Games to Play on the School Bus

Bus games keep children engaged.

Between the daily ride to and from school and the occasional field trip, children and teachers spend a fair amount of time on the school bus. Longer trips can seem interminable for children. Playing games is a good way to alleviate the boredom of bus rides and ensure that children are engaged in learning.

I Spy

I Spy is easy to play and will keep kids busy for hours on the school bus. The principles of the game are simple: the child to go first simply picks an object in the bus and says "I spy, with my little eye, something that begins with [letter the object begins with, such as 'b' for 'box']." Variations of I Spy can involve color, size or shape of an object. For instance: "I spy, with my little eye, something that is blue." The other children attempt to guess what the first child is thinking of. The first child to correctly guess the item goes second.

20 Questions

20 Questions might get unruly in large groups, but the game can be broken down and played by smaller groups to keep a full school bus busy. One player decides upon the subject of the game, which is a person, place or thing. Starting with "Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?", the other children ask a series of 20 yes-or-no questions to attempt to home in on what the first child is thinking of. For instance, if the first child thinks of an ocelot, whoever first guesses "ocelot" is the winner. As with I Spy, the first child to correctly guess the object of the game is permitted to go next.

Scavenger Hunt

Before leaving for a trip, make a list of items that will most likely be visible out the windows during the trip. Hand each child a printed list of all of the items for the scavenger hunt. The first child to check off all the items from her list wins. To ensure against cheating, ask the winning child where and when she saw each item. Lists with pictures will be more engaging for younger children, and will help reinforce vocabulary.

References

• Game 4 Youth Groups: I Spy
• Baby Center: Best Car Games for Kids
• Moms Minivan: Scavenger Hunt Car Game