The car ride to your vacation destination doesn’t have to be the most boring part of the trip. Tell the kids to unplug the ipods and turn off the video player. Try some fun word and observation games to stretch kids’ minds and promote fun family time together.
Alphabet Search
The object of this observation game is to try to identify objects outside the car that begin with the letters A-Z in order. First to complete all letters wins. Letters must be played in alphabet order (for example, automobile, bicycle, camper, dashboard, etc.). To handicap for younger players, allow several “skips” as appropriate.
Twenty-Five
One player selects a letter at random. Each player must then identify and write down twenty-five objects (either inside or outside of the car) that begin with that letter. Play stops after a set amount of time has passed, and points are calculated. Players get one point for each acceptable answer, and three points for each unique answer.
Word Chain
One person starts the game. He or she identifies a category and then names one item that fits that category. The next person must name another item that fits the category, on the condition that the item begins with the letter that the previous item ended with. Play continues to each player in turn in the same way. For example, if the category is food and the first person says “pizza,” the players could continue with “apples”, “spaghetti,” “ice cream,” “marshmallow,” etc. To even the playing field for younger players, one of more “skip” options can be added.
Category Crunch
This game allows you to focus exclusively on one category at time, and can be especially fun if you choose your category in accordance with your trip destination or another aspect of your journey. Provide each player with a sheet of paper that lists each letter of the alphabet on a different line.
Select the category (for example, “Things on a Camping Trip,”) and then each player tries to name 26 items in that category, each beginning with a different letter. The beginning of a player’s list may look something like this: animals, birds, canteen, duffel bag, etc. Player who fills in all answers first, or who has the most after a specified time has elapsed, is the winner and gets to pick the next category.
You can even vary these games as you wish to keep things fresh. Try lightning rounds (where players only get short bursts of time to complete) or limiting options further (words must be a certain amount of syllables, for example.) You can even devise your own games!
Susan Carney - I have been working as a middle school counselor with 6th and 7th grade students for the past thirteen years. I received a BA in ...
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