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Here Are Five Fun Games To Keep Your Family Entertained During Road Trips

Wondering how to keep your family - especially the kids - entertained when traveling long distances? These five games are guaranteed to keep everyone engaged and turn long road trips into a fun experience.
Parents in the Front Row 8 photos
Photo: RODNAE Productions from Pexels
Kids in the BackseatKids Inside a  CarA Couple on a Road TripParents in the Front RowLake Loise Road SignSouth Carolina Road SignOld Roadside Motel Sign
No, we’re not talking about iOS or Andriod games, but good old-fashioned verbal games. These are great for developing cognitive skills, social skills, and creativity. Verbal games are also a great way to avoid hearing the “Are we there yet?” question a million times and will keep your kids away from smartphones and tablets. They are easy to play, don’t require a board or any physical pieces, and can be played by everyone inside the vehicle, including the driver.

The Alphabet Game

One of the most popular road trip games ever, the alphabet game is also one of the easiest and can be played for hours on end.

The objective is to find words that begin with each letter of the alphabet, starting from A to Z. The words can be written on road signs, building, billboards, or branded commercial vehicles. Some people even use make and/or model names inscribed on passing cars. Either way, when players spot a word, they call out their letter and the word (“A! Arizona”) and whoever gets to Z first, wins!

I Spy

Kids Inside a  Car
Photo: Ben Francis on Flickr
Like the previous entry on our list, this is another road trip classic that has been played by most of us at least once in our lifetimes.

In case you have forgotten how to play or are among the few who aren’t familiar with this one, the rules are simple: everyone takes turns and chooses something either on the road or in the car without revealing what it is. Then they must repeat the phrase, “I spy with my little eye…” and add a vague description like “something blue” or “something that begins with the letter C.” Then, the other passengers have to guess what it is.

It’s not the most complex game you can play, and you can run out of things to describe fast, but it can be played by smaller kids who aren’t familiar with the alphabet yet.

20 Questions

A far more complex version of I Spy, this game offers endless opportunities and can be played for longer periods.

The player who starts picks out a person, place, or thing. Everyone in the car then takes turns asking questions about the subject. Start with simple yes or no questions and then move on to specific ones.

If the group reaches 20 questions without guessing the person, place, or thing, you can tell them what it is. If someone guesses what it is before 20 questions have been asked, they win the round and score a point.

Triple Threat

Kids in the Backseat
Photo: Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

I know basketball fans will be disappointed, but this game has nothing to do with the popular sport.

Here, everyone takes turns and chooses three random words while the other passengers have to create phrases that contain those words. You can set a 10-second target time for each person and award a point for a complete sentence. To make things more fun, those who create a sentence that makes everybody in the car laugh get a bonus point.

What Color is It?

Another one that can be played by virtually all age groups, this game requires each player to list a bunch of things that are the same color. For example, they can say banana, taxi, sunflower, and so on until someone guesses the color.

In conclusion, road trips don’t have to be boring and plenty of fun can be had without various gadgets. Depending on the length of the journey, you and your family can play one or more of the games on this list which will make time fly by. Play around with the rules, soring, and even hand out rewards to make things even more interesting and keep everyone engaged.
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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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