Beyond screens in family travel: Innovative road trip games for kids

Nowadays where everyone is busy with their daily hectic routines and finds it difficult to spend time with family. Planning for a long drive with the family is really a great idea. However, if you want your kids enjoy travelling without getting bored, then trying the road trip games for kids would be the best choice.

The purpose of writing this post is also to make you aware of the games to play in the car. So, keep reading this as we’ll discuss in detail the classic, creative and educational trip games with their gameplay. 

Road trip games for kids – why they matter?

Although kids enjoy going on a trip with their family. However, the problem is that long drives can feel like an unending journey. As a result, after a few minutes, they would begin to ask questions like Have we reached?

So, such same question might also irritate you, so there is a need to engage kids in an activity, so their time passed away. Thus, the car games for kids can prove beneficial as they fill the whole journey with laughter and fun. Let’s dive deeper and understand more reasoning!

• Prevent boredom: By adding gaming activities during long drives, your kids will become active. Also they will remain busy playing games and even forget about the time.
• Build family bonds: Moreover, if you, because of your hectic routine don’t give time to your kids, then there may be some distance between you and your kids. Thus, playing games during long drives gives all of you a chance to laugh, talk, and even work together.

This thing will cause your kids to feel closer to you and create happy memories that both of you will remember for a lifetime.

Also, a Research by Kwik Fit in the UK found that many parents say that car rides give them the best opportunity to spend time together with their family by playing games, singing songs, etc.

• Lower screen dependence: Furthermore, most of the kids have made their own world with mobile phones. Thus such offline activities during the long drives would cause kids to take a break from using screen media. So, they would also realize that they can enjoy a lot even without their phones.
• Make the trip more comfortable: Also, if kids feel bored during the journey, then they will start arguing, and the atmosphere will become tense. However, if they remain busy while playing games then it lets you stay focused on the road, and everyone feels happier.  

Classic car games that every kid can engage in

I Spy

• Best age: 3 years and up (uses simple observation and colors)

I Spy is basically an observation game. Here, one of the players selects one object that everybody in the car can see.  So, this player would give a hint about this object via shape, color, or the first letter. So, if you guess it right, then you would take the turn.

20 Questions

• Best age: 6 years and up (encourages reasoning and creative questioning)

In this game, one player thinks of anything in their mind, it could be an animal, a place, or even the every day used item. Then, the task would be that you, or other players, have to guess it by asking questions like Is this alive? Do we eat them?

Thus, if any player guesses about it before asking the 20th question, then he/she would win and take a turn.

License plate hunt

• Best age: 5 years and up, perfect for kids who know basic geography or letters.

In this game, the task of all the players would be to look for the number plates of the cars, buses, passed by, as the name suggests. So, if anyone finds the number plate of a different city, or country, then they would shout and note it down. Hence, if anyone collects more different places, then he/she would be the winner.

The Alphabet game

• Best age: 6 years and up ( early readers learning letter recognition)

In the alphabet game, all of the players in the car would have to guess the words starting from A to Z. But the twist is that everyone would look outside the car window and see the signboards like A for Apple Farm, and so on.

Road Trip Bingo

• Best age: 4 years and up ( depending on card design & reading level)

Road trip Bingo is a very unique and engaging game compared to all. Here, you’ll prepare the cards at home, like having pictures of things that you might see on the road. Thus, while travelling, you’ll give a card to each player. So, all of you will start making the things that you see around you. Once you tick all the things on the cards, you’ll win the game. 

Would You Rather

• Best age: 5 years and up (great for encouraging imagination & discussion)

Would you rather, as the name-calling is actually a questioning game in which one of the players asks funny questions. Let me give you an example like Would you rather breathe in the water just like fish do? Thus, all other players would think and answer this with proper reasoning.

Creative and interactive road travel games that encourage kids’ imagination

Story builders

• Best age: 5 years and up (perfect for kids who love making up stories)

Story builders are all about your imagination, which makes it very interesting for kids. For instance, you might start a story like Once upon a time, a giant bear was living on the mountain peak. Now, you would stop there and ask others to continue from this. So, the others would think and tell whatever comes to their minds to make it long.

Sound adventure

• Best age: 4 years and up (great for younger kids who enjoy silly noises)

While travelling, everyone enjoys music, but the special thing about this game is that you would create a sound by yourself via clapping, drumbeat, or anthing else as you wish It’s totally on your creativity. Also, the twist is that suppose you create a sound by clapping, then others would create another unique sound and soon.

Make-believe tour guides

• Best age: 6 years and up (ideal for creative thinkers and budding storytellers)

In this game, you basically pretend guide who tells about funny or interesting stories about the places you pass by. Then another takes the role and does so.

Car karaoke remix

• Best age: 5 years and up (especially fun for kids who like music &singing)

This game is all about fun remixing of songs that everyone present in the car knows. For your clarification, let’s take an example like you pick the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star song, but someone might change it to Twinkle Twinkle Little car. After this, you would challenge them to sing it accordingly in a funny tune like much like a robot or as you wish.

