Road trips are a classic way to spend quality time with family and create lasting memories. However, traveling with kids can sometimes be challenging, especially on long drives where boredom can set in quickly. Thankfully, a wide variety of fun car games can help keep your little ones entertained, engaged, and excited for the journey. Not only do these games provide entertainment, but they also offer cognitive, social, and emotional benefits, ensuring your kids stay happy and occupied during your travels. Here are ten fantastic car games for kids to enjoy on road trips, brought to you by The Kids Point.
The License Plate Game
The License Plate Game is a timeless favorite for families on road trips. It’s a simple yet exciting way for kids to engage with their surroundings while also learning about geography. The goal is to spot license plates from different states or even countries (if you’re traveling near international borders).
How to Play:
- Start by making a list of all 50 U.S. states (or other regions, depending on where you’re driving). Each player’s task is to find the license plate from each state.
- Every time someone spots a new plate, they call it out, and that state gets crossed off the list.
- The first player to find all 50 states wins. You can even add a twist by rewarding bonus points for spotting rare or hard-to-find plates.
Benefits: This game encourages attention to detail, sharpens observation skills, and teaches kids about different regions, making it both fun and educational.
20 Questions
The classic game of 20 Questions is a fantastic way to engage kids’ thinking skills and creativity. It’s also an excellent way to pass the time and get everyone involved in the fun.
How to Play:
- One player thinks of an object, animal, person, or place.
- The other players take turns asking yes-or-no questions to try to guess what the object is. They only have 20 questions to figure it out.
- If the players guess correctly within 20 questions, they win; if not, the person who chose the object reveals the answer.
Benefits: 20 Questions helps develop critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and communication skills. It also stimulates curiosity about the world around them.
The Alphabet Game
The Alphabet Game is a great way to keep kids’ minds sharp and attentive while on the road. This simple game involves searching for letters of the alphabet on signs, billboards, and license plates.
How to Play:
- One person starts with the letter “A” and tries to spot something outside (like an advertisement or a store) that begins with that letter.
- The next person looks for something starting with the letter “B,” and so on, until you reach the letter “Z.”
- You can either play on one side of the road (left or right) or both sides, depending on how challenging you want the game to be.
Benefits: This game helps kids practice letter recognition, improves observation skills, and promotes friendly competition. It’s especially great for younger kids learning the alphabet.
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are always a hit on road trips. They can be tailored to suit your travel route, making them as simple or complex as you like. This game provides an excellent way to keep kids engaged by focusing on specific sights and objects along the way.
How to Play:
- Before the trip, create a list of items your kids are likely to see on the road, such as cows, red barns, construction zones, specific car brands, or even unique landmarks.
- You can make the list visual for younger kids or include both pictures and words.
- During the trip, your kids will race to find the listed items. The first one to find everything wins a prize (maybe some candy at the next rest stop!).
Benefits: A scavenger hunt promotes observation skills, attention to detail, and problem-solving. It’s also a great way to get kids to appreciate the world around them.
Who Can Spot the Most?
This game is simple, easy, and can keep kids entertained for hours. It involves spotting specific objects or things during the trip, such as certain car brands, colors, or types of animals.
How to Play:
- Choose an item or category to look for, like a certain color of car, a specific type of vehicle (e.g., motorcycles or trucks), or particular animals (e.g., cows or horses).
- Set a timer for a certain period (say, 10 minutes), and whoever spots the most items within that time frame wins.
- You can play multiple rounds and keep track of points for a longer game.
Benefits: This game enhances focus and quick thinking while promoting healthy competition. Plus, it’s a great way to pass time without needing much preparation.
20 Questions: Car Edition
This is a variation of the traditional 20 Questions game, but it’s adapted for road trips with a focus on things you can see outside the car. It’s a fun twist that adds an extra layer of excitement to the traditional game.
How to Play:
- One player chooses a car or object outside the car (like a red truck or a sign).
- The other players take turns asking yes-or-no questions to guess what the object is.
- Just like the traditional 20 Questions game, the round ends either when someone guesses correctly or when all 20 questions are used up.
Benefits: This version of 20 Questions helps kids improve their deductive reasoning and allows them to better engage with their surroundings.
I Spy With My Little Eye
“I Spy With My Little Eye” is a classic car game that works especially well with younger children. It involves spotting objects inside or outside the car that fit a particular description.
How to Play:
- One person starts by saying, “I spy with my little eye, something that is [color/shape/size].”
- The other players take turns guessing what the object could be. The first person to guess correctly takes the next turn.
- You can adjust the difficulty by making the description more specific or by allowing kids to only guess objects that are outside the car.
Benefits: This game develops kids’ observation skills, helps them learn new vocabulary, and encourages them to pay attention to their environment.
The Animal Name Game
The Animal Name Game is an engaging and educational game that will keep kids thinking creatively. It’s also a great way to help kids learn about animals and their different characteristics.
How to Play:
- One player names an animal, and the next player must come up with another animal that starts with the last letter of the previous animal.
- For example, if someone says “elephant,” the next player might say “tiger,” and so on.
- The game continues until someone can’t think of an animal, or you can add new categories like “foods” or “cities” to make it even more challenging.
Benefits: This game enhances memory, builds vocabulary, and encourages kids to think critically and creatively.
Road Trip Bingo
Road trip bingo is a fun and interactive game that encourages kids to pay attention to their surroundings while on the road. You can make the game even more exciting by creating custom bingo cards with specific items you might see during your trip.
How to Play:
- Create bingo cards with various road trip-related items like a red car, a mountain, a horse, a stop sign, or a police car.
- As you drive, players look out the window for these items. The first one to complete a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) shouts “Bingo!” and wins.
Benefits: This game promotes visual discrimination and sharpens kids’ ability to focus on the details of their environment. It also keeps them active and involved throughout the trip.
Rock, Paper, Scissors (Road Trip Edition)
A simple game of rock, paper, scissors can be surprisingly fun on a road trip. It’s a great way to give kids a quick, energetic break during a long drive.
How to Play:
- Players make a fist (rock), a flat hand (paper), or two extended fingers (scissors). The two players show their choice simultaneously.
- Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock.
- Repeat the game as many times as needed. You can even introduce variations, such as “Double Rock, Paper, Scissors,” where each player has to perform the same actions twice for added fun.
Benefits: This game helps develop decision-making skills, quick thinking, and hand-eye coordination. It’s also an easy and quick way to break up the monotony of long car rides.
Road trips don’t have to be filled with complaints and boredom. With these ten car games, you can keep your kids entertained and engaged, ensuring everyone enjoys the journey. From classic games like “I Spy” to educational challenges like the License Plate Game, these activities are perfect for making the most of your time on the road. Remember to pack plenty of snacks, and of course, your kids’ favorite toys and games, to keep them happy until you reach your destination. At The Kids Point, we know that road trips can be a fantastic adventure for the whole family—so enjoy the ride!