Every year thousands of families pack up the minivan and hit the open road. Kidzworld's got the lowdown on the best road trip games and activities to keep your brain from slipping into neutral on your vacation with the fam this summer. We've even got some tips from family road trip expert Ann Douglas! Read on for some cool car trip ideas!
License Plate Bingo
You only need a few scraps of paper, some pens and the open road to play this variation on an old favorite. Write five lines of five random letters and numbers on one piece of paper for each player. Each player crosses off the letters and numbers as they see them on passing cars' license plates. The first person to get five in a row (either down, across or diagonally) shouts out "bingo!" and they win. See if your 'rents will spring for a candy bar for the winner at the next gas station!
Movies On The Go
Being stuck in the car with the fam this summer may seem like unfair punishment, but with portable DVD players, road trips have never been more bearable! Watch all your fave vacation flicks like Blue Crush, Cars and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 ! And, just so you aren't being completely anti-social, family road trip expert, Ann Douglas, suggests chatting about the flicks with the 'rents after they've come to an end. If you have to be locked in a car with mom and dad for hours on end, you may as well get those dreaded "Birds and the Bees" talks out of the way so they don't spring them on you when your friends are over!
The Geography Game
To play this game, someone has to name any place in the world - New York, for example. Then the next person has to name a place that begins with the last letter of the first place - so for New York the next person could say "Kuala Lumpur." Whoever goes next needs a place that starts with an 'R' cuz that's the last letter of Kuala Lampur. You can't use the same place twice in a game. If you get stumped, you're out. The last person left in the game is the winner. You can mix things up by using celebrities names, movies or any other subject you can think of!
The Grocery Game
This memory game is bound to whet your appetite for your next pit stop. One person starts by naming something they could buy in a grocery store that begins with the letter 'A' - apples, for example. The next person says, "apples," and then says something they could buy at a grocery store that begins with B, such as bananas. The next person says, "apples, bananas, can of beans," and so on. If you mess up, you're out. The last person standing (well, actually, sitting) is the winner!
Quick and Easy Activities
- Make sure you have your MP3 player filled up with your fave tunes for those moments when you just need your own space (and don't feel like listening to the 'rents oldies station anymore!).
- Pack mini, magnetic versions of your fave board games like Checkers, Backgammon and Chess.
- Get artistic by bringing along a kit full of craft supplies. Just be sure they are car-friendly - best to leave those oil paints at home!
