Road Trip: Car Ride Games and Activities for Kids

Anyone else looking for car ride games for your kids to play?

I always hated going on long car rides. Maybe it’s because I never went far with my family growing up, maybe because I have always preferred being at home. It’s doesn’t matter anymore.

I married a man born to be on the road.

If the weekend doesn’t include an adventure of some kind, it’s not a successful weekend anymore. He grew up in a convertible going on 8 hour drives just to visit grandma. His dad would buy him a root beer float, blast the heat, tuck him in blankets and drive with the top down all the way from Chicago to Iowa.

I am freezing just thinking about it.

For some, going on a long car ride awakens feelings of nostalgia and joy. For others, panic and anxiety rise to the top. If you have a car full of kids, you might be googling “how to install a sound proof limo style window” in preparation for your next big trip.

Don’t worry. There are ways to help you and your kids enjoy the same car ride at the same time!

BINGO!

You just can’t beat

If you have younger kids and want to set your road trip up for success, I highly recommend you plan ahead and make a few BINGO games!

Different ways to play Bingo on a road trip:

1. Find one BONGO on your card (across, up and down, or diagonal).
2. Find X number of Bingos on your card (find 2 Bingos, or 3…).
3. Find all objects on the Bingo card, to get a blackout.
4. Set a time limit and see who gets the most in that time. The time could be your destination or shorter spurts to hold their attention.
5. Play with multiple cards at the same time, in any of the ways above.
6. For younger kids, cut just one strip of the Bingo card to find (this makes it easier to focus on just a few objects instead of an entire board).
7. For adults, find exactly what’s on the photo of the Bingo card (e.g., if it’s a van, find the correct colored van. If it’s glasses, find the glasses on a woman. Be very particular). One time, we had to find a lime green Ferrari on a trip. Of course, we didn’t see one… But MONTHS later when we did, the kids shouted “LIME GREEN! LIME GREEN!!”

Busy Bags!

A busy bag to me is something that can be contained and stored away but brought out to play with and put back (reusable). It doesn’t necessarily have to be a “bag.”

Secondly, what makes these best for road trips?

These busy bag ideas are great for road trips because they don’t have a million little pieces that the kids are going to constantly be dropping and not being able to continue on with their play until you have a chance to find the lost piece.

Challenges!

Sing! Who knows the most words to a song?

Name that tune! Begin humming a song and see how far you can get before other riders can name that tune!

Two truths and a lie. Each person shares three statements, two of which are true and one of which is false. Everyone else has to guess which is the lie.

Build a story. Each person contributes one sentence at a time to a story.

Virtual cooking – who can think up the most delicious sounding recipe / meal? Warning: Do not play on an empty stomach.

Pictionary. Use a dry erase marker on the window! Obviously the driver is out:).

Podcasts!

Brains On!

Brains On! is an award-winning audio show for kids and families. Each week, a different kid co-host joins Molly Bloom to find answers to fascinating questions about the world. Their mission is to encourage kids’ natural curiosity and wonder using science and history…but there’s no age limit on curiosity, and episodes of Brains On can be enjoyed by anyone. Listen Here

Story Pirates

Story Pirates is a group of world-class actors, comedians, improvisers and musicians who adapt stories written by kids into sketch comedy and musical theater. Visit www.storypirates.com for more! Listen Here

Story Time

Do your children like listening to a story? Story Time has lots of great stories for everyone. Each story is usually less than 20 minutes long, hopefully just long enough to keep your toddler, preschoolers, and little ones engaged. Story Time is a free fortnightly audiobook podcast for children ages 2-13, perfect to turn at bedtime or during a ride in the car. Listen Here

With a little premeditative planning, you can create fun and memories for you and your kids during those long rides. Just sprinkle the trip with activities, conversations, and creative snacks. Oh, and maybe a rootbeer float.

Surprises!

Having a few surprises available is worth more than you can imagine on a long car ride. 

You can easily make some tags that say “Do not open until we reach _______”.  

A fun idea is setting a timer for when everyone gets a surprise… and you can add time to the timer for whining or misbehavior!  Heck, with a phone, you can set three different alarms.  And the surprises can be just itty-bitties, like a favorite treat, a dollar-store prize, a coloring book (or print a few pages!), activity pages, music, or maybe even a favorite toy from home.

Think ahead and stash little things away all year round (deals!) that would be good for a trip.

Food Shopping Challenge

To give the kids a chance to use the bathroom and restock your snacks and coolers, stop at a grocery store. Assign a “budget” for that stop and see what kind of creative picnic baskets the kids can assemble!

Picture Perfect!

Take pictures. Lots of pictures. And after the trip, assemble a keepsake book of your adventure. You can also have special pages for the ugliest picture, weirdest “accidental” picture, most awe-inspiring, etc.

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