Are you planning a long car journey for the holidays? We asked our Mykidstime parents for their suggestions on entertaining the kids en route. Here are 30 games for car journeys and kids car activities to make that journey feel a bit shorter for everyone!

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A long car journey can mean a lot is needed to amuse the kids. If your child gets car-sick easily and can’t read, then some of these games might help pass some of the time.

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Fun Games for Car Journeys

#1. I Spy

I Spy is the classic car game. Take it in turns to guess what the other person spies.

For a variation for younger kids, instead of “I Spy something beginning with T” try the colour version “I spy something coloured red”.

“The only thing with I Spy is you have to be quick or you could be gone past it. My kids love it.”

#2. Blow at the Traffic Lights

Get them to blow at the red traffic lights to turn them green, great for driving around the city.

#3. Car Years

All in car choose a year and then start counting the cars that correspond with your year and see who wins.

“Great way to kill an hour or two.”

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#4. Car Colours

Everyone in the car chooses a colour and then start counting the cars that correspond with your colour and see who wins within a specified time limit, e.g. 15 minutes.

#5. Call out the Cars

Take turns in calling out the year or make of cars.

“My little 5 year old loves playing this.”

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#6. Car Snooker

You have to spot the cars in the same order as you pot the balls for snooker:

• Yellow
• Green
• Brown
• Blue
• Pink
• Black

“The pink can take a looooong time”

#7. Car Alphabet

Try to spot words on road signs in order of the alphabet as you travel. (You can skip tricky letters such as Q or X or Z)

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#8. Little Timmy

“We play a game called ‘Little Timmy thought it was a good idea when’……usually ends up in bouts of laughter……or if we are really stuck then we think up ‘Mad Titles for a book'”

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#9. The Minister’s Cat

An old Victorian game where you have to think of adjectives to describe the Minister’s Cat in alphabetical order, e.g. start with “The minister’s cat is an adorable cat”. The next person says e.g. “The minister’s cat is an adorable cat and a bouncy cat” and so on.

#10. I Went to the Shops

Memory game where each person adds to the shopping list. First person says e.g. “I went to the shops and bought a pint of milk”.  Second person says “I went to the shops and bought a pint of milk and some butter” and so on.

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#11. Watch the Moon

At night time watch the moon – show the kids how it changes from one side of car to other as you change roads or road direction.

“At nighttime our kids love watching the moon follow us home.” 

#12. Sing Songs

Try singing a few round songs like Frere Jacques or 3 Blind Mice.  10 Green Bottles Hanging on the Wall or 10 Fat Sausages Sizzling In the Pan is another family favourite.

Or there are the classics like “Somewhere over the Rainbow” or “My Favourite Things” from The Sound of Music.

“One starts a song and they all join in when you call their name, we have a special car song they all love.”

“We like to sing along to nursery rhymes and songs with the younger ones.”

#13. Fortunately/Unfortunately

Start a story and then everyone has a turn where they have to add to the story starting their sentence with “fortunately” or “unfortunately” depending on the turn. “The stories can get really good.”

#14. Scissors, Paper, Stone

This is a game for 2 people, on the count of 3 each person shows their hand in the shape of either scissors (snipping fingers), paper (flat hand) or stone (fist).

Scissors beats paper as they cut paper, paper beats stone as paper can wrap the stone up and stone beats scissors as the stone can blunt the scissors.

#15. Magnadoodle or Aquadoodle

Mini magnadoodles or aquadoodles are handy for the car, and good fun.

“Magnadoodles are the best to entertain even my 19 month old loves it”

#16. Invest in a Chalk Mat

Mum Sarah says, “I bought a chalk mat which rolls up with a little pocket with a piece of chalk & sponge inside.”

#17. Portable DVD Player or Tablet

A portable DVD player or tablet is great for passing time on long journeys. If you have more than 1 child, you can buy a small splitter which will allow them both to plug in headphones and watch the same movie together.

“We download a few of our child’s favourite movies before we leave the house so she can watch them while we travel.”

#18. Listen to a Story

Bring along some story CDs or download some audio books or podcasts for your phone to listen through the sound system.

“Read along books are great with the CDs, my Lil fella can’t read yet but he loves Disney stories and looking at the pictures. Nursery Rhyme CDs are good too.”

#19. Lucky Dip

Wrap small items e.g. pencils, notebooks, eraser, hair clip, stickers in tissue paper and every hour the kids get to unwrap a present.

#20. Guess Who

Take it in turns to think of a person and the others have to guess who it is asking only questions that can be answered Yes or No.

#21. Geography Game

First person starts with a geographic place name and the next person has to think of a place name that starts with the last letter of the previous place.

So e.g. BlackrocK – KilbeggaN – NicE – EdinburgH.  See how far round the world you can get!

#22. Twenty Questions

First person thinks of something that’s either Animal, Vegetable or Mineral and the others have 20 questions to guess what it is. Questions must only have a Yes or No answer.

#23. Alice the Camel

You recite a verse: “Alice the camel had ten humps, Alice the camel had ten humps, Alice the camel had ten humps, so ride Alice ride.” Repeat the verse until you reach the number zero.

“It is best fun when it is sung really fast!”

#24. Follow the Journey

Give your child the road atlas and have them trace your journey on the map as you go.

Or use your smartphone and Google Maps and have them follow the blue circle as you go.

#25. Name the Theme Tune

Take it in turns to hum a famous theme tune or sing it in a different style. The first person to guess the answer wins.

#26. Guess the Number

Take it in turns to think of a number between 1 and 1,000, keeping it to yourself. The others then take it in turns to guess at what the number is. Each time they are wrong you reply “higher” or “lower” until the correct number is guessed.

#27. Animal Spotting

Give the children a list of animals to watch out for, eg a cow, a horse, a sheep, a bird on a wire. The first person to see the entire set wins the game.

#28. Draw a Map of the Journey

Have each child draw their own version of the map of the journey as you go on a piece of paper, marking the key things you see on the way.

#29. Make up Limericks

Have a go at making up limericks, a limerick has five lines; the first, second, and fifth rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth rhyme with each other.

#30. Create a Group Story

First person starts the story e.g. “Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess” or something more unusual like “Cassie the Camel was miserable”. