Keeping a whole family busy during a car ride can be a daunting task. Finding games and tasks that everyone in the family enjoys can be difficult. It is important to discover games that are both exciting and engaging for all passengers. The games below are sure to keep everyone busy and make time on the road go by quick. Some of these games are classics, while others are newer and less common. Keep reading to find out four of the best travel games for your next family road trip.

Hangman

This is a classic game that can be played anywhere and everywhere. The only materials needed to play Hangman are a piece of paper and a writing utensil. One person is in charge of coming up with a word – this word can be absolutely anything. The person will count out the number of letters within the word and then draw out dashes at the bottom of the page for that amount of letters. Each person in the car will go around and guess a letter that they think could be in the chosen word. If they select a letter correctly, it is written on the given dash. If they guess a letter that isn’t in the word, a body part of a man is drawn on the side of the page – the Hangman. The game ends when all the letters in the word are guessed correctly or when the Hangman receives all body parts before the word is completed. This game is great to play in the car because it gets everyone involved, it’s super simple, and it only requires a few materials. 

Spot the Car

Spot the car keeps all passengers alert and helps drivers keep their eyes on the road. At the beginning of the car ride, everyone in the car will agree on one car model that they will all look for while driving. Throughout the trip, this is the car everyone will keep their eyes out for. The first person that spots this car each time will receive a point! Whoever has the most points by the end of the trip wins. This is a great way to keep passengers looking out the window and observing their surroundings, instead of looking at objects like a screen or a phone. Just a warning – this game can get loud if you are riding with competitive people that want to spot the car first. This game, along with others, were discovered at IceBreakerIdeas.com.

License Plate Game

For this game, everyone is required to look at the license plates on the surrounding cars. The point of the game is to find the most license plates from different states. Players can keep track of the states on a piece of paper, phone, white board, etc. This game can be played a few different ways. Players can yell out when they find a state’s plate so that no one else can count it for points. It can also be played silently, so multiple people could count the same plates and no one will know which ones the others saw. At the end of the car ride, everyone counts up the amount of different states they found and the winner is declared.

Alphabet Game

For this game, no materials are needed. The game is started by picking a category. The object of the game is to think of items that fit under the given category and that start with each letter of the alphabet in order. The categories can be anything – people, animals, foods. The first person will think of an item within the category that starts with the letter “A”. The next person will follow with an object that starts with “B”. The game ends when a player can’t think of a word that starts with the next alphabet letter or when the letter “Z” is reached. The alphabet game requires everyone to work together so that the end of the alphabet can be reached. 

Family travel games are a great way to engage in family time while also helping time go by faster in the car. Long road trips can be difficult, especially with younger children. Take advantage of these simple games so that the kids are less likely to get bored. All of these games require alertness, brainstorming, cooperation, and competition – all great for children and family members to engage in!