Mystery bag game

• Best Age: 4 years and up (great for sparking imagination & sensory play)

In this game, you basically have to prepare a bag and place different items in it, like a toy car, a spoon, a ball, any jewelry, etc. But be mindful that the bag must be like no one can see the things inside.

Then, you’ll give this bag to one of the players, then he/she would try to guess the things inside just by touching them from outside.

Travel Inventors

• Best age: 7 years and up (excellent for kids who love inventing & problem-solving)

Travel inventors are also about imagination, like you choose one person as an inventor who gives an idea related to traveling. For instance, that inventor would imagine a vehicle that could make traveling easier. Then others would give their own imagination to this idea. Thus, this game continues until the supposed thing turns into a funny or weird one.

Educational road trip games for kids that make learning fun

Math mission

• Best age: 6 years and up (great for practicing addition and subtraction)

Suppose you are driving a car, then you would give your kids a task to note down the numbers 9 license plates.  of at least 3 cars that pass by them. Then add these numbers; thus, the one that gives the correct answer first would get one point, and so on.

Spelling bee on wheels

• Best Age: 6 years and up, perfect for early readers and spelling practice.

Spelling bee on the wheels is another educational game in which one person says a word loudly. Thus, other persons have to spell them without writing, just verbally. Thus, the one who gives the correct spellings would be the winner.

Geography quest

• Best age: 7 years and up (ideal for kids learning about places & maps)

The Geography Quest is similar to the Antakshari game( south asian family gathering game). Here, one person would start the game by calling out the name of one place, like Paris. Then other persons would have to think about the other country whose name starts with the last letter, like s in Paris.

Counting colors

• Best age: 3 years and up (great for color recognition & early counting)

In the counting colors game, you all have to choose one colour, like red, green, yellow, etc, before you start the journey. Thus, throughout the whole journey, you have to see outside and watch for things of that colour. If found, then say it loudly and note the count secretly. So, in the last, the one who collects more things would be the winner.

Opposite hunt

• Best age: 4 years and up (fun for building vocabulary & quick thinking)

Talking about the opposite hunt, here you have to say one word, suppose hot, then the other person would say the opposite of it, like cold. So, if anyone couldn’t tell the true answer within the given time, like 10 seconds, then he/she would be out of the round.

Nature spotters

• Best age: 4 years and up (perfect for introducing nature and science)

To play this game, you have to choose the nature-related things like birds, mountains, rivers, trees, etc, before you start the journey. Thus, once it’s started, you have to watch outside and note down the things you have chosen. If you find one of them, speak loudly and count. Thus, the one who spots more things would be the winner.

Tips for a successful road trip games experience

Now, you have a lot of options of fun road trip games for kids to play in the car to make your journey fun and memorable. However just knowing about games isn’t enough, you need proper planning or something more for a successful experience. So here are some tips that would greatly help you in this regard!

• Plan ahead for smooth play: Although you know about the games to play in the car, just knowing isn’t enough. You basically have to properly plan and the first thing that comes in the planning is to think about the travelling time. Then, according to this, you have to decide on the games and get the materials for them.
• Choose games that match ages and interests: Furthermore, when you decide on the games, you have to take into account your kids’ ages and interests. That’s essential because you’re doing all to make your kids active while travelling. So, if you choose the games according to their mindset, then they would easily engage in them and enjoy.
• Set clear and simple rules: Also, the most important thing is that before you start any of the game, you have to clearly tell others about its rules and regulations that you have set. So, when the game starts, no one make noise like it’s not fair, etc.
• Rotate games to avoid boredom: In addition, I would say that kids shouldn’t play any of the games for too long, as kids would feel bored. So, it would be best to change the game every 10-20 minutes. Thus it keeps kids curious and excited every time.
• Keep safety and comfort first: Moreover, having fun is at one side, you have to make sure that you don’t do any activity that distracts the driver. Otherwise, you would have to suffer from the irreparable loss and all that remains would be repentance.

How can parents reduce kids’ screen time on a road trip?

It’s a fact that kids may feel bored during the long drives, so they may start using their mobile phones to pass the time. However, excessive screen time would strain their eyes and they may miss their precious family moments. So, to reduce the kids’ screen time besides playing road trip games, you would do the following tips!

• Be a role model: Do remember! Kids mostly do what they see their elders doing. So, while travelling, you should keep your phones aside. Also you have to show interest in offline activities; thus, trust me, your kids would definitely copy your acts.
• Schedule limited screen breaks: Also, I would say that you shouldn’t completely restrict your kids from using their smartphones.  You have to set the specific times during which your kids can use their phones.
• Use a parental control app for extra support: However, if you want more reliable control over your kids’ mobile usage. Then it would be best to leverage the parental control tools like FlashGet Kids owing to its real-time alerts.  For instance,

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Limit the screen time: Owing to this app, you can set time limitations on mobile usage, like you can first completely block the apps or games during travel. Thus, kids would focus more on the offline activities.

Wrap up

In summary, road trip games would be the best offline activity to make your kids’ long journey full of fun and memories. Also, you can make the learning fun by adding educational road trip games for kids. Thus, this would not only make the journey comfortable but also strengthen the family bonds. So, you must try this while planning for trip!

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