Few activities can cause more family tension than a game of Monopoly, except, of course, a long road trip!
If the thought of one more “mom, are we there yet?” is unbearable, I have a solution! Try out some of these fun, car-friendly games with the kids!
Fun Games to Play in the Car With Kids!
Here are 30 fun games to play in the car! And the best part of playing these? They will bring the family closer together, not drive (excuse the pun) you apart!
1. I Spy
This classic car game is the perfect option for long car trips! To start, get one passenger to go first, selecting a secret object for other players to guess.
Then, get them to give a clue as to what letter the object starts with: “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with …”
2. Uno
UNO is a fun card game to play with family any time! However, it’s also great for kids to play together in the back seat of the car.
Ideally, you’ll need two or more kids to play together, though. They can also use the middle car seat armrest or a small table to play on!
3. A Spelling Bee
As far as verbal games go, why not try hosting a mini spelling bee? Get each child to try spelling a randomly selected word out loud.
Unlike an actual spelling bee, neither child gets eliminated if they spell a word wrong, though.
Instead, give each player points for each correctly spelled word. Then, add these up at the end of the game to see who’s won!
4. Invent Jokes
Making up jokes is another great verbal game to play in the car! Whichever joke makes everyone laugh the most scores the most points!
All the other players can also rate each joke for a total amount of points. Keep the score and add these points up at the end of the game to see who’s the winner!
5. Karaoke
Karaoke is another fun way to pass the time! Ideally, take a pre-recorded CD of familiar karaoke song music along for the ride as typical radio music with vocals may be difficult to sing along to.
6. Coloring In
If you want a little peace and quiet, it may be worthwhile to try out some coloring-in! This activity is best for older kids who won’t run amuck with pens, pencils, and art supplies, though!
Speaking of which, remember to pack some pre-printed coloring-in pages for the ride. And, of course, your art supplies!
Coloring-in books such as the Big Jumbo Vehicles, My First, and Unicorn coloring-in books are also another excellent option!
7. A Card Game
Other than UNO, there are a variety of card games kids can play in the car. So, do remember to pack your family favorite for your next long road trip!
The Exploding Kittens, Top Trumps, Mille Bornes, Disney Eye Found It, Guess Who, Family Feud, and Monopoly Deal games are all excellent options!
8. Magnetic Chess
Magnetic chess is the perfect game for two kids to play together in the back seat of the car. If playing with a magnetic game, your front seat passenger can even play, too!
9. Tablet Games
If electronics are ok with you, a fun tablet game is another activity for kids to do in the car! If you only have a single child passenger, they can easily play by themselves, too.
On the topic of tablets, they could watch a movie or color-in on the tablet, as well! The Kids Fire HD 10 tablet is an excellent investment if you plan on traveling a lot with kids!
10. Educational Games
Why not pack some educational activities into your car trip time? Some of these fun educational games can do wonders to relieve boredom and keep the kids happy!
11. Maths Games
Maths games are another interesting verbal game to play together in the car. Get one player to present a math subtraction, multiplication, addition, or division question for another to solve.
You can also take a calculator along to play. Give a point to each player for correct answers. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins!
12. A Board Game
Board games like Battleship are always an excellent idea to entertain kids. Do pick one that’s easy to play in the car, such as a magnetic set like this Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers Game!
13. License Plate Game
The license plate game is another fun game to play while traveling in the car. You’ll need to pre-print some pages with the fifty states and each number plate for this game.
Then, get the kids to cross out each state when they see a number plate from there. Whoever spots all the state license plates first wins!
14. Broken Telephones
Broken Telephones is an interesting alternative to the standard games to play in the car. For this game, choose a player to start by whispering a phrase into the next player’s ear.
Then, have each player whisper the phrase they think they heard into the next player’s ear. At the end of the round, get the first and final players to say the phrase aloud for a few laughs.
15. Learn to Knit
If your kids love arts and crafts, why not get them to take the opportunity to learn a new skill? Knitting isn’t easy, but it does require a bit of concentration, therefore, some peace and quiet!
16. Magnetic Snakes & Ladders
Snakes & Ladders is a classic kids game! Let the kids play it in the car using a convenient magnetic board and pieces for endless hours of fun.
