Summer is in full swing, and for many families, it means that more time is spent travelling in the car. Some may be driving to family cottages, while others might be going on camping trips. No matter where you are driving, you will likely hear the phrase “Are we there yet?” at least a dozen times throughout the ride. Luckily, we have a solution; we have assembled a list of engaging games and activities that are perfect for road trips! These games will make the time fly by, while also encouraging your children to learn and think imaginatively.
This activity requires an element of preparation but it is totally worth it! The idea here is to ask and answer fun trivia questions in the car. Before the road trip, create a list of trivia questions on your phone or tablet. Many websites already have extensive lists of trivia questions and answers available. Select interesting topics like movies, underwater animals, space, and world records. Once you are on the road, an older child or an adult who is not driving can read the questions out loud, and the other passengers can guess the answers! Everyone is bound to learn something new and it will definitely make the ride feel shorter!
This is the perfect activity to inspire kids to be creative and imaginative! The goal of the activity is to come up with a story collaboratively, with each person adding one line at a time. The first person will say “Once upon a time” and will begin the story. The next person will add a sentence about a character or the setting, and this will continue. The story you create can be as short or as long as you would like. This game could be played for ten minutes or for an hour! For an extra challenge, try adding one word at a time instead of a full sentence. Each person says a single word, and once enough people have spoken, you will create a complete sentence!
Guess that Song/Sound
This game will surely be a family favourite, especially among kids who love music and animals! The rules of the game are simple: play part of a song or an animal sound, and see if your kids can guess that sound! Younger kids will love trying to figure out which animal is making each noise. For older kids, you could make a playlist of their all-time favourite songs. Only play a short snippet of each song (maybe the intro or an instrumental part) and see if they are able to name the artist and the title! If you do not want to use a device to play, simple hum the songs or make the sounds yourself!
This is a classic game that can be played and enjoyed by both kids and adults. One person must think of an object, animal or character. The other people who are playing will then be able to ask 20 “yes or no” questions. By asking these questions, the guessers will try to figure out what the other person is thinking of. The aim is to figure out the correct word before all of the guesses have been used up! You can build an educational component into this game by focusing on certain topics. For example, you could encourage your kids to think and ask questions about geography by selecting a particular city or country!
To begin this game, one person must select a category and a letter. Some examples of open-ended categories are animals, foods, names and activities. Once an individual has selected their category and letter, each person in the car must think of a word that fits into that category and begins with that particular letter. Everyone will then go around in a circle, sharing their words with one another. The catch is that no two people can say the same word; if someone says your idea out loud you must think of another word. If you are up for a challenge, try playing a speed round of this game. The rules remain the same but players are eliminated if they hesitate or do not think of a word quickly enough!
This game is simple but it will bring out any child or adult’s competitive spirit. To play, the first person starts at the number one and says 1, 2 or 3 numbers. In other words, the first person could say “one,” “one, two,” or “one, two, three.” The next person continues wherever the first person left off. Again, they have the choice of saying 1, 2 or 3 numbers. This carries on until someone reaches the number ten. Whoever says “ten” is eliminated, and the other players re-start from one. You can change the game up by making another number the elimination number. You could even count all the way up to 50 or 100! “Count 10” encourages players to think strategically and mathematically, and it is fun for kids of all ages!
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