It’s that time of year again when you pack the family in the car to drive all day (or what seems like all day) to spend the holidays with your extended family. That’s a long time to spend in the car and that’s why road trip games are a must.
Of course, these days everyone has electronic devices to keep them occupied–iPhones, iPads, Kindles and what have you–but I remember the days when computers weren’t the size of a matchbook and being stuck in the car meant a very long trip was indeed ahead of all of us.
But, what I also remember was that it was as never as bad I dreaded, being stuck in the car with my parents and siblings, because we played road trip games to pass the time. We played everything from “I’m Going on a Picnic…” to “Punch Buggy, No Punch Back” and we usually played them all again on the way back home again–if we weren’t all too tired from the day’s festivities.
So, this year as you head to grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving, consider having everyone put aside their electronic devices and play some road trip games to pass the time–and to enjoy each other’s company. In addition to being great for holiday travel, some of these road trip games are also great while in line at the grocery store or while waiting in the pediatrician’s office.
5 Classic Old School Road Trip Games
- I’m Going on a Picnic – The ultimate memory game. The first person starts off by saying,
“I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing ______.” The next player repeats what the first person is bringing and adds an item beginning with the next letter of the alphabet. Keep going until players can no longer remember the order or forget an item. - 20 Questions – One person chooses an object/item/thing and the other people must guess it in 20 questions. There are two main variations–the animal, vegetable or mineral variation or the person, place or thing variation.
- The Name Game – An alphabet game that can be varied depending on the age of the players. For younger kids, keep it simple. The first player might say, “My name is Ann and I like apples.” Keep going through the alphabet. For older players, try adding more categories. For example, “My name is Barbara, I live in Barbados, I work as a barista and I ride a bike.” So, name, home, occupation and transportation.
- I Spy – Someone starts off by saying, “I spy with my little eye something _____” and gives a clue about an object that is/was visible to everyone in the car. Everyone else guesses. Take turns being the “spy”.
- License Plate Game – Everyone quietly keep track of how many states you can spot on license plates. The player with the most states wins.
Related on Organic Authority
How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays
How to Clean Your House for the Holidays
Holiday Travel: A Pain in the Neck (and Back)
Top Image: Larchleaf