7 Fun And Exciting Games To Play As A Family During A Road Trip

Tired of the 'Are we there yet?' questions from your kids? Well, you're not alone. Most parents wonder how to keep their children engaged during the journey (without a gadget). We present enjoyable games on the move to help you connect with your children and create memorable rides on the road. Let's begin.

I Spy

Number of players: 1 or more

Suitable for: Preschooler and above

How to play: Before leaving the house, make a list of commonly found items on the road, like stop signs, green garbage cans, red cars, and more. When you are on the road, see how many of each item a person can spot along the way. Give points for each item spotted. For example, a red car may be worth 10 points, and a stop sign may be only 2 points. At the end of the trip, see who has collected the most points.

Variation: If your child is 5, then 'I spy' something in the color works best!

Map the route for future navigators

Number of players: 1 or more

Suitable for: Primary and above

How to play: Before you start your travel, print a map of your route for your child. After crossing every major town, ask them to mark it on the map. They can also follow along with online maps. This game is not only fun, it also teaches your child some geography.

Variation: You can mark important landmarks on the map, and your child can try to find them on the way. For example, a small temple on a mountain, XYZ restaurant, a big statue, etc.

Number plate bingo

Number of players: 2 or more

Suitable for: Primary and above

How to play: All players in the car take a pencil and a sheet of paper and write down an 8-letter word. Now, all the players look at the number plate of every car on the road. See if you can find the letters that are in your word. If yes, strike out the letter. The first person to strike out all the letters is the winner.

Variation: Note down the first 10 letters you spot on the number plates. Then, try to form words from the letters.

Finish the tale

Number of players: 2 or more

Suitable for: Preschooler and above

How to play: One player starts a story with a single sentence. The other players continue to add a line to the story. You can continue the tale with as many twists and turns as your family wants, even as you navigate the twists and turns of the highway!

Variation: The first player can also give the ending of the story, along with the starting sentence. The other players add story details in between. Make it interesting by giving an unexpected ending.

Guess what

Number of players: 2 or more

Suitable for: Preschooler and above

How to play: The first player thinks of an object and gives a few clues to the other players to correctly guess the same. The others can also ask yes or no questions to the first player to guess the object.

Variations: Instead of an object, you can also play Guess Who, where the players guess a famous personality. For younger children, you can draw simple sketches of familiar objects and put a sticky note on top of the drawings. You can then give age-appropriate clues. For example, you can make the sound of a pig or a cow and let your preschooler guess what's hidden beneath the sticky note flap. They can then lift the flap and see for themselves!

Letter trail

Number of players: 2 or more

Suitable for: Primary and above

How to play: One player starts with a letter, say C. The next player adds another letter, say A, and makes it CA. Then, the next player adds another letter, say, T, to make it CAT. You can go on adding letters until you get to a word like catapult or CATEGORY. When a player adds a letter that cannot be turned into words (like CATP), they are out of the game. The other players continue the game with different letters. Once you have reached a point where you cannot add any more letters to make words, start building a new word with a different starting letter.

Variation: For younger children, simplify the game to spell three- or four-letter words.

The strange-rule game

Number of players: 2 or more

Suitable for: Preschooler and above

How to play: As the name implies, you can come up with strange rules, such as purr like a cat when you come to an intersection, hoot like an owl when you go under a tunnel, and so on. This super-fun game is sure to make your family giggle to your destination.

Variation: Ask your child to put on their creative hat and come up with different rules for every 100 km or so.

Try out a couple of games from our list, and let us know how you enjoyed them.

Write to us at editorial@parentcircle.com