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5 Fun Road Trip Games for Holiday Travel with Kids

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Holiday Travel with Kids – 5 Fun Road Trip Games

With many families planning to hit the road for the upcoming winter holidays, thoughts are already turning to how to keep the kids entertained for the long drive. Even though we all look for ways to spend quality time with our kids, listening to the whining, poking and inevitable questions, is not exactly high on any parent’s list of ‘fun times spent with the kids’.

Whether heading out on a short trip to the in-laws or a long drive across the country, taking your kids on a road trip calls for extra patience and creativity. Today I am teaming up with Northwest Dodge to bring you 5 fun road trip games that will help keep the kids – and even the adults – entertained on long car trips!

road-trip-games-mainImage via Pixabay

1. I Spy.

This game is a classic for a reason. Not only is it fun, but it is incredibly easy to learn making it perfect for preschoolers. Plus it can keep them entertained for amazingly long periods of time. The directions are simple: One person spies something and recites the following line, ‘I Spy With My Eye, Something…” ending in a clue. Everyone else takes turns trying to guess the mystery item. Whoever guesses it correctly, get to be the next person to I Spy.

2. Road Trip Bingo

This game is the perfect combination of two childhood favorites: bingo with a scavenger hunt. To play each child needs a flat surface, such as a clipboard or hardcover book, to put on his or her lap. Each player gets a free printable bingo card and a zip-lock bag with 16 pennies, plastic chips or other game pieces. When a player spies an item that is on his card, he covers the picture with a penny. Just like in regular bingo, the first player to cover all the squares in a straight line wins. I found all sorts of printable road trip bingo‘ template by searching Google.

Another version is State Bingo. Print off these free printable bingo sheets and then fill them in with the names of the states. When players see a car from that state, they cross it off the list. The first one to cover all squares in a straight line, wins. 

3. License Plate Game

Another of our favorite road trip games, this one is great for elementary age kids, the license plate game is sure to become a family favorite! Armed with a pad of paper, each child writes down all the name of each state as they see it on car tags. The goal is to get all 50 states. Another way to play is to print off a map of the US so kids can simply mark off the states as they see them. Not only is the game fun, it helps them learn the states as well! You can also just list all the states on a sheet of paper, and then cross them off when you see a license plate from that state.

4. Spot the Car.

For families with tween and teens, this alternative to the license plate game takes things a bit further. Instead of looking for different states, you’re looking for different car models! Tis can be played as a form of bingo, too!

5. 20 Questions.

If you’re up to hearing other questions aside from “Are we there yet?”, this easy-peasy game is great for young kids and their inherent curiosity. Player One thinks of a person, place or thing, and everyone else takes turns asking questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. After each answer, the questioner gets one guess. The play continues until someone guesses correctly, and then they become the next person to think of something.

6. I’m Going on a Picnic.

Although this game can be played with as few as two players, it is more fun when the whole family joins in. The first player says “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…” followed by something that begins with A, such as apples. The second player repeats what the first person said, but adds something that begins with the letter B. So he might say “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples and butter beans.” And so on with C, D, and the rest of the alphabet. If a player forgets an item in the list, he is out. The last player to be able to recite all the items on the list wins. For younger children, feel free to give hints to help them out.

What are some of your favorite road trips games to play with your family on long drives?

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Christopher

Monday 27th of March 2017

When we got our new car we took several road trips to south Texas and up to Tennessee. On those long trips we bought a cheap set of car trip bingo boards. It was cool for our kids because the boards had alot of things on them that you hardley ever see anymore.

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