It never, ever fails: Within 30 minutes of stuffing the car to its gills
with luggage and people for a getaway, you're left wondering how you
can get away from everyone's complaints of boredom. And to think, only
hours more to go! Despite popular in-car entertainment such as DVD
players, truth be told, not everyone's car is equipped to offer the
convenience of penguins or Dora as a babysitter for the next 50, 100 or
200 miles.
That's why we've compiled a list of road trip games
that don't require any tools, paper or accessories beyond the open road.
We have suggestions for passengers at every age level, although each
game can be tweaked accordingly.
I SpyProbably the
classic make-time-go-by game of all time. One person looks around and
chooses an object that the others have to guess, with their only clue
being these words: "I spy with my little eye something that begins with
(insert the first letter of the object's name)." Or the clue can be the
object's color. The player who guesses the object gets to go next. The
tricky part? It's not fair to "spy" something that's whizzing by the car
at highway speeds. A landmark (mountain range, forest) that will be in
the players' view for a few minutes is best.
20 Questions"Are
we there yet? Are we there yet?" Only 18 more times to go! In 20
Questions, whomever goes first thinks of, well, anything. The first
question is always, "Animal, vegetable or mineral?" After that, the
players can ask pointed questions to try and guess — go around the car
in a circle asking for clues such as, "Does it bark?" or "Can you peel
it?" for example, although the answer to those questions can only be
"yes" or "no." If you reach the 20th question without a winner, everyone
has one last chance to figure it out before the "thing" is revealed and
another person starts a fresh round.
License PlatesThere
are many ways to play with license plates, depending on the age of your
kids. Young participants can call out letters in alphabetical order;
the first one to Z wins. Next, have them look for doubles — or better
yet, triples! — of letters and/or numbers in the plates. The one who has
the most at the end of the day/trip wins. Older kids can "collect"
out-of-state plates they see. (Make it tougher by going in alphabetical
order.) Or they can try to build words or phrases using the letter
sequence in the plates. A plate with the letters E, F and T, for
example, might become the word "effort" (using those letters to start
the word, in the middle and at the end). Those could make "Ed's Favorite
Tacos" if you're running with phrases.
Slug-a-BugThe
concept is that players keep track of how many Volkswagen Beetles they
spot on the road. We've heard of variations in which the game is limited
to New or vintage Beetles, or versions where the older Bugs are worth
more. In the game's original version you were supposed to punch your
seat mate when you spotted a Bug, but most parents find that any game
that involves hitting can get out of hand pretty quickly. So keep score
some other way — tapping your seat mate, counting on your fingers (first
to 10 wins) or something more in keeping with the Bug's peaceful hippie
history.
Where's the Alphabet?Perform this as
teams or solo players. You'll want to utilize road signs, billboards,
shop names — any reading material outside the window qualifies as long
as it's spotted on your side of the car. (If you're the front-seat
passenger, focus on the right.) You'll be looking for every letter of
the alphabet, in alphabetical order, although the letter can be located
anywhere in the word. Say there is a fruit stand with a sign for Granny
Smith apples — there's your A. The exit for the Brooklyn Bridge would
cover B, Road Closed is C and so on. First one to the letter Z wins. If
you see "Road Closed," however, you'll probably be happy to have the
nine other games listed here.
Name That TuneAs
with the classic TV game show, the winner here is the one who figures
out the name of the "mystery song" first. For those with
singing/whistling/humming talent, this can be as much karaoke as a
guessing game. Choose a theme for the game, such as show tunes, movie or
TV themes, or Justin Timberlake. (Good luck, adults.) The winner gets
to be the singer for the next round. If no one can carry a tune in a
bucket, then try guessing the songs on the radio. Really want to mix it
up? Hit the "seek" button so no one gets an unfair advantage from
sticking to one particular station's format.
The Picnic GameA
memory builder for all ages. One player says, "I went to a picnic
Saturday and I brought..." then says a picnic favorite that begins with
the letter A, like apples. The next player repeats the opening phrase,
and after "...I brought" they repeat the A item then add one that begins
with B: "I brought an apple and some bananas." The third player repeats
the opener, the A and the B portions, and then adds something that
begins with C. Get it? Can your travelers get through the alphabet,
remembering all the items everyone contributed? Try keeping track of 23
items plus figuring out what you can take to a picnic that starts with
X!
Count the...Probably even the most enthusiastic
young'ns will catch on to this being busywork, but for awhile it'll be
all they'll think about! And there is a bonus: Interest is likely to
reignite on its own shortly after it stalls. Count the... can be
anything: cows, telephone poles, headlights, train cars, blue pickup
trucks — you name it. Shouting out the thing to keep track of is all
that is required.
TunnelsThis one is simple: When
you come to a tunnel, see who can hold their breath the longest. True,
it may not be one best played by the driver (lightheadedness, anyone?),
but everyone else can give it a go. We used to be amazed at our own
skill at this as kids.
Geography LessonGeography
is much more fun outside the classroom, isn't it? For this game, choose
countries, cities or states (or go nuts and try rivers and lakes or
capitals). Let's say your theme is states. The first player names a
location, and the next player has to rattle off another state that
starts with the last letter of the previous player's state. Therefore,
if it were Michigan, the next state would have to start with N, like
Nebraska. The A could be Alaska, and so on. Note: This one makes our
brain hurt.
(Courtesy of Edmunds)
