car travel games for kids
The arrival of summer means long drives ahead. It’s smart to prepare before embarking on a long travel by equipping your kids with all kinds of toys, books and games. Still, expect them to eventually get bored and start staring out of a window and asking the classic question “are we there yet?’. Car travel is a perfect opportunity for starting them on road-trip classic car games. Here are 7 car games that are perfect for kids of all ages.
I spy
Someone starts the game by choosing an object inside the car or outside ahead near the road: ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with ‘Z’/and its colour is red’. Players can then start guessing the object and whoever gets it right can start the next round of this incredibly fun guessing game. If you’re playing with younger children, you can give them some extra hints like ‘it’s up ahead on the right side of the road’.
The silent game
This game is excellent if you’re struggling to keep peace and order on the backseat. The silent game is basically about having patience and focus. During the game, everyone has to stay silent and whoever breaks and makes a noise is out. The last person who manages to keep silent and make no noises wins.
Creating a story
This is a game that is bound to keep you and your kids entertained for hours. It can get hilarious, absurd or simply fun – it all depends on your creativity. You’re all basically going to tell a story, word by word – turn by turn. The first person starts with a word and then the second person adds another word, repeating the whole story every time. Even if it seems complex, this game will be perfect also for younger kids – it’s them who usually come up with the funniest contributions.
Traveller’s alphabet
This is a game that fits very well the context of a journey because it’s based on imagined travels. A person playing the game will have to fill the sentence ‘I’m going on a journey to…’ with a name starting with A and later moving along the alphabet. If one player says: ‘I’m going on a journey to Aberdeen’, the other will ask ‘What will you do there’ and the first player has to answer using the same letter of the alphabet: ‘I will do acrobatics’. If a player cannot think of a place or activity beginning with a given letter, they’re eliminated – the last player to stay wins.
Car Scavenger Hunt
This is the only idea that requires some forethought. Essentially you need to print them off before setting off on your travels, or keep them in your car in the glove box. First to get them all wins!
Connecting words
This is an excellent game for training your imagination and vocabulary skills. One person starts with a single word, for instance ‘cat’. The next person has to say the first word they think of related to a cat, for instance, a ‘mouse’. The next person has to make a connection again and say a related word, for instance ‘cheese’. This game goes on and on until a player is unable to connect a word in the game.
Memory game
One player starts: ‘I’m going on a trip and I’m going to pack…’. Each player has to add one item and repeat all the items added by players before them. It could be a toy, a piece of clothing or anything else.
Playing games during your car travel will make the time fly and you’ll easily reach your destination before your kids get bored with the journey.
Will Norquay is part of the team at Stayz. He’s a great travel and photography lover. He likes to discover new places and eateries around Australia and share his experiences and stories with other travellers.
Ngaire
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