Travel by Car – Just for Fun!

Materials: one or more bored children (or adults)

Idea 1: Choose a color and watch for a car of that color. Whoever spots the car first calls out, “(color) car!” and then that player gets to choose a different color for the next car.

Idea 2: Watch out the car window for the number 1 through 9 in order. First person to reach 9 wins.

Idea 3: Prior to the start of the trip, make a written lists of things to look for; such as a dog, police car, flashing traffic light, railroad tracks, etc. There should be a different list for each person so that there is no arguments as to who saw what first. The first person to complete their list wins.

Idea 4: The first person to spot a field of cows gets to keep the cows in the field for their count. (You may have to guess as to how many cows are in a herd if there are too many to count.) Keep track of each person’s cow count. First person to see a church double their cow count, because the cows “got married”. First person with 500 cows wins.

Idea 5: Each person chooses a license plate, such as “New Hampshire” or “Wyoming”. The only state players cannot select is the state being traveled through. The first person to see the license plate they chose ahead of time wins.
Idea 6: To keep kids entertained on long trips, make a goody bag for each kid-full of stickers, crayons, coloring books, a disposable camera, etc.

Idea 7: Every time you see a different license plate, write it down. The purpose isn’t to compete, but to see how many of the 50 states are written down before the end of the trip. This can be done competitively, but be ready for heated discussions as to whom first sees a particular license plate.

What other ‘games’ can you plan for your trip?