Summer’s here, which means… Family Roadtrips! Games are always great for getting in a few laughs and making those miles fly by faster. Everyone knows I Spy and 20 Questions, but here are a few that you might want to pull out when the kids are tired of entertaining themselves.

Would you Rather?

I always love to learn something new about my son. One silly, but fun game for the road is “Would you rather?” Take turns asking the questions and have everyone in the car (including the driver) give their answer.

Photo by splitpeasoup2009

• Would you rather drive a dump truck or a garbage truck?
• Would you rather have a purple mohawk or no hair?
• Would you rather run as fast as a cheetah or fly as high as an eagle?
• Would you rather be Cinderella or Snow White?
• Would you rather eat a Bertie Bott’s Vomit-flavored bean or earwax flavored beans (for Harry Potter fanatics)?

For more “Getting to know you” travel games for kids.

Scattergories on the Go

Similar to the Scattergories(TM) boardgame, you pick a letter like “B”. Instead of having multiple categories, the travel version only requires one category like “Ice Cream Flavors”. As you go around, each person needs to come up with an ice cream flavor that starts with the letter B like “Butterscotch” that someone else hasn’t already said. If someone can’t think of a flavor within 10 seconds, then they’re out and you move onto the next person. The last person standing wins and decides the next category.

Got a Karaoke-loving family? Have players think of songs with a specific word or type of word in it. For example, a song with the word “Love” will lead to outbreaks of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder or “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga. For younger kids, songs about “Animals” is always fun.For more brain-provoking Creative Travel Games for Kids.

On a hunt for a number

(For ages 5 and up)

This game is easily adaptable for a kid of any age and ideal for school-age kids. One person picks a number that everyone has to hunt for as you are driving.  Think license plates, road signs, billboards, shop names — anything outside the car counts.  The first one to spot it, shouts it out and identifies it.  Whoever finds the number first gets to choose the next number.

To step-it-up for older kids, work through the numbers sequentially. The furtherest anyone has gotten that we know of is 60 by minnemom.  Tired of numbers? Use the letters of the alphabet.

Got some math geniuses? Try looking for prime numbers or numbers that mathematically add or subtract to a certain number. For example, Highway123 is where 1+2=3.  If you’re kids are learning division, try looking for numbers that are divisible by 2 or 3.

Younger children can easily join, if the game switches to searching for colors or shapes.

For more Seek and Find Kid Travel Games for the Road.

Mother Goose’s Mixed Up Words

(For ages 3 to 6)

The object of the game is for the kids to guess what word you’re thinking of based on rhymes and phonics. For example, if the word that you’re thinking of is “tire”, you would give the clue, “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with fire.” For a 3 year old, you might want to add, “I’m thinking of a word that’s part of the car and rhymes with fire.” For older kids, you can take turns coming up with the words.

For more Guessing Games when Traveling with Kids.