Top 10 Road Trip Games
Fun Ways to Keep the Kids (Big & Small) From Getting Bored
Family road trips are almost as American as apple pie. With wide open expanses of land and lonely highways stretching across the nation, it’s rare to find someone who can’t recall taking at least one of these classic family vacations as a child.
I can still remember my parents piling us into the back of the old wood-paneled station wagon, coloring books and crayons in plastic baggies, plentiful snacks up front to be periodically distributed by mom, suitcases strapped up top with a tarp, heading out across the country from the West Coast to visit family back in rural Indiana.
Of course, I think the idea always sounded just a tad bit more appealing than the reality of it was. It was never long before fights broke out with a “he said, she said” war, poking each other and whining relentlessly, “are we there yet?”
So, to help those following my family’s footsteps wanting to painlessly pass the time, I’ve come up with a list of my 10 favorite road trip games for kids (or adults who act like kids as the case may be), many of which have been around since the 70s!
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ABC Road Sign Game
Starting with the letter “A,” search for a road sign with that letter. Then move on to “B.” Keep going in order from there until you reach “Z.” The first player to “Z” wins.
ABC License Plate Game
This game is similar to the ABC game using only license plates. Starting with the letter “A,” search for a license plate with that letter. Then move on to “B.” Keep going in order from there until you reach “Z.” The first player to “Z” wins.
Hang Man
First your draw a hang man board. (See image.)
One player thinks of a secret word and draws dashes in a straight line on paper, one dash for each letter in the word. Other players take turns guessing letters.
If they guess a letter that appears in the secret word than the first player writes the letter down on the dashes everywhere it belongs. If they guess wrong, the first player draws a circle for the hang man’s head.
At any time, the players can try to guess the secret word, but each time a player guesses a letter that doesn’t appear in the secret word, the first player draws another body part. Parts typically include a circle for the head, a line for the body then lines for arms and legs. If the hangman is completed before anyone can guess the secret word, the game is over and the first player wins. If a player guesses the right answer before the hangman is completed, that player wins and gets to start off the next game.
I Spy With My Little Eye
This game can be a little tricky to play when you’re in a moving car, but is great if you find yourself sitting in a parking lot or rest area for long periods of time. One person is “it.”
He or she looks for something that everyone is able to see and tells the other players, “I spy with my little eye, something _______,” filling in the blank with the color of the object he or she is thinking of. The other players then look around and try to guess what it is. The first player to guess correctly wins and becomes “it.”
License Plate Game
First, create a list of all 50 states. (Click below for a complete list.) Then, players try to spot license plates from each one, marking them off their lists as they go.
The winner is the one who spots plates from the most states within a certain time period or by the end of the trip.
A variation of the game is to play as a group. Whoever sees and calls out a new state, gets a point. The family member with the most points at the end of the drive or after having found all 50 states wins. You can even allow bonus points for finding ones like Canada or Baja California.
License Plate Word Scrabble
Each player tries to form as many words as they can using the letters from the license plates of passing cars. You can set a timer and see who can get the most words in that period of time or play until the end of the drive before you tally up points.
Instead of counting the number of words each player forms, you can also count the number of letters used to create those words and the winner is the one who has the most letters. You can also decide whether or not each letter you see can be used more than once.
Name Game
The first player picks a category such as famous people, animals or TV shows then names something that falls within the category selected. The next person has to name something else in the category that starts with the last letter of the prior pick. For example, if the first person picks animals and names “dog,” the next person going in order has to name an animal that starts with “g” like “goat.” The next person picks an animal starting with “t” like “tadpole,” and so on. If a person can’t think of a word, he or she is eliminated until only one person remains and is declared the winner.
Road Trip Bingo
You can buy road trip bingo boards in advance or make your own. The bingo boards each consist of a grid with equal-sized squares on it. Inside each square is a picture or a word of something you might easily find on a road trip. Examples include trucks, gas stations, stop signs, police cars, 55 mph signs, mountains, railroad crossing signs, horses, etc. Each time a player finds one of the objects, they cross the box off. There are a couple of ways to win. You can play where you have to get all of the objects on the entire board to win, or you can play where if you find all of the objects in a line or an X, you win.
Slug Bug
Every time someone sees a Volkswagen bug, he or she shouts “slug bug,” and taps the ceiling of the car. If you see it first, you get a point. Only one person can get a point per bug. You can also play where you add more points for certain colors, older models or even adding in other VW models like VW vans.
Note that the classic way to play the game was to shout “slug bug,” and the player calling it out first got to slug one of the other players in the arm. However, I can tell you from personal experience, you’re much better off teaching your kids this new way of playing. It will save you a lot of headaches, not to mention fighting amongst passengers.
Twenty Questions
The first player secretly thinks of a person, place or thing then tells the other players which category he or she picked. The other players get to ask 20 questions requiring a “yes” or “no” answer about what the answer is. For example, “is it bigger than a breadbox?” or “Does it walk on 4 legs?”.
After the 20 questions have been answered, the players try to guess what the person, place or thing is. The first person to guess correctly wins and gets to start the next round.
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