A list of the top 10 games to play in the car
Name the Song
This is a fun game for families to play together. One way it can be played is by listening to the radio and trying to guess the name of the song before anyone else. The other way is one person thinks of a song and starts humming the tune until someone works out what it is. The first person to guess the song gets to choose and hum the next song.
I Spy
Someone starts by choosing an object in the car, or something outside the window. Then the person reveals the first letter of the object by saying, 'I spy with my little eye something beginning with A', or reveals the colour of the object by saying, 'I spy with my little eye something red';. The other players start guessing until they work out what the object is. Whoever guesses the object correctly gets to choose the mystery object for the next round.
A to Z
The aim of the game is to complete the alphabet first. Each player searches for letters as they drive; looking on number plates, billboards, trucks, buildings or whatever else they see and call out the letter and show where it is. Players cannot use the same letters as each other. The person to get to Z first wins.
Telling a Story, Word by Word
The game is to tell a story, word by word, turn by turn. The first person starts with a word and the next person adds a word and so on. This game is perfect for the whole family and even the youngest can join in.
Spelling Bee
Choose words from the surrounding scenery for children to try and spell.
Alphabet Memory
The first person starts with the letter A and says "A is for …" saying a word beginning with the letter A such as ANT, APPLE, ANIMAL, etc. The next person then does the letter B, but has to remember what A was. So, they say "A is for ANT and B is for BAG". Then, the third person adds in their suggestion for C like this "A is for APPLE, B is for BAG and C is for CAT" and so on.
Spotto
One person lists three things they want the others in the car to ‘spot’. These should be objects that you will likely drive past in the trip, for example a cow, a windmill, a tractor or anything that might be in the area. The objective is to choose things that will be a challenge to find. When someone spots the object they have to yell out ‘spotto’ before the others do.
Thumb Wrestling
Let the kids wrestle in the back seat, with their thumbs. Lock hands and see who the first to pin down the other ones thumb is. Kids love being competitive even if it is only with their thumbs.
I am going on a trip
This is a fun memory testing game where each person adds to the previous person’s response. The first person says, "I'm going on a trip and I am going to pack...," and then says something they would pack. It could be a piece of clothing or a toy or a person or anything else they would want to take on a trip. Each person then repeats what the last person said, and adds their own selection to the end and so on.
20 Questions
Someone starts by thinking of something for the others to guess, for example an animal, a person or an object. The others have 20 questions to try and guess what it is with only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers from the person they’re questioning. Whoever guesses what it is first gets to go next.
