Kids games for car rides
20 Fun Car Games for Kids on Road Trips (Free or Cheap)
Gearing up for road trips or a day out running errands with children can present an entirely different set of challenges than when you’re alone. You’ve got so much to pack and bathroom breaks to consider but you don’t want to forget car games for kids to keep them entertained.
The good news is that this list contains many free car games for kids that help build critical thinking skills and exercise memory function. Of course, if you don’t ever want to run out of ideas, inexpensive books and kits full of games made by professionals can step in to help. The other good news is that nothing on this list requires a digital device.
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1. Going on a Trip
This game is a very fun and a great memory test for your kids (and you, too). The game starts with someone saying, “I’m going on a trip and I’m packing…” and then they list a noun, like “my socks.”
The next person repeats “I’m going on a trip and I’m packing my socks and…” adds another item to the list. The next person has to remember what the prior two people packed. The game keeps going until someone can’t remember an item.
2. Knock Knock Jokes for Kids
Having a long list of knock knock jokes for kids is always handy for turning moods around. “Knock knock. Who’s there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad I’m not a banana?” They’re silly but kids love them.
3. Rory’s Story Cubes
We’ve talked about these in the past as one of our favorite travel games for kids, but they really are pretty wonderful so bear repeating. Rory’s Story Cubes are dice with pictures on them. Roll them and then make up your very own story based on the pictures facing up. This game is fantastic because there’s no winner and no round will ever be the same.
4. Triple Threat
The adult running the game will pick three nouns — they can be related or not — and then the other people in the car have to create a story including all three items.
Like Rory’s Story Cubes, there’s no real winner, but story games tend to make time pass by very quickly.
Something about crafting a story in your mind or being entertained with a story really makes time fly.
5. Auto Bingo
A longstanding tradition on road trips, car bingo is played with these super handy cards from Regal Games. The idea is pretty straightforward. Slide the red window on the cards open when you spot the item (barn, stop sign, police, horse, etc.) beneath the window during your road trip. Just like regular bingo, the first person to fill a line wins.
6. Wikki Stix
These little bendable sticks come with instructions to make various designs, but they’re the most fun when you let your kids’ imaginations run wild. They can create all manner of fun things and when they’re done they have a neat little keepsake. You can buy Wikki Stix in individual packs but we like this traveler set.
7. I Spy
A favorite of children in situations where they have to sit for long periods of time, I Spy is incredibly easy. The person chosen as the Spy chooses an object and says, “I spy with my little eye, something that is…” and then they list an attribute such as color or the letter that the object starts with.
The other players take turns guessing what it could be, and the winner is the person who figures it out first. Then that person is the Spy and continues the game with their own item.
8. Car License Plate Bingo
Each player writes down a seven-letter word. As your car passes other drivers, everyone pays attention to passing plates. If you see a letter in your word on a license plate that passes by while you’re driving, mark it off.
The winner is the first person who crosses their word off entirely.
Alternatively, you can play license plate bingo by looking out for various state license plates with this handy printout.
9. Would You Rather
Would You Rather is another one of the popular car games for kids that only requires your imagination. One player asks, “Would you rather…?” and provides two choices for another player to choose from.
If you need some inspiration, this version of Would You Rather is aimed at 6-12-year-olds and offers some truly bizarre, head-scratching scenarios that will have your car laughing and potentially cringing, too.
10. Scavenger Hunts
You can buy a highly rated Scavenger Hunt card game or opt for the free version where parents establish a list of things for the kids to be watching for. The winner is the first person to complete their list.
This can be especially fun if the parents are aware of certain unique landmarks on the road that the kids might not know are about to appear.
11. 20 Questions
This is an old standby for restaurants and road trips alike. One person thinks of a person, place, or thing and the other passengers take turns asking a single yes-or-no question to try to figure out what the mystery object is. The person who guesses the correct answer before 20 questions are asked is the winner.
If 20 questions are asked, the guessing players each get one guess to figure out what the game leader was thinking of. The person who guesses correctly wins, and if nobody does, then the game leader wins.
12. Auto Alphabet
Start the Auto Alphabet car game by giving the first person the task of finding something that begins with the letter A.
The next person finds something out of the window or in the car that starts with the letter B. The game continues until the alphabet is completed.
13. Mad Libs
These little books are so much hilarious fun and can be completed by the entire family. If you’re unfamiliar with Mad Libs, each page is a story with blanks that you fill in with nouns, adjectives, and verbs chosen by players who are unfamiliar with the storyline.
For instance, a sentence might be, “The small (noun) (verb) on the moon, and then it ate a (noun).” Your family each fills in a blank and when it’s done, you read the story back. Hilarious.
