Twelve Games to Play in the Car

These games will make a change from the eternal “I Spy With my Little Eye...” and may help to silence the eternal “Are we nearly there yet?”

Number Plate Games

1. Silly Societies
Take the last three letters of a car’s number plate and use them to form the letters of a club or society. As in SDA = Silly Detective Agency or Society of Desperate Albatrosses. XYZ can be challenging letters so start collecting words to use. XYZ = Young Xylophone Zealots or Young Cross (?) Zebras.

2. Start a Story
Again use the last three letters of a number plate and take it in turns to tell a story using those three letters for the first three words of the story.
CBR “Commander Briddlington roared at his troops...”
CBR “Come back Richard” whispered the fairy hiding under the leaf...”
KXX “King Xavier’s Xylophone was not quite what he...”

3. Personalised Number Plates
Look out for personalised number plates which spell a word or a name and write them down in a little note book. It’s a modern version of collecting car number plates. See who spots the most.

4. Maths Work Out
Add together the numbers on a plate in you head, Fingers may/may not be used. Make up little tasks like add them together and then take away the last number.

5. Boy’s Names / Girl’s Names
Take the letters on the number plate and pretend they are the initials of a boy’s or girl’s names. The sillier the better.

Making Lists

1. Things to Spot
Before the Journey each person writes a list of things to look out for on the journey. Write down about six things such as ‘a red tree’, ‘a blue lorry’, ‘an elephant’ (seen on a sign for a zoo) ‘three bicycles together’ and then swap lists. Swapping lists prevents someone making their list too easy so that they win. Even little ones who can’t read very well can enjoy this game if you draw pictures of the object next to the word.

2. Waiting in Airports List
Again make out a long list this time of things to spot at the airport. For the little ones draw pictures next to the words. Suggestions are Blue suitcase, Red label, Lady in pink, Untied shoelaces, Hamburger, Diamond ring, Fat man with a beard (beware too much gleeful pointing!)

3. I Spy Count
Determine to count only red lorries, hovering hawks, German cars, black and white dogs, Eddie Stobart lorries. (Start collecting the names on Eddie’s lorries. Each lorry has a girl’s name).

Story Telling

1. Take it in turns to tell stories, sometimes one person chooses the subject and the other person tells the story.

2. Interrupted story. One person starts the story and stops suddenly mid sentence or with the words “and then...” And the next person takes on the story before passing it to the next one.

I Packed My Bag

Each person starts the game with the words “I packed my bag and in it I put...” and adds an item. The next person starts in the same way repeats the item and adds another item and so on to the next person. The person who remembers all the items is the winner. If you forget an item you are out.

It tests the memory especially if the items in the list are unconnected. Sometimes it is fun to add difficult things to say, like long words, words with alliteration or unexpected items you couldn’t possibly get in a suitcase.

The Vicar’s Cat

Each person starts with the words “The vicar’s cat is a... (and adds a descriptive word) ...cat” As in “The Vicar’s cat is an adorable/angry/average/angelic cat”. Use each letter of the alphabet in turn to start the adjective. You can play it by each person adding an adjective beginning with the same letter or by adding the word beginning with the next letter of the alphabet. X,Y and Z can be challenging so start collecting words. You may have to be a little lenient with X and allow words which begin with E but sound like X.

The Binses’s Twins

Each person in turn starts with the words “The Binse’s twins are called...” and gives each twin a name, a boy’s name, girl’s name or one of each. Work through the alphabet to provide each name. Again you can play it by each person in turn suggesting names using the same letter or by the next person suggesting names beginning with next letter of the alphabet. Books on Baby’s Names can be a rich source of ideas and you often find these books in charity shops.