How to Occupy Kids on Long Car Rides

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by Renee Ferris (subscribe)

I write as a hobby and I enjoy detailing my experiences for others to read.

Published April 19th 2018

Move over iPad

Driving long distance with kids can be irritating - they whine, need to stop a million times, bicker, and cry.

I have created a list of some fun car games for the whole family to play next time you are on a long haul together.

The Registration Plate Game

Take it in turns to read out a car's registration plate. Each member of the family has a chance to make a sentence with the three letters displayed on the number plate. You can write them down or just say them aloud. It gets kids thinking and can be quite funny.
For example, a cars registration plate might read TDS-478
Your mini sentence might be, "The dog sings".

Red Car vs Blue Car
Assign the kids a colour and get them to count how many cars they spot of that colour. They can draw a line on a piece of paper to keep count or in their head. You can swap colours every so often or wait till the end of the trip to see who counted more.

Eye-Spy
This is an oldie but a goodie! Take it in turns to choose something either in or outside of the car and get the other players to guess what you have spied. Young kids love this game and it can last quite a few rounds.

Would you rather?
This game is fun and will get the whole family laughing. Take it in turns to ask a "would you rather?" question. You can write them on paper before the car trip or make them up as you go.

For example, you might ask "would you rather have a milkshake shower or a soda shower?" The other people say their answers and then someone else asks. Highly entertaining!