We all know how tedious and boring certain aspects of travel can become – especially when children are along for the ride. But with the right mind-set and the help of a few entertaining games and activities, you can save the day. Quicker than an adolescent can protest about going along on a family vacation, you can have your family involved in an interesting, even educational, way to pass the time. Here are a few winners to try out on your next family car trip across town or across the country.
Directions: These games appeal to all ages and can be played with as many people as can fit in your car. Feel free to fine-tune any game to make it work for your particular family. For instance, if you don’t want to eliminate players, change the rules so that losers receive penalty points. Or play as a group, with all wins being group wins. It is a good idea to set either a time or mileage limit.
The counting game On road trips we pass many interesting sights. This game helps children take notice of the changing landscape and is especially fun for school children.
Player One silently selects for counting a category of objects that may be viewed outside the car. (If being played with very young children, broad categories such as trucks, telephone poles, or cows work well. If being played with older children, more specific categories such as pink houses or white horses work better.) As the car passes an object, Player One counts out loud, adding to their total. The other players try to guess what is being counted. The first player to guess correctly becomes the next counter.
Slap, Slap, Clap, Clap, Snap, Snap Help develop your children’s sense of rhythm with this exhilarating game. Younger children will probably enjoy practising their finger snaps, but if they have trouble let them substitute another movement.
Players select a category such as animals, flowers, or cities. Then using a one-two-three rhythm, all players together first slap their thighs twice, then clap their hands twice, then snap their fingers twice. The first player says the word they have thought of from the selected category at the same time everyone is snapping their fingers. Play continues with each player taking their turn in order. If a player repeats a name or gets mixed up, they are out. If the category is ‘cities’, the game might go something like this:
Make this game harder by requiring that words be added in alphabetical order.
Remember when? Sometimes life’s better moments seem to pass by too quickly – leaving us with a longing to savour what we’ve enjoyed. Where better to indulge this pleasant activity than when contained in a car with a collection of restless minds?
Family members select an event to remember that they have all shared together. For example, you might choose a particular wedding, birthday party, or holiday. Then take turns remembering a detail of the event. For example, Mum might say, ‘I remember when we went to Cornwall for our holiday. I’m so glad I finally agreed to splash out on renting the tandem bicycles. It was so much fun to ride through the countryside together.’ Dad might add, ‘I thought it actually worked out well that we forgot to pack sandwiches. Do you remember the size of the portions we got at that chip shop?!’ A child might add, ‘I really liked our stops for ice cream and for paddling in the river. Except I did get scared that a monster might pull me under the water.’ And so on. Take turns remembering as many more details as possible.
Raindrop race Play this whimsical game during a light rain, or just after the rain stops.
Looking out their window, each player picks a raindrop near the top of the window. One player says, ‘Go!’ and then each player tracks their drop until it reaches the bottom of the window. The drop that gets to the bottom first is the drop of the winner. If a drop should blend with another drop, it is still the player’s drop. If two players use the same window, be sure to leave plenty of space between the racing drops.
Travel Sentences Don’t tell your children, but this game gets them thinking about geography and working on the alphabet at the same time.
On their turn, each player picks a destination and then makes a sentence using a mode of transportation and an activity beginning with the same letter. Examples are, ‘I’m going to Italy on an Iguana to Interview the Pope’, or ‘I’m going to go to France by Ferry to Find some onions.’
Make this game more difficult by requiring the players to proceed in alphabetical order.
Storybook trivia Children never seem to get tired of hearing their favourite bedtime stories. This simple memory game gives them a chance to relive their favourite storybook moments.
The Story Master begins this game by selecting a storybook tale that all participants are familiar with. For example, they might select ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, The Story Master then asks the other players ten questions based on the story. For example, they might ask, ‘Who was Little Red Riding Hood going to visit?’ or ‘What was Little Red Riding Hood carrying in her basket?’ Whoever answers the most questions right wins.
In a harder variation of this game – appropriate for older, more ‘sophisticated’ children – the Story Master asks questions related to a variety of storybooks. For example, they might ask, ‘What was the title of the story in which straw was spun into gold?’ or ‘What was the relationship to Little Red Riding Hood of the person who was eaten by the wolf?’
Make this game harder by asking more obscure questions.
We all know how tedious and boring certain aspects of travel can become – especially when children are along for the ride. But with the right mind-set and the help of a few entertaining games and activities, you can save the day. Quicker than an adolescent can protest about going along on a family vacation, you can have your family involved in an interesting, even educational, way to pass the time. Here are a few winners to try out on your next family car trip across town or across the country.