14. The Name Game
The first player picks a category of items — animals, for instance — and names one, like a cat. The next person names an animal that starts with the last letter of the prior animal. So, in this case, “turtle” would work and you keep going from there.
15. Magnetic Games
Using magnets with game pieces is the best way to play checkers, tic-tac-toe or hangman as car games for kids.
Check out this pack of three for your next car ride.
16. A Long List of Back Seat Games
If you’re not keen to ever run out of car games for kids, turn to this handy resource book. The Best Ever Back Seat Games includes over 100 games, useful facts and other things to do on a road trip without ever needing to pick up a digital device.
17. 501 Questions
In addition to Would You Rather mentioned above, this giant book of questions also includes prompts such as “If You Could…” or “Tell Me About…” in addition to a ton of trivia suitable for ages 4–104. 501 Questions is full of conversation starters to keep everyone entertained.
18. Road Trip Kit
If your kids like to stay busy in the back seats, this road trip kit comes with games like word searches they can play or color on their own and some two or more player games like hangman. There are also some neat countdown cards that you can write on with included dry erase markers to record the day’s progress.
19. Loaded Questions
This very popular road trip game has multiple versions. The classic version is for ages 8+ but you can opt for the junior version for ages 6+.
How it works is that one person draws a card with four questions on it. Each player writes down an answer to the question and then passes their answers to a different player who reads them out loud. The card reader has to guess who wrote down each answer. This game is best when played with 4-6 people.
20. Brain Quest for the Car
The makers of the popular Brain Quest books have created a version just for the car (or plane or train). Brain Quest for the Car covers 1100 interesting facts about America, based on first through sixth grade curricula, making it a perfect road trip game.
Road trips don’t need to be naptime. With a little planning and a car full of enthusiastic participants, you can make any long drive feel significantly shorter and much more enjoyable.
Road Trip With the Kids: 9 Fun Games to Play
1.
I SpyA road trip classic, “I Spy with My Little Eye” is perfect for young children. Need a refresher? One person spots something inside or outside the car and repeats the line along with a clue, such as “I spy with my little eye, something that is blue.” Everyone else takes turns trying to guess the mystery item. The 1st one to correctly guess is the next to take a turn.
2. I’m Going on a Picnic
Another classic! The 1st person says “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing…” followed by an item that begins with the letter "A", like anchovies. The second player repeats the line with the first item, then adds a word beginning with the letter "B". The winner is the one who can recite the most items in alphabetical order.
3. Alphabet Hunt
Have everyone look for each letter of the alphabet using the road signs, licence plates and billboards that pass by. Begin with the letter “A”. The 1st person to get through the alphabet, in order, wins.
(Alternatively, try and do the same thing with numbers.)
4. Spot the Licence Plate (or Car Model)
The person that spots different licence plates from the most Canadian provinces and territories or USA states wins. Or, see who will be the 1st to spot a given number of different car models.
5. 20 Questions
This easy game is great for little ones. The 1st player thinks of a person, place or thing. Everyone else takes turns asking one question that can be answered with a simple yes or no. After each answer, the questioner gets one guess. The game continues until someone guesses correctly.
6. Once Upon a Time
Take turns creating a story together! The youngest person starts with the 1st sentence, followed by the next youngest adding the next sentence, and so on. Add fun twists to the plot as you take turns crafting your own tale. You might want someone to record the fun on their smart phone, so you can all relive the tale when you arrive at your destination.
7. Word Follow Up
The 1st player shouts out a word. The next player's word must start with the last letter of the previous player's word. For instance, if you start out with "towel," your child needs to come up with a word that starts with the letter "L".No repeating words! Add an extra twist by deciding on a theme before you begin, perhaps animals or countries (this game might not suit preschoolers).
8. Name That Tune
Before you leave the house, create a playlist on a digital device with songs everyone knows. Once on the road, play a few seconds of each song, the passenger then pauses it while everyone tries to be the 1st to guess the song. To up the challenge with older kids, try naming the song and artist. Mix it up with silly songs too, like “The Wheels on the Bus”.
9. Tic Tac Toe
This old standby is simple to play. You simply need 2 players, some paper and a pencil (but 2 might ease things up). Player 1 places an "X" on the grid, Player 2 then writes an "O".
Turns continue until one player has 3 of the same letter across, down or diagonally. The minivan isar full of kids? Double the fun by having multiple games going on at once.
Turn a long drive into quality family time
Why settle for boring road trips and restless, whiny kids when you can play car games that make the journey enjoyable for everyone? Instead of hearing “Are we there yet?” from the back seat until you can’t take it anymore, you’ll enjoy peals of laughter and make great family memories.
