Road Trip Car Games

With summer comes vacations and with vacations sometimes comes long car rides. Many of you have asked how to survive those long road trips with multiples (and more). In addition to the great advice we have received from CMOTC moms (here and here), below are some games to play to break up the boredom and and have some fun.

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From Family Fun Magazine, August 2010 issue.

Road Trip Car Games

These clever activities will help your family pass the miles with smiles. Plus, fuel up on fun with new travel books and gear from our Boredom Buster Awards.

Game 1: 2-Minute Tens
To play: Players take turns challenging the rest of the group to name 10 things in any category: cookie varieties, animated movies, dog breeds, female professional athletes, automobile models, and so on. The group has two minutes to complete the list. Give it a twist: Allow yourselves fewer than two minutes or require that items be listed in alphabetical order.

Game 2: Snoopy Sam
To play: An adult makes a list for each player of things people in other cars could be doing, such as sleeping, wearing a red hat, or eating an ice-cream cone. The first player to see everything on her list wins. Give it a twist: The player who spots a nose picker automatically wins!

Game 3: Car Colors
To play: Each player chooses a color from the cars that pass by in one minute. Everyone then tries to spot 25 objects of their chosen color. When an object is spied, the player calls it out so that others can verify it, then writes it down on his list. The player with the highest tally after a set time wins.

Game 4: Sing It Out
To play: The first player sings the entirety of a simple song, such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb." The next player repeats the song, leaving off the last word. The following player leaves off the last and second-to-last words. (It's surprisingly hard!) Players have to sing the song correctly on their first try or they're out. The singing continues around the car until all the words have been left out.

Game 5: I'm Thinking of a Relative
To play: One player thinks of a person related to the family. The others take turns asking simple yes-or-no questions to help them guess the person's name: Is the person an adult? Is the person a female? Does she have red hair? The player who guesses correctly thinks of a new person.

Game 6: I Have Never
To play: Players take turns saying things they have never done, such as eaten spinach or been on a boat, with the goal of trying to name something that everyone else in the car has done. A successful "I Have Never" earns a player one point. The first to reach five points wins.

Game 7: Electric Light Brigade
To play: In this night-driving game, players find lights in order of the colors of the rainbow — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Players call out the colors when they spot them; the first to finish the list wins. A car with one headlight is a wild card, good for any color for the player who spots it. Give it a twist: Add such colors as brown or pink. During the day, look for colors on signs.

Game 8: Will We See Gophers?
To play: One player thinks of something the family will see or do at the vacation destination. The other players ask yes-or-no questions (Is it something we are going to eat?) to help them guess the item or activity. The first player to guess correctly wins. Give it a twist: Allow the guessers just 10 questions, or just five.

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What fun family games do you play in the car? Share with everyone, email us or comment below!