Pack your bags and pile in—you’re going on a road trip!
Family road trips are perfect for summer, but if you’re wondering how to keep the kids entertained the entire time, you’re not alone. While phones and tablets can offer movies and music, consider adding in a few fun car games to create a more special and memorable experience.
Below, we share seven ways to move family game night to your vehicle and across the country. Read on to discover our top favorite car games for family road trips!
1. License plate game
The license plate game is a classic road trip activity. That’s because it’s easy for all ages to learn and play.
Start by printing out a black and white map of the United States (and Canada if you want to make it even more interesting!) and give the kids some crayons or colored pencils.
Each time they see a new state on a license plate, they color it in on the map. The first person to spot all the states—or the person who spots the most state plates by the end of the journey—wins!
2. Road trip Olympics
While playing games in the car can help entertain kids during the ride, activities for your rest periods are also ideal. To play “Road Trip Olympics,” ask your children to complete a physical challenge each time you stop. Examples include:
- Push-ups
- Sit-ups
- Jumping jacks
- Ball dribbling
See who can do the most in a specific amount of time, or which child can perform the activity the longest. Whoever wins the most challenges by the journey’s end receives the “gold” medal. Make the game even more interesting by providing a prize for the winner—a Cold Stone Creamery gift card, perhaps?
3. Guess the song or artist
Another classic pastime is Guess the Song or Artist. You can play this game in a couple of different ways.
- One person can either hum or sing one line from a song. Then, the rest of the players guess what it is. You can even add some variation to the activity by limiting songs to hits from the last three to five years, TV show theme songs, or popular tunes from movie soundtracks.
- Or, instead of humming or singing, you can also play part of the song over the speakers of the car before turning the volume off and having everyone guess.
In either case, whichever player guesses the song title or artist name first earns a point. The first one to reach the specified point total wins!
4. Scavenger hunt
For this activity, each player will have their own card of things to look for while on the road. You can either make your own cards or find a premade template online.
Then, you and your kids can mark off items from the list as you see them, such as:
- Squirrels
- Airplanes
- Cows
- Graveyards
- Wind turbines
- Dogs
- Buses
The first player to mark all of their spaces is the winner.
5. Travel card games or board games
Many popular pastimes offer travel editions, making them ideal for on-the-go fun. As far as pocket-sized or travel editions of popular car games go, you can use an online marketplace like Amazon to find these options:
- Scrabble To Go
- Travel Yahtzee
- Sorry!
- Jeopardy! Card Game
These games usually have compact or magnetic pieces to help ensure you don’t lose them in the car. Otherwise, they have a card alternative, which is easier to play while in a moving vehicle vs. a full-blown board game.
You can also find many phone game options, like Heads Up! or Uno, for more multiplayer fun.
6. Hot seat
If you have middle schoolers or junior high-aged children, Hot Seat will be a fun activity for them. The rules are simple—in each round, a new player is in the “hot seat.” The other players ask the person in the hot seat a total of five questions.
The participant can refuse to answer one question but must answer the other four. To make the game even more interesting, consider using more challenging or complex questions with each round.
7. 20 questions
In this classic game, one person starts by thinking of something, and everyone else takes turns asking up to 20 yes-or-no questions to figure it out.
The game usually starts with the question, "Is it an animal, vegetable, or mineral?" and becomes more specific from there. The first player to guess the answer correctly, or come closest, gets to choose the next item.
Enhance your next family road trip with RaiseRight
Whether you’re headed on a cross-country vacation or planning a visit to see Grandma, these games can make your family road trip even more enjoyable.
Don’t forget to purchase all your road trip essentials—from snacks to gas or hotel stays—from RaiseRight and earn money for your cause in the process!
Get started for free by enrolling your organization (or join through your favorite organization that’s already using RaiseRight). Then, simply purchase gift cards or shop online through our hundreds of partner brands and earn up to 20% back with every purchase. Learn more about how RaiseRight works.
Or, looking for other useful tips and tricks? From fun family activities to party planning pointers, check out our other parenting topics for more need-to-know information.