For more on this topic, visit:
7 Car Games We Love
10 Fun Car Games to Play with your Kids
10 Top Car Games for Road Trips
Heading out on a road trip with the kids? Beat boredom with these tried and true car games – and make backseat bickering a thing of the past. Short on ideas? Here is our pick for fun, free car games to make the kilometres fly by.
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90,000 11 best games on the road - as much as you can in Cities! - magazine Behind the wheel I put in my backpack, Forbidden words, The best day of life, Numbers with meaning and other non-banal entertainment.
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3 mistakes when transporting children - we all make them (at first)
Anyone who loves to travel with the whole family knows that five minutes after the start, the children begin to languish. Of course, for a while they can be distracted by a phone or tablet, put on a selection of songs, turn on Children's Radio or an audiobook. You can stock up on children's crossword puzzles in advance and guess them together. But after some time, this will get boring, the children will want more active entertainment, and then you will need to turn on your imagination.
Fun games on the go are uplifting, and it's great if the whole family is involved.
I see what you don't see
The rules are simple. The host marks (for himself) an object in the field of view of travelers, and the task of the players is to guess it by asking a minimum of questions. Moreover, only “yes” or “no” answers are allowed. Warning: the game is addictive.
Guess people or animals
Begins: "I think you know him." And then, for example: "This animal can fly." And with the help of leading questions, you need to guess what kind of animal it is. Alternatively, you can guess someone from your family or friends. For example, this person wears glasses. The question is when do you read? Yes. The next question is is it old? No. Does he have children? Yes. That is, in this case, the answers can also be only “yes” or “no”.
Guess the song
The players alternately hum or whistle the song. Others guess its name or artist. Whoever recognizes the song first wins. Children's songs, famous pop singles, whatever musical memory has to offer will do. At the end, the guessed song can be sung together - this will cheer everyone up.
Hit Parade
Together you are looking for a song that everyone knows. For example, "Let the pedestrians run clumsily through the puddles." The parent assigns in what mood you should perform it.
For example, sad or cheerful, in the style of a march or hip-hop. Who won? Yes, who will come out funnier, although here is the case when the process is more important than victory.
I'm putting in my backpack...
The first player starts with "I'm putting in my backpack..." and comes up with something, like a hairbrush. The next player repeats the item of the first player and adds his own - a comb and a bottle of water. The one who forgets at least one of the previous items will lose. True, it is advisable for the host to keep a list so as not to make a mistake.
Forbidden words
"Don't take white and black, don't say 'yes' and 'no'." There is a leader and there is a player. The task of the presenter is to force the player to say forbidden words, and it is important for the player not to let it slip for as long as possible. Questions should be asked tricky, for example, it can be difficult to evasively answer the question: “What color is sugar?” or “Tell me, do you really like ice cream?” Alas, sooner or later the player lets slip, the main thing is to deftly lull his vigilance! If a word is accidentally said, the players switch roles.
For reference, the first question can be answered: "The same as printer paper."
In the classic version of the game, it always started with the question: "Will you go to the ball?", but today's children may not know about balls, so you can ask any questions.
The best day of their lives
The children are asked one by one to describe how they see the best day of their lives. A serving of chocolate ice cream for breakfast instead of porridge, and then jumping on the bed to exhaustion. Then dress up and go to an amusement park, ride a ferris wheel there, go to an upside down house, eat your fill of french fries, ride a pony, and end the day in a cafe where you can get three cream cakes and a big vanilla cocktail. Or is your child's ideal day completely different? The long journey is a great opportunity to learn about it. You may be very surprised by its history, and some dreams can be realized already on vacation - at least about ice cream.
Your color
Here each player names their favorite color and then looks for it in things around.
The first one to find ten objects of this color is the winner.
"Scary" stories
In the "black-black room sat a black-black man" - do you remember? Let's create stories together. The host tells the end of the story, others guess how it happened. Example: there are red shoes in the meadow, they are stained with mud, but their hostess is not around. What happened to her? This is more suitable for children 5-7 years old and older, the kids will not understand and may be scared.
Vehicle signs
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And this is a game for schoolchildren: all participants receive a piece of paper and a pencil. Now they have about 10 minutes to look at the license plates of cars passing along the road. Everyone writes down five numbers of their choice without telling the other players. Then one of the adults tells the children the numbers of the cars that he sees himself.
If the child already has such letters and numbers, he crosses them out of his piece of paper. Whoever crosses everything out first wins!
Or another option: you keep looking at license plates of passing cars and trying to make sentences out of them. It often turns out funny, even the baby "gets infected" and laughs along with the older children. For example: N *** TV - "You must be lying!" or M *** SK - “Misha is a super pump!” The winner is the one who quickly comes up with a coherent and funny phrase.
