5 Fun Games To Play In The Car

Remember back before handheld video games and DVD players were in the car how travelers interacted by playing word and observation fun car games? Most of these word games require that children feel comfortable spelling (these are fun ways to practice that skill).

Spelling words isn’t the only ability needed, so is quick thinking! Parents can plan on their ten-year-old keeping the game going faster than they can think of words. Road trips do not have to be boring! These 5 fun games to play in the car are sure to keep every happy and entertained!

5 Fun Games To Play In The Car

Twenty Questions

Someone thinks of something – an object, animal, person, etc. The other people in the car can ask twenty questions to figure out what that person is thinking. The questions must be worded so they can be answered “yes” or “no.”

If after twenty questions the answer hasn’t been revealed, the person who thought of the object tells the group and tries to stump them again with something else. If the group guesses, the person who made the correct guess thinks of something.

Geography

Everyone takes turns naming a place that could be on a map, like a continent, country, state, city, ocean, river, or lake. The key to this game is that the place named must start with the last letter of the place named before.

So, if one player says, “Massachusetts” then the next player must respond with a place that begins with an “S.” If a player can’t think of anything when it is his or her turn, he or she loses a point.

Ghost

The idea of this game is not to complete the spelling of a word. The first person begins by saying a letter. The second player says another letter. The key is that this letter and all that follows must allow for a word to be spelled without finishing an entire word. So the first person says “H” and the second person says “O.”

The third person may say “M” and if fourth says “E” then that person has completed a word and the get a “G.” The second time a person completes the spelling of a word they get an “H” and so on until they spell “GHOST” and are out of the game.

Just because the end of a word seems obvious doesn’t mean that should be the letter a person adds. Think of other words that could be spelled.

If a player thinks that a letter that has been added can’t complete a word, he can challenge the other player. If no word can be thought of, the person gets a letter toward the word “GHOST.” If the person who challenges is wrong, he gets the letter. Whoever gets a “GHOST” letter starts the next word.

Grandma is Strange

First, one person starts by thinking of a strange secret for their imaginary grandmother. What if she only likes words that start with a “P“? So she loves pound cake but hates chocolate cake.

She loves potato chips but she hates tortilla chips. Her secret could be things that are a certain color, words with a double letter, words that end in a specific letter, etc.

To begin, the first player (who determined the secret) mentions one of his Grandmother’s strange likes and dislikes. Players go around, offering suggestions while trying to figure out the secret.

When a player solves grandmother’s secret, he adds in an appropriate like and dislikes when it is his turn. As other players hear what works and what doesn’t work, they will figure out the secret on their own.

Grandmother’s Trunk

In this alphabet memory game, the first player says, “My grandmother has a trunk. In her trunk are some artichokes.” The next player continues by saying, “My grandmother has a trunk. In her trunk are some artichokes and bobcats.” Continue, with each player adding items in alphabetical order – but only after they’ve correctly recited everything that is already in the trunk!

With some planning, kids can bring along games and puzzles that they can make, such as a Scramble Square Puzzle, a Memory Matching Card Game, or Fox and Geese. Kids can create these activities in an hour or so and tuck them into mailing envelopes that they can keep in the car.

From scavenger hunts in the car to slug bug, there are plenty of fun games to play when you travel! What road trip games do you enjoying playing in the car with your family?