How to Play Games in the Car with Kids

Recall the scene in the movie "Vacation" with Chevy Chase from the 1980s. They took a cross country road trip to visit Walley World and it was a nightmare. You probably in general try to avoid too many road trips with your children, knowing that it's hard for them to sit still for long periods of time. If you are going to be taking children on hour or more long drives, you may need to come up with some ideas of what to do to keep them occupied. This article will show you how to play games in the car with children.

Instructions

1. Note the ages of your children. You want to come up with games that will capture their attention and be appropriate for their age group.

2. Talk to other parents who have had successful road trips with children. Ask them what games they played, and how they were a hit with the kids.

3. Find out some tried and true games. Everyone knows the license plate game, where you try to find license plates from all of the 50 states. Then there is the ABC game, where you go through the alphabet and find something along the roadside for each letter.

4. Know what your kids like. Some children like playing games that require deep thought, whereas others may wish to keep things lighter. If you understand your children's interests, the games will go over better and provide more enjoyment.

5. Learn your children's talents. This is a great way to make a game. If the child is good at discovering sights, you could play a game that involves them seeing things along the road on the way. If the children are good at singing, have a game that involves singing. Whenever you use a child's talents, it makes them feel good about themselves and keeps them more interested.

6. Play games that offer something educational. You could play memorization games, such as one where you start with one thing you passed on the highway and add to it each time. The child has to remember more and more things each round. Or, you could teach them a few phrases in another language and get them to be able to repeat all the phrases.

7. Come up with games that will help you get to know your children. Truth or dare is a great one. In the car, the child will almost always inevitably pick truth. You can ask questions like, have you ever been bullied in school, have you ever tried smoking a cigarette, when's the last time you cheated on a test. If you talk about them in a light way like this, there is more chance of your child telling you what happened.

8. Ask the children if they know any games they would like to play. They might have learned something on a recent school bus field trip, or the last time they went to the lake with their friends (and their parents driving).

9. A great game idea is the music name game. You can have a contest. Start with one station on the radio, and whatever song is playing, whoever can name it first gets a point. Of course, you'll have to be good at knowing the names of many songs yourself for this to work. Otherwise, use a CD. Then, go to the very next radio station and have them try to guess the name of the song playing on that station. Continue until one child has ten or twenty points.

10. Choose games that are safe to play while driving. No matter which of the above options you choose, make sure it's something that won't distract you from the road, or cause your child to distract you. Road safety is important.

Tips & Warnings

• The more your child is interested in the game, the more they will want to play and stay involved.

• Take breaks while playing games. Play for a while and then give the children a chance to rest before starting in with another game.

• Read your children. If they seem sluggish, play a game that might wake them up. If they are full of energy, play a game that will calm them down. Use your best judgment.

• Don't force your children to play games. They might just want to get some sleep during the drive or even listen to music on their IPod.