Who will be the first to see
And this is fun for very, very little ones. It is unpretentious - "whoever sees it first" on the road or along it. For example, a red car or a dog, a grandmother with a wand or a mother with a stroller. And believe me, this is also very exciting, especially if you say the terms funny and show them with facial expressions and gestures.
In general, it is important to choose the game that suits the age and character of your child.
Good mood and fun tireless journey!
If you enjoy other games on the road, tell us about them in the comments. Let's make the second part of the publication!
Photo: Depositphotos
10 games to turn the road with your child into a fun trip Here are the games that will help you with this:
- Backwards game. When you are driving in a car or flying in an airplane, play this game with your child. Take a word and ask the child to say it backwards. For example, "CLOUD" would sound like "OKALBO". Children will find this game very funny. If you are not too lazy, then you can encrypt, in this way, the whole message! “Ym mitel an erom!”, for example. The child will have to strain his brain very actively in order to read such mirror words and phrases.
- Game "One letter - many words". Name nouns in turn starting with one of any chosen letter. Whoever runs out of words loses.
- Game "Bukvoed".
In this game, you need to match descriptions to objects that begin with the same letter. For example, you saw a cat. We are looking for a description with the letter K - "The cat is sneaking towards the box." Or you saw a fly, so we are looking for a description with the letter M - "Masha's mother washes the car." This game is great for playing in the car and stimulates the mental processes. - The game "Encrypted word". The game consists in the fact that you choose a word, for example "table", and come up with a sentence with the child, the words of which begin with letters from the invented word. So: "Trunk of the Poplar Very Brittle" or "Blue Fog Enveloped Leningrad". It turns out very funny.
- Game - "Spy message". Each word of the alphabet is assigned a number: A - 1, B - 2, C - 3, D - 4, D - 5, E - 6, E - 7, F - 8, W - 9, I - 10, Y - 11 , K - 12, L - 13, M - 14, N - 15, O - 16, P - 17, R - 18, C - 19, T - 20, Y - 21, F - 22, X - 23, C - 24, H - 25, W - 26, W - 27, b - 28, S - 29, b - 30, E - 31, Yu - 32, I - 33.
You think of a word or phrase, and your child guesses. For example, the word BOOK will look like this: 12 + 15 + 10 + 4 + 1. You can write encrypted messages to each other (for example, "17 + 16 + 18 + 1" "19 + 17 + 1 + 20 + 30"), do numbers in your secret language. This game is fantastic for developing math skills. To play this game on a plane or train, you can prepare a card with letters and corresponding numbers in advance. - Game "6 words". Talk to each other in such a way that the sentence contains 6 words, and they must make sense: “Today we will finally go to the circus! ".
- Game "Lost letter". Imagine that some letter is missing, just disappeared. For example, K . You need to talk to each other, avoiding the letter K in words. So: “Come on, let's go to the theater or the museum? - With pleasure. I suggest the Moscow Art Theater. “Great idea, let’s run for tickets!” And so on.
Firstly, the game makes you think hard, and secondly, it develops vocabulary, because. the child sorts through the words in memory, looks for synonyms, selects different solutions. - Exercise "The best day". Remember yesterday in detail. You will be surprised how mechanically we live. It is very difficult to remember the day in detail from morning to evening. Questions can be: what did you eat for breakfast, what did you drink, what color socks did you wear, what color was your father's shirt, what was your mother's hairstyle, how many children were absent from school, what fairy tale did you read in the garden, etc. All these questions stimulate memory and increase awareness of life.
- Game "Minute". This game requires 2 or 3 players and is suitable for the whole family to play. One sets the topic, for example, "Nature", and the second must tell everything he knows about nature in a minute. There are no restrictions, you can say whatever comes to mind, the main thing is not to stop for exactly 1 minute.
For example, “Nature is everything that surrounds us. However, we are accustomed to call nature some special place, away from the city and next to the forest and water. Once we went to nature with the whole class. The PE teacher helped us make fishing rods and we fished…”, etc., etc. Time is recorded on a stopwatch. This game can be played by children from 5 years old. She perfectly trains the speech apparatus, the ability to quickly find a solution, to speak on given topics. Teach your child to smoothly move from one topic to another if he suddenly does not know what to tell him. This skill will be very useful to him in school and in adulthood. - Yes-no game. This well-known game will be a great travel companion. Think of an object or word in your head, and let the child ask questions that can only be answered with “yes” or “no”. Then switch roles. Teach your child to ask questions about the qualities of the subject, then the answer will be found faster. Suggestion - guess the word "NAME" for a child over 6 years old.
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