WORD TRAIN
The object of this game is to create a train of words in which the last letter of one word is the first letter of the next word. As you travel with the kids, start with a word that begins with the letter A. Going in order of seating arrangement in the vehicle, each person much come up with a word that continues the train. One of the few rules is that you cannot use the same word twice within the same game.
If your family is competitive, you may play this game as with an elimination rule. If a person repeats a word already used in the game, they are out of the game and the game continues until someone wins. For an even more competitive game, you can eliminate someone who uses the wrong letter. If you play this way, you may have to give a definition of homophones.
With younger kids, you can alter the rules by giving them the first letter of their word.
BEEP BEEP JEEP
This travel game can be played on long trips or just around time. A take-off of the old "Slug Bug Beetle Bug" game, the object is to be the first to identify certain types of vehicles as they are spotted. Our family has a point system that we created for this game. Using the point system is a great way to sneak in math skills on a summer trip. Here is the list of vehicles we count, what we require one to say when they spot the vehicle, and the points we attribute to each.
"Beep Beep Jeep" (1 point) -- This is any Jeep product. They are easy to spot from a distance if they are facing you because of their distinct vertical grill.
"Slug Bug Beetle Bug (color)" (2 points) -- Any Volkswagen Beetle. We often add the "no slugs back" as well.
"Bruiser Cruiser" (3 points)-PT Cruisers
"Moldy Oldie" (4 points) - This one can get objective, but we use it primarily for the classic old cars of the 1950's and before. The younger the player, the newer the definition, so we allow anything with a collector's license plate as well.
"Limo" (5 points) - any limousine.
When playing with younger children or kids who are not familiar with the vehicles, it is a good idea to not play this competitively, but to make sure they see the vehicle for future identification.
There are a few rules that must be stated with this game. We disqualify any vehicle sitting on a dealer's lot, but not those in other parking lots. We also disqualify any advertisement vehicle that is parked in its own parking lot, but not if it is on the road.
To make this travel game more competitive, you can start to penalize miscalls. If someone calls a Chevy HHR a "Bruiser Cruiser" they must subtract 3 points instead of adding three points. This rule can only be implemented with experienced players. My family plays this game every trip as soon as one of the kids spot a 2 point or above vehicle.
SCHLOPSKI
I am not sure where the name of this game came from and in trying to research it, I learned that rules differ slightly. I will describe the game that I was taught and play when my family goes on trips.
"Schlopski" is an all white horse. While traveling in the country, any player who spots a schlopski calls out the word and is awarded three points. This game also awards one point for a dog and two for a cat. If you see two dogs, you must say, "dog, dog" rather than "two dogs".
When a player sees a cemetery, they say "ghost" and collect everyone's points. This player now is far ahead of everyone else and must beware of any other cemeteries.
ALPHABET NAME GAME
This familiar game is easily adopted to travel. On their turn, each person says the verse using the next letter of the alphabet. Either the husband or wife can be said first, usually depending on the gender of the player. Both names, the location and the product sold must begin with the letter.
"My name is Alice,
My husband's name is Austin,
We come from Aredale,
And we sell apples."
Notice that I used the name of a town in my sample. The location can be a town, city, county, state or country (or even a planet). The only rule is that it must start with the assigned letter.
When playing this game with really young kids, patience may be necessary, but it is a great learning tool. Be prepared for made-up names and places, but accept them if the child is still learning to read and they have the right sound. Also be prepared for David to always come from Denver and sell dirty diapers!
LICENSE PLATE SENTENCES
Most states have three letters in their license plate numbers. To play this travel game, look out the window at the license plates of other vehicles and try to come up with a sentence that uses those letters. My license plate numbers has the letters SMB. The sentence could be "Some monkeys bawl." The sentences do not have to be true, but they should make some kind of sense. Using my plate number in this game, "Silly mock bananas" would qualify because it is not a sentence and does not make sense.
To make this travel game competitive, have one person call out the letters on a license plate and have everyone focus on those letters until someone comes up with a qualified answer and award them a point. Then choose another license plate and keep track of who earns the most points.
IDENTIFY THE LICENSE PLATES
One game my family likes to play when we travel to identify different license plates. We do not make this a competitive game. We simply name the states (and Canadian Providences) as we see the plates. Sometimes we keep a list of the ones we see. This is a great game for travel to high tourist spots like the National Parks or National Monuments.
CONCLUSION
Whether you are traveling around town or across the country, kids can get bored in the car and these games are a great way to increase the quality of your time with your kids while traveling. The games I chose do not require any prior planning or packing but can be a great way to entertain the kids on any car ride.
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