Kid's Travel Games

A-Z Game

You can be play by taking turns or all together.

Find words beginning with "A", on signs around you. Can you get "Z" and finish the alphabet?

Variation - find things instead of words that begin with A and the B and so on until you complete the alphabet.

What did I bring on my trip?

Start this game out by saying, "I'm going on a trip and I'm bringing..." . The first player should name an item that starts with the letter "A". After "A" , the next player will say the same thing but with the letter "B", and so on.

20 QUESTIONS

20 Questions is truly a classic game. It can be played by children of all ages. There are many variations of the game. We will describe only one variation of the game.

One person thinks of something which falls under the category of animal, mineral, or vegetable and then tells the other players which category is correct. The players then take turns asking questions which can be answered with a YES or NO. For instance, if the category is animal a player might ask "Can it fly?" or "Does it have four legs?" And after 20 questions are asked, if the players have not already guessed the answer, each player gets a last chance to make a guess. Afterward, a new player tries to stump the group.

Pairs

Some things go together as if they were made for each other. Think about it...what would cookies be without milk? Peanut butter without jelly? Sneakers without socks?

Take turns naming two things that we all know well as pairs -- things that, when combined together, make up a perfect team.

Frontwards/Backwards

Take turns thinking of words that have a meaning when they're spelled forwards and backwards.
Give one point for each letter in the word. Three letter words are worth 3 points; four letter words are worth 4 points, and so on. The person with the most points at the end of the round wins the game.

Some examples to get you started: rat/tar (3 points); stab/bats (4 points); stool/loots (5 points).

Name That Tune

Hum a tune for the other players and let them guess the name of the song. Pick from rock and roll, country, top forty, jazz, blues...whatever type of music you like.

Animal Noises II

Rules: Silliness extended. How would a donkey say his own name? Say the name of an animal in the way the animal would voice it. For instance, when you say the word "bear," make your voice roar or growl as you say it. The word "turkey" will come out gobbled, "duck" will sound quacked.

Counting Game

(Ages 3 to 4)

Rules of the Game
Pick a subject ( such as: cows, red cars, white trucks, etc) See how many you can count in 10 - 20 minutes.

I'm Thinking of an Animal

(Ages 3 to 4)

Number of participants: Two

Length of time: Five to 30 minutes

Rules of the game
One player thinks of an animal. The other tries to guess which animal it is by asking no more than ten "yes" or "no" questions. If he guesses correctly in ten questions or fewer, he gets to think of the next animal. If not, the first player reveals the answer and then thinks of another animal. No one really wins, and the game is over when the children don't want to play anymore.

Rainbow Game

(Ages 3 to 4)

Number of participants: Two or more

Length of time: Five to 15 minutes

Rules of the game
Call out a color and each person has to find something that color. For example, when you call out green, one person might point out grass, another a green car. It gets harder when you get to purple and pink.

Silly Sound Game

(Ages 3 to 4)

Number of participants: Two or more

Length of time: Five to 15 minutes

Rules of the game
Make up a silly sound effect for each thing you see and say it each time you pass one. For example, you might decide that the sound for red cars is "beep-beep" and the sound for yellow trucks is "honk honk." You can add animal sounds for animals, "splish splash" for rivers or ponds, "ring ring" (doorbells) for houses, etc. By the time you get to your destination everyone in the car will be laughing.

Animal Noises I

Rules: Let the silliness begin. Who can make the best cat's meow? Wolf's howl? Walrus' - whatever? Mimic dolphins, elephants, toucans, squirrels. Then suggest a giraffe and see what the kids do. Everyone takes a turn making the same animal noise.

As a child I loved when my dad would give me the map so that I could see where we were on it.

I always made sure to have maps in the car for my kids to highlight our route we would be taking and then mark it in another color as we traveled. It is a great way to teach your children how to read a map.

Another idea using the map,would be to have a treat bag that your children could reach into and get a treat for certain milestones reached on the map.