Your family is all ready for that big road trip you’ve been planning for months. The car is packed, the snacks ready are to go, and the kids are buckled in. The only problem? You’ve got hours in a crowded car standing between you and your destination. You need some fun road trip games for kids!

road trip games for kids

How can you keep everyone entertained and maintain your sanity until you reach your hotel or rest stop? Some fun and easy road trip games might do the trick.

Fun Road Trip Games For Kids

Alphabet Game

When I was a kid, one of my favorite games to play on a road trip was the Alphabet Game. The premise is simple. You start with the letter A and as you are traveling along you have to find something that has the letter A in it. It has to be a word, a road sign, a license plate, or anything that actually has that letter. The first person to see the letter shouts it out and wins that letter. 

You play until you get all the way through the whole alphabet, which can sometimes take a while so this game is perfect if you are looking to kill time over a long haul. Of course, I have always been a little competitive so I rarely let my sister win, I’m not sure she found this game quite as fun as I did. 🙂

Twenty Questions

When you want a game where you don’t really need to focus on anything outside the vehicle, try twenty questions. 

This easy-peasy game is great for young kids, thanks to its straightforward rules. Player One thinks of a person, place or thing. Everyone else takes turns asking questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. After each answer, the questioner gets one guess. Play continues until a player guesses correctly.

The Animal Name Game

One of the most fun road trip games for kids, the animal name game has some simple rules but you can add in variations of your choosing, like you can only name farm animals, or only name animals that swim. Make the game your own!

Rules: One person names an animal. Then each person in order has to name another animal (no repeating!) that starts with the last letter of the previous animal named. Bonus points if you can spot the animal while on your road trip!

There are no winners or losers in this game. With older children, try the game with TV shows, or geographical categories such as cities or countries.

The Picnic Game

I love this road trip games for kids because it is not only fun, but it helps build memory too!One player says, “I went to a picnic Saturday and I brought…” then says a picnic favorite that begins with the letter A, like apples. The next player repeats the opening phrase, and after “…I brought” they repeat the

Directions: One player says, “I went to a picnic Saturday and I brought…” then says a picnic favorite that begins with the letter A, like apples. The next player repeats the opening phrase, and after “…I brought” they repeat the A item, then add one that begins with B: “I brought an apple and some bananas.” The third player repeats the opener, the

The third player repeats the opener, the A and the B portions, and then adds something that begins with C.

Can you and your road trip travelers get through the alphabet, remembering all the items everyone contributed? Try keeping track of 23 items plus figuring out what you can take to a picnic that starts with X! It can start to get pretty funny, and tricky!

 

More Road Trip Game Ideas

Looking for more ideas on entertaining kids on a road trip? Check out these articles on fun games to play on a road trip:

5 Fun Games To Play On A Road Trip
10 Travel Games for Road Trips
Entertaining Kids On A Road Trip – Tips For Parents

 

 

Photo Credit: Ben Francis, Flickr

Thanks to Sunset Chevrolet for helping with these fun ideas!