A family road trip doesn’t have to be an ordeal of monotony – here are 12 games you can play that don’t require anything but imagination as you motor to your holiday destination.
1. Animal name
Name an animal – let’s say giraffe. Then get the next person to also name an animal that starts with the last letter (elephant), then continue (turtle) until someone can’t think of one. This game also works with other genres too, like movies, countries or celebrities.
2. I spy
I spy is a rite of passage for any road trip. All you need to do is learn the phrase, “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…” Don’t let anyone trick you – you actually have to be able to see it!
3. Guess the tune
This one is a lot of fun and there are two ways it can be played. Option A: One player hums a song and the rest of the passengers have to guess the tune. To make it a little easier, pick a segment like theme songs or pop songs. Option B: Play the first two seconds of a song on the radio, then get the passengers to guess it.
4. Punch buggy
Most us know the game, where when you see a Volkswagen Beetle, you yell, “Punch buggy!” and gently punch someone in the arm. But there are modified versions of this if you’d prefer not to have your kids punching each other in the back seat! Replace Beetles with taxis or number plates, starting with a certain letter. The first to yell out the code word gets a point, and the one with the most points wins – no violence and everyone’s happy.
5. Word by word story
Who doesn’t remember playing this game in primary school? Someone starts off with a word and everyone in the car takes it in turns to add to the story.
6. If I were in charge…
Ever wondered what you’d do to make the world a better place? In this game, it gives kids the chance to really use their imagination and get their brains ticking. Everyone in the car gets a turn saying what they would do to change the world and make it better.
7. Alphabetical categories
Similar to the animal game, this version has every person say a word in order of the alphabet. Pick a topic (countries) and then everyone says a word in alphabetical order. For example, player one: Australia. Player two: Belgium. Player three: Cambodia, and so it goes. When you reach the end, you go back to A. The person who can’t think of a name with the letter drops out of the game and you start again. You can pick any topic – food, drinks, names etc.
8. 21 questions
Just like the game Who Am I?, the aim is to guess what someone is thinking by asking 21 questions. Questions can’t be repeated, and the person to guess the right answer wins and gets to start round two. To make sure no one cheats, ask the kids to write it down first.
9. The cone of silence
The perfect game when you just want a few minutes’ peace. Tell everyone in the car to stay quiet. The first person to make a sound loses and the one who stays quiet the longest wins. It’s ideal when you want the kids to fall asleep!
10. Licence plate bingo
Turn spotting licence plates into a game. Each person tries to find plates starting with every letter of the alphabet, in order. For younger kids, look for numbers one to 10 instead. First to finish wins!
11. Two truths and a lie
Take turns sharing two true things and one lie about yourself. Everyone else guesses which one is the lie.
12. Colour scavenger hunt
Pick a colour and everyone races to spot items of that shade outside the car. Switch colours every five minutes. The person who finds the most wins the round.
Riddle me this:
- What has to be broken before you can use it?
- What can you catch but not throw?
- What has a face and two hands, but no arms or legs?
- The more you take away, the bigger I get. What am I?
- What has an eye but cannot see?
- I’m always on the dinner table, but you don’t get to eat me. What am I?
Spoiler alert: Riddle answers
- An egg
- A cold
- A clock
- A hole
- A needle
- A plate
Do you know any clever riddles? Share them with us! Email [email protected]
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