Going on a road trip with kids is usually a major challenge for parents. We all know that question: Are we there yet?. That is why we made a list of best road trip games for kids to play in the car.
In August we all went on vacation. We usually fly on vacation (it’s easier and faster), but this year, given the global situation, we planned something different: a two week road trip. We visited a lot of beautiful places. Daddy planned the trip so that we would not have to go more than 5-6 hours a day by car (not every day, of course). But that’s still a lot for preschool kids. Luckily, we also planned and packed a bunch of “car friendly” games to play when the question Are we there yet? arises. We played them all!
Here is our “Best road trip games for kids to play in the car” list:
Dots and boxes (age +6)
This is a classic simple and fun pen and paper game for kids and adults. Rules are simple: connect the dots, close the box and win a point. The player who has the most points wins. The game develops logic, spacial awareness and attention to details. You can play it on any type of paper, but there is also ready-made paper or books you can use. Our 6 years old daughter loves it. She learned the rules really quick and she gets better and better at it.
Tic Tac Toe (age +3)
Tic Tac Toe is a pen and paper classic game. While it is a fun game, it also develops logic, observation, spacial skills and strategic thinking in children. There is also ready-made books with Tic Tac Toe grids you can easily use.
Hangman (age +5)
It is an amusing game that helps children learn words, expand their vocabulary and spell. There is a magnetic travel version of Hangman you can use in your car.
UNO (age +8) – our favorite!
It is a classic family card game that is easy to learn and a lot of fun to play. The game comes in multiple variants: UNO Classic, UNO Flip, UNO Dos and themes: UNO Emoji, UNO Corns, UNO Minecraft, UNO HotWheels, UNO Frozen and many, many more . Just choose the one you think is appropriate for you and your kids. We have and love UNO Flip. Our daughter is 6, but she learned all the rules very fast and she beats us a lot at it.
Rock, Scissors, Paper variation (age +4)
We invented this game in the car, while we were on vacation. It plays exactly like Rock, Scissors, Paper, but instead of choosing one of these, we say a word at the same time. It can be an object, an animal, a body part or a phenomenon. The one who has the strongest word wins. For example, I once said “foot” and our daughter said “hedgehog”. The “hedgehog” wins because it can sting the foot. The game is pretty subjective, but it’s a lot of fun.
Word association (age +4-5)
This is a simple game that can be played by two or more players and it requires no materials. The first player chooses a word and the following player has to say a word related to it and to explain what is the connection between his word and the previous one. And so on. One can’t say a word that has already been said. The player who doesn’t know what to say or can’t explain the relation between his word and the previous word is eliminated from the game. Word association develops vocabulary, speech and fast thinking (if you play it against the clock). Here is an example: water, plant, leaf, green, broccoli, health, doctor etc.
Find the color (age +3)
This is a game we invented a while ago, in the car, while we were going to our grandparents’ house. It is an observation game suited for preschoolers. A player chooses a color and the other one has to look out the window and find 10 objects that have that color.
Counting cars and Cars rainbow (age +4)
Counting cars: The title of the game says it all, but instead of counting all the cars that go by, each player counts the cars with a certain brand of his choice. The first one to count ten cars wins.
Cars rainbow: Each player must spot cars in the colors of the rainbow. The first player to find all the colors and complete their rainbow wins the game.
Word chain (age +5)
The classic Word chain is still a great game to play with your kids when they are bored. The game is simple. The players must come up with words that begin with the letter or letters that the previous word ended with. It is a great game for enriching your kids vocabulary.
Name that tune – with animal sounds (age +3)
This is a funny game. One player sings a song using an animal sound as lyrics (ex. meow, woof, moo etc.) and the other players have to guess the song. Whoever guesses first, wins.
There are plenty more road trip games for kids to enjoy in the car. These are just the ones we played on our summer road trip, and they were a blast!
What are your favorite road trip games for kids to play in the car?
