Sure you've packed your clothes... but have you taken care of how you are going to entertain your kids in the car, plane, or train for hours and hours? Here are 20 FUN road trip games for kids of all ages.
Ah, summer time... Kids and parents are out of school, and it's time for
everyone's favorite thing to do...Road trip!
Whether you're going out of state,
or a few hours from home, the kiddos are
going to cause a ruckus with lots of "He's looking at me!" or
"She's touching me!" or some other such complaints. There's also the
famous "Are we there yet?" Those are fun.
I'm here to help save your
road trip with some fun games for the whole family that can be played in the
car.
Road Trip Games
License Plate Game (Who can find all 50 states first)
Everyone be on the lookout for the most states! Everyone keeps a sheet of
paper or notebook, and write down all the state license plates that you see.
The person who finds the most states by the time you get to your destination
wins!
Hint: We like to use this Melissa & Doug License Plate Game Board
Scavenger Hunt for Road Trips
Think of interesting things that you'll see
between your home and your destination like fences, farm animals, different
color cars, etc. Make up your list before leaving the house, and give everyone
a copy. The person to find the most
items wins the game.
Hint: Get this pre-done Roadtrip Scavenger Hunt if you have trouble coming up with ideas
Gymnastics Competition at Rest Stops
You've been pent up in a car for
hours, and your body has to be stiff! Have everyone do arm circles, leg lifts,
lunges, race around the rest stop, any exercises to help get your muscles
working again. See who can do the most before it's time to leave.
Mad Libs
A great game that you can purchase on Amazon. A bunch of stories already
written for you to choose nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc to make the funniest
stories.
Travel Bingo
You can purchase the boards, or you can make your own. Find things like fire
trucks, mail trucks, or anything else you see on the go. Don't forget to yell
BINGO! when you win!
Restaurant Race
This game requires everyone in the car to choose their
favorite fast food restaurant chain. Then each person keeps track of the number
of times they see their choice and the person who sees their restaurant the
most time wins the game.
Jacob's Ladder/Cat's Cradle
This game is pretty old school, but still a ton
of fun. Make sure you bring a cutting of yarn or twine, and each person tries
to make shapes like Jacob's Ladder or the Cat's Cradle. You (the parent) may
want to show your little ones how to make the shapes before you leave.
Padiddle
If you're going to be traveling at night, padiddle is great fun!
Watch for cars with one headlight out, and smack the ceiling of the car,
yelling Padiddle! See who can find the most cars.
Spelling Bee
If you have kids who love to spell or even kids who don't,
what's better than a spelling bee? The kids can brush up on their spelling
skills. The younger kids will get smaller words, and the older ones bigger
words. You can bring a dictionary or thesaurus to help you come up with words,
or find the kids old spelling lists from the last year of school.
I Spy
This one is pretty self-explanatory... The "spy-er" finds
something with their "little eye" and everyone tries to figure out
what the item is. Great game for long car rides.
I'm Going On a Picnic
This game is fun to play. It starts with "I'm
going on a picnic" and every player has to come up with something that
you're taking on that picnic following the alphabet. For example "I'm
going on a picnic, and I'm going to bring an apple!" The next person would
choose something that starts with b, and so on. If you're in a car full of
older kids or adults, try to make it harder by making everyone come up with a
food or beverage that starts with the corresponding letter. If there are
smaller kids, let them choose anything.
Cookie Sheet Lap Boards
This works for quiet time when you're tired of playing
games. You can purchase cheap cookie sheets at the dollar store, and give one
to each kid. Pack coloring books, crayons or markers, sticker books, etc. that
require a hard surface. This way there's less mess and less crying about not
being able to color or write.
Road Trip Bags
This isn't really a game, but it does help for keeping a bag
at the ready with everyone's favorite toys or games to take on road trips. Just
keep them close to the door and ready for your next road trip!
Movie Game
In this game, each player chooses a character from their
favorite cartoon or movie, and everyone guesses the movie or cartoon they
appear in. If the kids are older, choose actors, and try to guess every
movie/show they're in until no one can come up with anymore.
Fortunately/Unfortunately
For this game, you come up with crazy things that
could possibly happen while on your trip. For example, "There's a tiger in
the backseat!" Well, fortunately, that tiger doesn't eat little kids!"
and so on. Great game for using your imaginations!
Cows on My Side
Divide the car into sides. When you see cows (or horses or
whatever you choose), you yell I see cows! The person with the most cow
spottings by the end of the game wins.
Quiet Game
See who falls asleep first lol. This is best played when
everyone is tired and cranky, usually by the end of the trip, or on the way home.
This Looks Like That
For this game, Everyone finds a hill or cloud that
looks like something else. Describe what you think it looks like, and have
everyone do the same.
20 Questions
Players come up with anything they can think of...The
passengers get 20 questions like: Does it bark? to guess what it is.
Tunnels
See who can hold their breath the longest when going through a
tunnel. This could be a bad idea if you're going through really long tunnels,
but for the short ones, it could be fun!
20 FREE Printable Road Trip Games
Print off these 20 free printable road trip games to play along your drive. (black and white)
So, there are 20 fun games to choose from for your next road trip. Do you
have any favorite games you played as a child with your parents on road trips?
Let me know in the comments!
