Games for Family Road Trips
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With spring in the air and summer around the corner…I think I’m done with colloquialisms for this sentence…many of us are probably anticipating family vacations. However, I usually don’t relish the hours on end driving with three kids whining from the backseat. In an effort to make the trek a little easier, here are some game ideas. All of these can be played without anything more than paper and pencil - and many don’t even require that!
I am including ALL the games’ information here so you can just pull this up on your phone and go. You can even screenshot the lists and use the markup feature on your phone to check them off. OR, if you’d like printed copies for the kids to use, you can find them on my Etsy shop (use code READER10 for 10% off your order).
Checklist Games
Rural Roamers
As you travel through the countryside, see how many of these things you can spot…
cow
horse
goat
sheep
fallen tree
rock wall
old barn
muddy hill
forest
waterfall (or icicles)
horse
trailer
vehicle pulling boat
motorcycle
sprinkler
single tree in field
pond or lake
broken down car
dump truck
birds
bridge
overpass
church steeple
water fountain
wildflowers
silo
cell phone tower
backhoe
hay bale
white picket fence
river/stream
Urban Explorers
Driving through a city? See how many of these things you can spot…
skyscraper
traffic light
fire hydrant
pedestrian
public bus
street sign
bench
graffiti art
food truck
public park
construction site
subway or metro
outdoor eating
sculpture/outdoor art
historic building
street vendor
bridge
water fountain
school bus
parking meter
library
stop sign
skateboarder
dog
taxi or rideshare
crosswalk
traffic cone
toll booth
overpass
gas station
Color Cruisers
See if you can find a car of each color below… (There are 18 colors listed.)
red
blue
yellow
white
black
silver
gray
orange
purple
burgundy
turquoise
navy blue
tan
cream
charcoal
lime green
pink
gold
Plate Pursuit
Traveling in the US? See how many different state’s license plates you can find. If you get all 50 PLEASE let me know! I would be truly impressed - especially with Hawaii and Alaska. Actually, I’d be impressed if you got all 48 contiguous states!! Here are all 50 states listed in alphabetical order. You could also do tally marks to see which state tags you saw the most of. I’m thinking this will be more successful if you are traveling across the states rather than within one of them. :-)
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Write It Down
These are a mixture of competitive and cooperative games, because let’s be honest - I don’t enjoy listening to my kids “argue” for hours on end. Thus, some of these are a peaceful group effort.
Just grab a pen and some paper (or even a tablet)! I have found these inexpensive writing tablets on Amazon to be really versatile. They are mess free. Although, I wish this particular one came with a string that tied the pen to the tablet. I ended up having to buy some more pens (or rather “stylus”) because, naturally, one of my kids lost theirs within days. But there are lots of similar tablets - some of which do include an attached pen.
Again, a printable is included for each of these if you purchase the game pack. BUT good old pencil and paper will work just fine!!
Tic-Tac-Toe
Play the classic game on a piece of paper or a tablet. Two players take turns marking spaces in a 3x3 grid with their chosen symbol (X or O) until one player gets three in a row. Twist: Play “Tic-Tac-Doodle” instead where players choose their own doodle to draw in place of an X or O.
Hangman
Despite the rather macabre title, this game is an old favorite. One player (“It”) thinks of a word and draws blank spaces representing each letter. Other players guess letters to fill in the word. If a guessed letter is in the word, the person who is “It” writes that letter in the correct space(s). If the letter guessed is not in the word, “It” draws part of a stick figure hanging from the gallows or scaffold. (Usually the parts are head, body, 2 arms, 2 legs, and maybe a hat or feet.) Play continues until the word is guessed correctly or the hangman in completed.
Dot Game
I wish I could think of a better name for this one. Anyway, players take turns drawing lines to connect two dots on a grid. If a player completes a square, they write their initial(s) inside and take another turn. The game continues until all possible lines are drawn. The player with the most squares at the end wins.
Category Countdown
Choose a category (e.g., animals, foods, movies) and set a timer. Each player writes down as many items from that category as they can think of before time runs out. Players earn points for unique answers, and the player with the most points wins.
Telephone Pictionary
Everyone writes a simple phrase or sentence at the top of their paper. Pass the paper to the player on your left who then draws a picture of it underneath. Then they fold the top phrase backward so it doesn’t show and hands the paper to the next person. The next player looks at the drawing (without seeing the original phrase) and writes a description of what they think it shows beneath it. They then fold the paper to cover the original drawing, leaving only their description visible, and pass it to the next player. The next player looks only at the description and attempts to draw it beneath it. Continue passing and alternating between writing descriptions and drawing until each paper has gone around the circle. Finally, unfold the papers and share the hilarious interpretations with everyone!
Paperless Fun
I Spy
Most likely this one is already in your parenting arsenal. But, just in case you need a reminder…One player selects an object they see inside or outside the car and says, "I spy something..." and provides a descriptive clue about the object's color or shape. Other players take turns guessing what the object is. Whoever guesses the correct answer goes next.
20 Questions
Anyone with a child old enough to talk probably feels like they live this game all day every day. At least I do. But, here is a way to hopefully turn this game into something the kids can do themselves!! One player thinks of an object, and the other players take turns asking yes or no questions to figure out what it is. They have 20 questions (combined) to guess correctly.
A-B-Sees
Players try to find signs, billboards, vehicles, license plates, etc. with each letter of the alphabet - in order. It doesn’t matter what the letter is on. Just start with A and (as a group) try to find all of the letters from A to Z in order. This game could also work as a quiet independent game. (Let me know if your kids actually manage to play this quietly!)
Categories
Someone chooses a category (like animals, foods, colors, etc.). Players take turns naming items in that category until someone gets stuck or repeats an item.
Word Chain
Players take turns saying a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word said. Try to keep the chain going without repeating words.
Story Time
Choose a theme or character. Then, create a story as a group. Each person takes turns adding one sentence at a time to the story.
Giggle Games
Telephone
One player whispers a message to the next player, who then whispers it to the next, and so on, until it reaches the last player who says the message out loud. Compare the final message to the original to see how much it changed.
My Name is…
Players take turns saying, “My name is ______; I live in _______; I’m married to _______; and I sell _______.” However, all of their words must start with the same letter. The first player must use A, the next player B, etc. till they finish the alphabet.
Animal Antics
Players take turns pretending to be different animals and making sounds they think those animals would make. The others have to guess which animal they’re imitating.
Funny Faces
One player makes a silly face, and the others have to try to copy it as closely as possible. The sillier the faces, the better!
Want a printed copy of these games? Use code READER10 for 10% off! Click here: 20 Road Trip Games
