We have gone on several long car rides- our longest over 22 hours with 2 small children. I have collected variations of games we play over the long drive. I also some For tips for long car rides with kids.

DO you have a favorite car game or travel game? Please share with us! Just post in the comments section

Classic Car Games for Travelling

20 Questions is truly a classic game. It can be played by children of all ages. There are many variations
of the game. One person thinks of something from three categories: animal, mineral, or vegetable and then
tells the other players which category is correct. The players then take turns asking questions which can be answered with a YES or NO. For instance, if the category is animal a player might ask “is it alive?” or “Does it have four legs?” And after 20 questions are asked, if the players have not already guessed the answer, each player gets a last chance to make a guess.

Geography: Better for older kids.
Someone starts by naming a country
such as Canada. The next person must name a country whose name begins with
the last letter of the previously named country. In this case, Japan ends
in N, so a country which begins with N must be named such as Nigeria. And
then, since Nigeria ends in an A, the next person’s country must start
with an A. And so on until someone gets stuck.

Variations: Using States, animals, names, Bands, etc. instead of Country names.

Name Game: Good for all ages. Think of a name. Then tell people in the car if its a boy’s or girl’s name, and tell them the first letter of the name. The group then tries to guess the name by calling out all the names they
can think of which start with the appropriate letter.&

ALPHABET MEMORY GAME

The first person starts with the letter A and say “A is for —” filling in the blank with any word
beginning with the letter A such as APPLE, ART, AIRPLANE, etc. If first word is APPLE then The second person then does the letter B, but must also remember what A was…so B is for BOOK , the second person would say” A is for APPLE and B is for BOOK and so on
Variations:
My father owns a grocery store One player begins the round by stating, “My father owns a grocery store, and
in it he sells (something that begins with the letter A; e.g., apples).” The next player states, “My father owns a grocery store, and in it he sells apples and (something that begins with the letter B; e.g., bananas).” It goes around
and around with each player having to recite the entire list and then adding a new entry for the next letter of the alphabet.

If someone misses an item or gets completely stumped, they’re supposed to be “out.” But I have to say, we’d give them clues to keep things moving along. It’s not a game which one needs to win; everyone wins by participating and making the
drive more fun.

Here are some sites that offer printables for games you can play in the car or other travel games.

License Plate Game: This is a print out of all the States with box to check off. The idea is to “collect” all fifty states. You can work as teams or on your own. You can also set a time limit for REALLY long drives

A Classic!- Car Bingo: Print out “bingo cards” here for playing a bingo variation  in car. We have used these and laminated the cards so they hold up to sticky hands.

Very UNUSUAL car games: This site features games such as “tennis” but instead of a ball- you “burp” back and forth… wow…who thought of this game to torture moms

Lots of Classic car travel games to be found here : http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/062402.htm
Card games, Counting cows, Hug Bug ( or Punch Buggy if you are from my more violent generation :-). is site is one of my favorites.

For younger kids- instructions to make your own tic tac toe board.

Lots of printable car games for kids  here, including variation on car bingo

Great book for travel from Klutz, Klutz Glove Compartment Games or Miles of Smiles.

Posted by admin in Camping with Kids, Car and Travel Games, Family Travel, General Camping