“Are we there yet? How long more?” Questions that any parent would have heard atleast a hundred times while travelling with kids!

Here are some great games and ideas to keep your preschool kids entertained while on the road.

 

1. I Spy

In this game, one person says, “I spy with my little eye…(and names an object)”. Eg, a dog or a traffic light, etc. The others in the car have to quickly look around and the first one to point to the object is the next one to have a turn. You can play this game with colours (eg. “I spy with my little eye something red.” or even alphabets or phonics sounds if that’s what they are learning in school. (eg. I spy with my little eye something starting with the letter/sound A)

 

2. Count the Cars

Another great way to keep them going for a while, is to decide a number like 100 and then count all the red cars on the road or the rickshaws or dogs upto that number. It’s a great way for them to reinforce their counting skills too!

 

3. Story Building

A fun game that helps their logical skills. One person starts the story with one sentence. Eg. Once upon a time there was a pig. The next person continues: Who loved to eat corn. The story goes on and on with each person only allowed to say one sentence at a time. It’s a fun game that can produce lots of laughs!

 

4. Name Animal & Thing

One person chooses a letter. He then starts with a name, an animal and an object with that letter. The next person can’t repeat what has been said and has to say another name, animal and object with that letter. Everyone has a round and then the next person gets to choose the letter. Eg if the letter is L: The first person can say Leena, Lion and Lift. The second person may say: Lesley, Lepoard and Leaf, etc.

 

5. Guess the animal (Twenty Questions)

One person chooses an animal in his head. The others have to guess what the animal is by asking questions. The first person to guess the animal gets to have a go next.

 

6. I went to a picnic

The first person starts by saying I went to a picnic and ate.. (some food item eg. chips). The next person says I went to a picnic and ate.. (the previous person’s food item and then adds something new), eg. chips and chocolates. The game goes on and on till the list gets too long to remember!

 

7. Guess the song

Someone starts by humming a song and the first person to guess, gets the next chance. Children love this game and you’ll be surprised at the number of songs they know!

 

8. Phonics/ Alphabet Memory Game

The first person starts by saying A is for….(eg ant). The next person says A is for ant, B is for …(eg. Butterfly). The game goes on till you reach Z. This is a great game to reinforce phonics, especially if they are learning that in school.

 

9. Guess the sound

Someone starts by making a sound (eg. Woof. Woof). The first person who can guess the sound gets to have a go next. One can make sounds of animals, vehicles, appliances, etc. A simple but fun game for children.

 

10. Fill in the blanks with songs

The parent says a line of a song the child is familiar with and the child has to say the next line. And then everyone can sing the song together!

 

11. Vegetable and Fruit Yes or No Game

The first person starts by thinking of a fruit or vegetable. The others can then ask questions to help them guess it, but the person can only answer with ‘Yes or No’. This game can be a bit challenging initially, but once they pick it up, it will be fun. The person who guesses the correct answer, has the next turn.

 

12. Funny Monkey

A fun game that will produce a lot of giggles! One person closes their eyes and someone says ‘Funny Monkey’. If the person guesses who has said ‘Funny Monkey’, the next person has to close his eyes and the game goes on.  You need to have atleast 3 – 4 people to play this game.

 

13. Sleeping lions

A great game, if you’re children are getting hyperactive! Its amazing the way they calm down with this game. The parent says: “Sleeping Lions”. Immediately the others have to close their eyes and not move. Whoever stays without moving for the longest time is the winner. If you have only one child, you can can time them and encourage them to keep beating their record!

 

14. Quiz

This is another game that is very popular with my kids. I ask them questions and they enjoy answering them (eg. Name 3 jungle animals, Whats the capital of India, How many fingers do you have, Name 5 vegetables, Whats Aunty ____’s husband’s name?, etc.)

 

15. Special Car Toys

Another great idea to keep the children occupied, is to have special car (or travel toys), that they get to play with only while travelling. Toys that you can keep are plastic animals, dolls, books, clay, tea set, action heros, etc.

 

Hope you enjoy playing these games with your kids and your next journey goes by faster!

If you have any more travel games that you play, please do mention it in the comments below.