17. Make Friendship Bracelets
Making things, such as friendship bracelets, is an excellent way to pass the time, too. Before you embark on your trip, select a nice friendship bracelet-making kit for the kids!
The Choose Friendship kit is very convenient to use in the car. It comes with a handy weaving frame with a secret thread drawer that’s easy to hold and weave on!
18. 4-In-a-Row
4-in-a-row is a fun board game to play in the car as the game pieces won’t roll around! Players can easily pass the game board around on each turn.
Hasbro’s Connect 4 is an excellent option, as is this cute travel 4-in-a-row game set! You can even keep these games in your car for emergency entertainment!
19. Car Trip “Advent” Calendar
For this game, pack a bag full of random treats, games, and activities. On each hour or every half an hour, let the kids dip their hands in and select one item!
20. Trivia Questions
Trivia is another fun verbal game to play in the car together. Let players ask random questions which you’ve written out beforehand.
You can also buy a trivia game or two and keep them in the car for this purpose. The kid-friendly Guess In 10 series is an excellent option, covering topics like dinosaurs, states, and more!
21. Guess the Song
For this game, get the passenger to play referee. They are responsible for randomly selecting a station or song on your music player. Then, each player takes turns to guess the song!
The winner is whoever guessed the most songs correctly at the end of the game. You can even bring prizes, such as chocolate, sweets, snacks, or I owe you (…) cards along for winners!
22. Mini Scavenger Hunt
Before you pack the kids in the car, hide some things in between the seats and around the back seat of the car. Then, give players clues to help them find each item!
Remember always to hide items within reach so as to avoid unbuckled and unruly kids! Kids can also look for objects outside the car, such as trees, animals, and types of vehicles.
If you don’t feel like making up things for the kids to look for, the merka Travel Scavenger Hunt and Briarpatch Travel Scavenger Hunt card games are fun options, too!
23. Mini Olympics
The fun and games don’t have to stop when you take a rest stop! Get the kids to release all that nervous energy with a mini Olympics game!
Players must compete by doing push-ups, jumping jacks, laps, or playing on any nearby play equipment. You can reward them with snacks or a drink of their choice.
Bonus – at the end of the session, the kids should be a bit more relaxed and peaceful. Maybe, later on, young ones may even take a nap!
24. Counting Objects
For this game, get the kids to count various objects they see around them, for example, trees, red cars, lorries, skyscrapers, and cows!
They can keep the score of the objects they count on a pad of paper. You can also write up lists of objects on sheets of paper beforehand.
25. Magnetic Ludo
Ludo is another family classic! This fun magnetic Ludo set lets you play together while traveling in the car!
26. Collaborative Poetry
For this game, players must rely only on their creativity to play! Get one person to start by saying a random verse. Then, each player afterward must add another rhyming verse.
Whichever player can’t come up with a rhyming verse gets eliminated! It’s fun to record these sessions on a mobile phone as a memento so you can laugh at them together later on!
You can also try out creative storytelling instead of poetry. Simply get each player to say one sentence, adding onto the sentence the previous player said to build a story, instead!
27. The Alphabet Game
The alphabet game is another classic game to play in the car! For this game, print out pages with the letters of the alphabet on them.
Give each player a sheet, and get them to cross out each letter whenever they spot it on a street sign.
Whoever crosses out all of their letters first wins! Players can play as a team or as individuals.
28. STEM Sets
Playing with STEM sets is a fun and educational way for kids to pass the time quietly in the car. Of course, do make sure the set is one with which they can easily play in the car.
29. Roll For It!
Roll For It is the perfect dice game to play in the car. The set comes in a handy tin, in which players can roll the dice while driving!
30. Magna Tiles Building Competition
The extremely popular Magna Tiles sets are some of the best STEM sets to play with in the car. There is a wide variety of compatible Magna Tiles sets available, too!
For this game, get players to compete by creating their own custom builds! At the end of building time, get each player and other passengers to give the other builds a score out of 10.
Whichever build has the highest overall score wins! You can play this game with various other building or STEM sets, as well!
Conclusion
There’s no need for long car drives with the kids to drive everyone up the wall! Make boring and frustrating car rides a thing of the past with these fun games to play in the car!