Travelling long distances in the car can be quite boring for your little ones. We’ve come up with some great games to keep their them entertained whilst travelling in the car over Christmas.

 Traveller’s alphabet

The best car games don’t require any props. This kid’s version of ‘Traveller’s Alphabet’ only requires some imagination and a good grasp of the alphabet.

The aim is for each player to finish the sentence: “I’m going on a journey to…”  using a word that begins with a specific letter of the alphabet.  The game then moves through the alphabet from A – Z.

For example:

Player 1: “I’m going on a journey to Aintree.”

Other players: “What will you do there?”

Player 1: “I will do some acrobatics.”

If Player 1 cannot think of a place name or an activity beginning with the letter “A,” they are eliminated.  If they do think of a place name and activity, they stay in the game and the play moves on to the next player using the letter “B.”

Keep playing until all but one are eliminated. The last player standing is the winner.

You can give all players “3 lives” to save on tears and tantrums.

Place names don’t have to be countries, they can be any sort of place name: suburbs, school, the zoo, a restaurant name etc.

Spot the …

 This is a great game to keep everybody entertained for hours on end. Spot the …is a game that can be played by the whole family or just two of you.

This game can be as simple as you make it – perfect for even the youngest child.

Ask your child to spot the … and fill in the blank with something very obvious to get started: “Spot the mummy in the car”; “Spot the dummy in the car”; “Spot the car seat”; “Spot the seatbelt”; “Spot a sister”.

Then, move to things outside the car: “Spot a car”; “Spot a big truck”; “Spot a cow”, etc.

Eventually you can add colours and other details that narrow your choices: “Spot a red truck”; “Spot a convertible car”, and so on.

Memory game for kids

 Test your memory and dream away by adding extra things to the list of items being packed into your suitcase. Let the kids go crazy and giggle at what they feel they need to pack when they head off on holidays.

 “I am going on a trip and I am going to pack …” is a fun memory game where each person adds to the previous person/s response/s.

The first person says, “I’m taking a trip and I am going to pack … ” and then fills in the rest of the sentence.

It could be a piece of clothing or a toy or a person or whatever they choose.

Each person then repeats what the last person said, and adds their own selection to the end and so on.

Number plate bingo

 Remember to take paper and pencils for this one!

Here’s a simple game to save your sanity on a long journey.  The more you make them think, the less they’ll get bored!

 The driver begins by nominating the number of letters in the word.  Say, “seven.” Everyone then has to write down a word with seven letters in it.

The players then have to keep a keen eye out on the traffic, checking each number plate that goes by. (Parked cars count too, if you can read them quickly enough).  Whenever players see a letter from their word, they cross that letter off. The first person to cross all seven letters off their word off wins.

Guess the object

 Keep them guessing with 20 questions. Kids will have a great time making up an object or choosing an object from their surrounds to keep their opponents puzzled all trip long! From fruit to flies, everyone can have fun with this great family game!

One person starts the game and thinks of something which falls under the category of animal, insect, or fruit.

That person discloses ONLY the category their chosen object falls into.

The players then take turns asking questions which can be answered with a YES or NO.

For instance, if the category is an insect a player might ask “Can it fly?” or “Is it poisonous?”

Up to 20 questions can be asked.

If the players have not guessed the answer in 20 questions, each player gets a last chance to make a guess at the object.

Afterwards, a new player starts with their chosen category.

The silent game

 Kids (and adults!) will love this great car game that can go on for a while as players see who can stay focused and quiet the longest.

This game requires everyone to have patience and focus.

The aim of the game is to see who can stay quiet the longest.

If a player makes any noise at all, they are out.

The last person who hasn’t made any noise, wins!