Sick of hearing "Are we there yet"? If you are headed out on a family road trip (Need inspiration? Check out these road trip ideas) you'll probably want to bring along a few road trip games to keep the kids occupied. While my kids will often play with their electronics for much of our road trips, they do usually run out of power well before we arrive at our destination - especially for a long road trip.
I also love for them to look up from their devices once in a while, so they don't get car sick and so they see where we are going. Load your car up with these fun games so your kids will be entertained for your long journey. With a little planning, road tripping can be so much fun.
I recommend pulling these games out individually after a while of travel on a long drive. You won't want to get sick of them too early in the journey. You may also consider playing games when devices run out of power, when you are in traffic, or when you are in a long stretch between stops.
While you may want to purchase travel games for road trips, keep in mind that many come with multiple game pieces that can be hard to keep track of. The best way to store these is in plastic bags - but you may want to save them for your destination if you are traveling with younger kids.
Did I miss any favorite fun car games? Leave me a comment on this post and we'll update this post regularly with more ideas.
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Check out our road trip tips.
My kids love Mad Libs, and this version is perfect for a family vacation. Remember to bring some pens or sharpened pencils with you.
Even if you don't purchase this particular version of Mad Libs, there are lots of other options to choose from. I love Mad Libs for teaching kids about nouns and verbs too. It's a great car game and something you can also play at your destination.
Looking for things along the journey can be fun. If you need inspiration for what to look for, you may consider this travel scavenger hunt game. This pack includes 54 scavenger hunt cards, and is good for kids ages 7 and up.
This type of game can be a great way to get kids to look around and see their environment while traveling. Cards include things you can hear, things you can see, and things you can smell.
This game goes beyond the travel road trip scavenger hunt. For instance, one of the challenges is to get someone in the car next to you to wave back at you.
It's best for slightly older kids. I think it would be a great game for a very long trip because it can be a different experience every time you play it.
The license plate game is a classic road trip game, and this game from Melissa and Doug makes it easy. If you don't want to purchase the game, you can make your own before heading out.
Since it can be hard to find some states, like Hawaii and Alaska, you may just want to focus on a specific region of the United States so you aren't playing for too long.
Play this one when you are on the highway and are more likely to see different states' license plates. On smaller side roads, it will be tougher to find multiple states. If the game gets boring, kids won't want to keep playing.
I remember playing this great car game when I was a kid, and it's still a classic. Older kids may get bored after a while, but younger kids will love it. These cards make it easy to play over and over again, without using paper and pens.
Like the license plate game, you'll want to play car bingo on a highway or other road with lots of things to see. Depending on the game you buy, you'll be looking for road signs, other vehicles, things on the side of the road, etc. It's best when you are traveling at a steady speed because when you are in traffic, you won't see a variety of things.
Here is another set on Amazon. It includes road signs, roadside, and vehicle options, and uses a dry erase marker rather than plastic sleeves.
I bought my kids these packs for a road trip, and they love them. The kits include activity sheets, dry-erase crayons, and a sharpener, and they would also be great for a plane trip.
This isn't a game specifically, although you could use it for Hangman or other games that require pen and paper. These are also great for a plane trip.
This isn't a game either, but it's a fun toy for on the go. A few years ago, I bought my kids a full spirograph set and they loved it.
This travel set is great for on-the-go designing. It would also be a fun toy to play with while you are in a hotel room, or on a long flight.
Several years ago, on our Adventures by Disney trip to Italy, one of the kids brought a deck of cards. My kids weren't too familiar with card games, but they ended up having so much fun.
Now, we never travel without a deck of cards. Before you go, search for age-appropriate games for your kids, so you have lots of options.
Another fun card game is UNO, which is great for all ages. On our Greece Adventures by Disney trip, our guide had a small keychain version of UNO that the kids loved playing as we waited for flights and ferries.
The travel version of this popular game includes a bunch of questions that you can play with, helping you get to know your travel companions even more. It's also a great way to get older children to open up more.
The car version of the popular Amazon Alexa works off of your Alexa app on a smartphone (get it on the app store before leaving). It offers some fun car games, including my favorite - Song Quiz. You can guess song names and artists and even compete with people around the world. If you play that way, take turns. One person plays, then the next person, and see who gets the top score.
There are other fun road trip games that don't require you to bring or purchase anything. These simple games are great to learn and play wherever you happen to be, including busy lines and in hotel rooms.
Guess the movie/TV show: The kids love playing this one. One player chooses a movie or tv show and just tells everyone the first letter of each word.
For instance, High School Musical would be HSM. The first person to guess then comes up with the next movie. We've played this game while waiting for our food at restaurants, in the car, and when waiting for a flight.
You can play this with song titles or as a tv / movie game. Or change it up when you get bored!
Alphabet game: Everyone in the car looks outside the car to look for items that start with letters of the alphabet. Start with A, and go in order to the next letter of the alphabet. Set rules ahead of time, and decide whether or not you'll include items in the car or just items outside the vehicle.
Eye Spy: In this simple game, one person in the car looks outside or inside the car and finds an item. They then say, "I Spy With My Little Eye something that .." and choose an adjective to describe it.
Other players can guess and additional clues can be given. The person who answers correctly can then choose the next item.
20 Questions: In this game, one player chooses an object and other players can ask up to 20 questions to try to guess it. For younger kids, you may want to turn this into more of a 5 questions game.
Quiet Game: In this classic game, you ask everyone in the car to see how long they can be quiet. This is the best way to get everyone to settle down when the car ride is getting loud.
Rock Paper Scissors: This classic game can be a fun way to keep people occupied.
Punch Buggy: This can be a lot of fun to play as an ongoing game throughout your trip.
What are your favorite road trip games?
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