We know the feeling. You've piled the family into the car for a great road trip, but you're barely down the road before you hear, "are we there yet?" from the back seat. Well, don't worry.
Keeping the kids entertained on a long drive doesn't need to be a challenge with these ten boredom-busting road trip games to play during the car ride. Most need no equipment or preparation and will keep your whole car occupied for hours. The best news: grown-ups will like them just as much as the kids.
From playing word association games to making your own fun out of your surroundings, try these games when you're next on the road to create some friendly competition and a few laughs along the way.
I SPY
The classics never go out of style. If you don't know how to play this road trip game, it's simple. One person starts by choosing something they can see and declaring, "I spy with my little eye something beginning with..." and the first letter of the object's name. Other players try to correctly guess what the answer might be to win one point.
Don't get caught out: the sneakiest players look for things inside the car as well as spotted along the road, and the less obvious, the better! See who of your car mates can gather the most points throughout the journey.
THE ANIMAL NAME GAME
A word game that's especially good for little ones who are working on spelling, this animal name game is still fun regardless of age. The first person names an animal and the next player has to say another animal that starts with the last letter of the previous animal's name.
For example, if the first player says, "dog", the second person might say, "gorilla", and so on. If you're stumped, you're out, and the next person can pick up where you left off. The game continues until there's only one person left.
BINGO
Send your fellow travellers on a fun scavenger hunt from within the car! Create a list of things you might see along the way that the kids can mark off as you travel on your road trip. If you're feeling extra creative, give a different list to each passenger and see who completes their bingo card first or within a set time limit. You could even make your own list to play the game with them.
There's no limit on what to include, but here are a few ideas that have worked well: farm animals and native animals, road signs, different types of buildings, water (rivers, lakes, and dams), novelty license plates, tractors, trucks, and petrol stations.
RULES
At the start of the road trip, each passenger picks a fun 'rule' that other players need to follow for the duration of the journey. It might be lifting your feet off the ground when you go over a bridge, touching the roof of the car if you go through a tunnel, or clapping when you see your destination on a road sign.
The aim? Don't be the last to perform the action (but cut your driver some slack while their attention is on keeping you safe on the road). Make sure you're keeping track of the rules and your surroundings!
ALPHABET CATEGORIES
How many boys names can you think of beginning with T? How about girls names that start with the letter B? Foods that start with an S? Movies or books where the exact title starts with R? Pick a letter and a category and see if you can think of 10 words. If that's too easy, try for 20 words on the next round.
Alternatively, pick a category and take it in turns to match words from A to Z in this fun alphabet game.
SPOTTO
Most commonly played by being first to shout, "spotto" when you see a yellow car, this one can be easily tweaked for regional road trips. Pick a more common colour (red or silver, for example), a type of vehicle (e.g. caravan, motorhome), or even a brand (like Toyota) that everyone keeps an eye out for. The first person to yell, "spotto" when they see it wins.
Alternatively, assign everyone in the car their own and see who spots the most by the end of your drive. You can also branch out into other categories than vehicles as you play, like animals, road signs, and buildings.
PACKING LIST
Who's got the best memory in your car? You'll find out through this road trip game. Working through the alphabet, each person adds what they will take on holiday to a growing list:
- First person: I'm going on holiday and I'm taking an activity book...
- Second person: I'm going on holiday and I'm taking an activity book and a beach ball...
- Third person: I'm going on holiday and I'm taking an activity book, a beach ball, and a caravan...
On it goes, as you add packing items (or random words, if you like). The key is memory, and to be the last person who can remember all of the items in the list.
STORYTELLERS
Combine storytelling with a road trip game. Go around the car in a clockwise direction and build your own story as a family. A person starts (usually the driver) with, "once upon a time" and the next person adds a sentence to create a unique (and sometimes hilarious) story, with each new sentence building on the last.
Will your tall tale have pirates and aliens, princesses and monsters, or some other fictional character entirely? One thing's for sure: it'll add a good laugh to your road trip, and you'll never get the same story twice.
COWS
This car game is super easy. The aim of the game is to be the first person to shout, "cows" when you see cows. Simple, right? Well, watch how quickly the competition heats up, especially as you travel through some of Australia's rich agricultural regions.
For a different spin, you can do this with landmarks. If you're heading to the coast, for example, the first person to shout, "see sea!" on spotting the ocean is the winner.
ORDER IN THE COURT
Here's a sneaky car game for when you're in need of a little quiet time on the road trip. The game starts when someone declares, "order in the court" and the first person to speak loses. Add an extra element to the game by timing how long the silence lasts and seeing if you can beat it next time.
Believe it or not, it sometimes works...
Ready to hit the road on your next family holiday with more car games to play in your back packet?
