Are long car trips turning into a battle against boredom for both you and your kids?
The challenge of keeping children engaged in a confined space can make even a scenic journey feel stressful and unexciting.
Fortunately, I’ve become a pro at distraction and have a whole list of road trip games for kids!
I can help you transform travel time into an interactive adventure, ensuring that every mile brings fun, learning, and memorable moments for the whole family.
25 Easy Road Trips Games For Kids To Banish Boredom
Here’s an expanded list of 25 fun road trip games for kids, each with extra details to help you understand how to play and enjoy them:
1. I Spy
One person selects an object within view and gives a descriptive clue (e.g., “I spy with my little eye something blue”), while everyone else guesses what it is. This game not only hones observation skills but also keeps everyone looking around and noticing the details of the journey. It’s endlessly adaptable based on the scenery and the age of the kids.
2. 20 Questions
A player thinks of an object, animal, or person/group (bands!), and the others take turns asking yes-or-no questions to narrow down to the right answer. This gets the girls thinking and well-distracted on car rides, no matter how short or long we’ll be driving.
After all, aren’t they always full of questions?
3. License Plate Game
Did you play the license plate game with your parents like I did? With a free printable, kids can mark off each new state they see, turning the trip into an interactive geography lesson. We don’t usually get competitive with this game, but I’m sure some older kids would want to fill out their maps quicker than each other.
4. Road Trip Bingo
Use printable bingo cards featuring common roadside sights such as animals, road signs, or specific types of vehicles. As the family travels, kids mark off each item they see, adding excitement to each mile.
You can make up your own too that fits whatever trip you’re going on, to included the car ride and the destination.
5. The Alphabet Game
Players search for objects or signs while working their way through the alphabet, starting with A and moving through to Z. This game encourages creativity and sharp observation skills as kids try to spot items in the correct alphabetical order. You can increase the challenge by switching to a reverse alphabetical order or setting a time limit for each letter.
6. Find It Bottle
Use an old water or soda bottle to make a cool Find It Bottle with little craft items and things around the house.
Kids take turns shaking the bottle and then trying to spot one of the pieces in it that someone else suggests. It’s a fun way to engage their attention and fine-tune their observation skills in a compact, travel-friendly format.
7. Car Color Hunt
A car hunt is a great way to have kids practice paying attention and counting at the same time. You name a color for the trip or a few and keep a tally of how many cars have that color(s). It can be spiced up by rotating colors or adding a competitive twist where points are given for each unique sighting.
8. Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
Prepare a list of items or landmarks (such as a red barn, a windmill, or a specific road sign) for the kids to find during your family trip. I think having a printable like this is the best way to help everyone keep track! We’re competitive sometimes, but I think it’s more fun when we’re all in on it and try to spot everything on the list as a team.
9. Would You Rather?
Pose fun or silly “Would you rather…” questions to spark conversation and laughter. This game encourages kids to think about choices in a lighthearted manner while also learning more about each other. It’s a great way to pass time and get everyone involved in a spirited discussion.
10. Name That Tune
Play short clips of songs or hum a few bars and challenge kids to guess the title or artist. Music lovers (like my hubby and I!) can introduce children to new tunes as well as old favorites and see what kind of music they’re getting into with their friends. It often leads to spontaneous sing-alongs and lots of laughter, adding a musical flair to the trip.
11. Collaborative Storytelling
Everyone in the car will work together to build an interesting story! We start with one sentence, “Once upon a time..” and then everyone says a sentence to create a new story. It’s so entertaining to write it down and read it later, I’ve thought about recording some of our trips to play it back!
12. Road Trip Trivia
Prepare trivia questions related to travel, geography, music/bands on your trip playlist, history, or even fun facts about family members. This gives you endless factoids to talk about on the trip.
13. Rock, Paper, Scissors
A quick and simple game where two players simultaneously choose rock, paper, or scissors to determine a winner. Just be sure to mix things up to avoid having too many sore losers (and winners!) who might get cranky in the backseat.
14. Memory Challenge
A road trip is a good place to work on some long-term memory skills, even making sure my own is looking sharp! Start by naming an object you see on the road, and then each player must repeat the list and add a new item as the car gets moving. As the list grows longer, it often results in humorous mix-ups that everyone enjoys.
15. Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic-tac-toe has been helping us get rid of boredom in the backseat for decades, even when it was my butt back there. I’ve played with my girls for a few years, and now they can play together in the backseat. With every round, kids learn about planning and anticipating their opponent’s moves, making it both fun and educational.
16. Word Association
One player says a word, and the next person quickly responds with the first related word that comes to mind, continuing around the car. This game encourages quick thinking and can lead to unexpected and funny word chains. It’s a great way to keep the brain active while on the road.
17. Car Karaoke
My husband may be tone-deaf, but it never stops us from throwing family concerts in the car!
Sing along to all your favorite tunes together, turning the car into a stage for a better car ride. It’s never too early to have your kids singing classic millennial hits.
18. Guess the Car Model
I have a few friends who are big car buffs, and man, their kids are following in their footsteps! Guessing cars around us or from a distance can be hard, but it’s a fun way for us to compete on long car rides.
You could also make it a find-and-color game with a free printable for your littles.
19. Spot the Animal
Keep an eye out for different animals, whether they’re wildlife or pets in passing vehicles, and call them out as you see them. I’ve always been excited seeing birds and deer on trips, and my girls certainly take after me since we do it on our walks almost daily, plus a lot of car rides!
20. Rhyme Time
Pick a word and take turns coming up with as many rhyming words as possible. This game is not only fun but also promotes language skills and quick thinking. As the chain grows, it becomes a playful contest that can result in hilarious and unexpected word pairings.
21. Road Trip Mad Libs
Use a Mad Libs book or find free printables online that result in humorous and unexpected tales. The game sparks creativity as everyone contributes silly words that change the narrative in funny ways. It’s an excellent way to create shared laughter and break up the monotony of long stretches of highway.
22. I’m Going on a Trip
In this classic memory game, the first player says, “I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing…” followed by an item, and each subsequent player must repeat the list and add another item. It tests both memory and attention to detail while often leading to funny mistakes as the list gets longer. The game is simple yet surprisingly challenging and fun for all ages.
23. The Quiet Game
This may not work for long, but it doesn’t hurt to cater to kids’ competitive natures! See which kiddo can remain silent for the longest. The game seems simple; it can be surprisingly challenging and even amusing as participants try to hold their silence. I lose a bit when it comes to pointing out cute animals in other cars!
24. Two Truths and a Lie
Want to get to know your family better? Two Truths and a Lie is a fun way to reconnect with teens and share some fun stuff about yourself that your kids haven’t learned.
Everyone takes a turn to share two true statements and one false statement about themself. Everyone else needs to decide what statement is the lie and talk it through to get it right.
25. Travel Pictionary
Do you have a lil doodle-bug in the backseat? Give them a chance to soar on your next trip by playing Pictionary. Armed with a small sketchpad and pen, one person draws a travel-related clue while the others try to guess what it represents.
Final Thoughts
I’ve found that road trip games can make your trips better every time, turning those longgggg car rides into bonding.
With games that spark creativity, encourage observation, and inspire laughter, your next road trip will be filled with as many cherished memories as scenic views.
So, prep your game list with all of these awesome ideas, hit the road, and let the adventure begin! (With less boredom and more laughter!)
