Traveling with kids can be a fun but challenging experience. Whether you’re on a road trip, waiting at an airport, or sitting on a plane, keeping your little ones entertained is crucial to maintaining a peaceful and enjoyable journey. While there are plenty of digital solutions like tablets and smartphones, it’s always good to have a few non-digital travel games in your back pocket. Engaging travel games not only help pass the time but also enhance children’s creativity, cognitive skills, and social interaction.
At The Kids Point, we believe that fostering engagement and imagination during travel doesn’t have to be difficult. Here’s a comprehensive guide to some of the most entertaining and kid-friendly travel games you can play anywhere—without the need for extensive equipment or preparation.
I Spy
Age Group: 3+
What You Need: Just your eyes!
“I Spy” is a classic travel game that’s perfect for kids of all ages. It’s a great way to engage kids in their surroundings while honing their observation skills. The rules are simple: one person looks around and picks an object within sight but doesn’t tell the others what it is. Instead, they say, “I spy with my little eye, something that is [color or other identifying characteristic].” The others then have to guess what it is.
To keep things interesting, you can add different categories like “something that begins with the letter…” or “something that moves.”
20 Questions
Age Group: 5+
What You Need: Imagination
Another classic game, “20 Questions” involves one person thinking of an object, person, or place, while the others try to figure out what it is by asking yes-or-no questions. The game continues until the players either guess the object or run out of questions.
This game encourages critical thinking and can lead to some hilarious guesses! For younger kids, you can narrow down the categories to make the game easier, such as limiting it to animals or objects found in a car.
The Alphabet Game
Age Group: 4+
What You Need: Signs, license plates, or objects around you
The Alphabet Game is particularly fun on road trips. Players must find objects, road signs, or billboards that begin with each letter of the alphabet, starting from A and moving to Z. For example, “A” could be “airplane,” “B” could be “billboard,” and so on. The first person to complete the alphabet wins.
This game helps with letter recognition and is perfect for younger children who are learning the alphabet.
Would You Rather?
Age Group: 6+
What You Need: Creativity
“Would You Rather?” is an engaging game that presents kids with two scenarios, and they have to choose one. For instance, “Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater?” The fun of this game is in the silly or thought-provoking options you can come up with.
Not only does this game spark creativity, but it also gives you a chance to learn more about your children’s preferences and imagination.
License Plate Game
Age Group: 6+
What You Need: Paper and pencil (optional)
The License Plate Game is perfect for long road trips, where kids try to spot license plates from different states or countries. If you have a map, kids can mark the states or provinces they see. You can even print out a checklist beforehand.
This game can turn into a fun geography lesson, sparking conversations about different places and encouraging kids to learn about different regions.
The Name Game
Age Group: 5+
What You Need: Imagination
The Name Game begins with one player saying the name of a famous person or fictional character. The next player must say another name that starts with the last letter of the previous name. For example, if the first person says “Simba,” the next person might say “Ariel.” The game continues with each player coming up with a new name until someone can’t think of one.
This game sharpens memory and encourages kids to think quickly. It also adds an educational component as children learn about different characters and famous figures.
Story Chain
Age Group: 4+
What You Need: Imagination
Story Chain is a wonderful game to play with kids of all ages, as it helps foster creativity and teamwork. One person begins by saying a sentence to start a story, and then each subsequent player adds a sentence to continue it. The goal is to create a fun, imaginative, and perhaps silly story together.
For example, Player 1 might start with, “Once upon a time, there was a dragon who loved ice cream.” Player 2 adds, “One day, he flew to the moon to find a giant ice cream cone.”
The fun lies in how wildly the story can turn, and it helps kids practice their storytelling and listening skills.
Memory Game
Age Group: 5+
What You Need: A list of items
This game is all about memory and concentration. One player starts by saying, “I went to the store and bought a…” then names an item, like “apple.” The next player repeats the sentence and adds a new item, such as “I went to the store and bought an apple and a banana.” The list grows longer with each turn, and the game continues until someone forgets an item.
This game not only keeps kids entertained but also helps enhance memory and cognitive skills.
Travel Bingo
Age Group: 4+
What You Need: Printable bingo cards or a blank sheet of paper
Before your trip, you can print or make your own bingo cards filled with things you might see on your journey, such as “police car,” “mountain,” “cow,” “train,” and so on. As the kids spot these items, they can mark them off their cards. The first person to complete a row or fill the entire card wins.
Travel Bingo is an engaging way to keep kids focused on their surroundings and can be customized for various forms of travel, from road trips to flights.
Guess the Sound
Age Group: 3+
What You Need: Nothing but your ears!
This is a simple yet fun game, especially if you’re in a busy place like an airport or a train station. One player closes their eyes, and the others make or find sounds (snapping fingers, tapping, shuffling items). The blindfolded player has to guess what the sound is.
“Guess the Sound” is great for developing listening skills and can be played anywhere, even in quieter environments by using objects around you.
Hangman
Age Group: 6+
What You Need: Paper and pencil
Hangman is a word-guessing game that’s perfect for kids who enjoy solving puzzles. One player thinks of a word and writes out blank spaces representing the letters. The other players then guess letters, and for each incorrect guess, a part of a stick figure is drawn. The game continues until either the word is guessed or the stick figure is completed.
Hangman is a fun way to pass the time while also helping children improve their spelling and vocabulary.
Scavenger Hunt
Age Group: 4+
What You Need: A list of items to find
A scavenger hunt can be as simple or as detailed as you like. You can create a list of things to find along your journey, such as “a red car,” “a dog,” or “a plane in the sky.” The first person to find everything on the list wins. You can also create variations, like searching for objects based on colors or shapes.
This game can turn a long wait or drive into an engaging treasure hunt and is ideal for stimulating observational skills.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
Age Group: 4+
What You Need: Your hands!
This classic game is quick, easy, and can be played anywhere. Two players count to three and simultaneously form one of three shapes with their hands: rock (a fist), paper (an open hand), or scissors (a fist with two fingers extended). Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock.
For added fun, you can turn it into a tournament with multiple rounds, declaring a winner after a set number of games.
Draw It!
Age Group: 4+
What You Need: Paper and pencils or crayons
For artistic kids, “Draw It!” is a fun and calming activity. One player gives a prompt, such as “a monster with three eyes,” and everyone tries to draw their interpretation of the prompt. You can also play a variation where one person describes something from their imagination, and the others have to draw it based on the description.
This game encourages creativity and artistic expression, and it’s an excellent way to wind down during a trip.
Thumb War
Age Group: 4+
What You Need: Just your thumbs!
Thumb Wars is a quick and easy game that can be played with two people. Both players lock hands, and with their thumbs raised, they try to pin the other’s thumb down while chanting, “One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!” The first person to pin the other player’s thumb for three seconds wins.
It’s a great game for a burst of fun, especially during short breaks in travel.
Traveling with kids can be a lot smoother and more enjoyable with the right games to keep them entertained. Whether you’re on a long road trip, waiting for a delayed flight, or spending hours on a train, these engaging travel games will not only pass the time but also stimulate creativity, learning, and interaction.
At The Kids Point, we encourage families to embrace moments of fun, no matter where they are. These games are easy to learn, require minimal equipment, and can be tailored to suit your children’s age and interests. So the next time you hit the road or take to the skies, you’ll be armed with plenty of engaging travel games that can turn any trip into a memorable adventure.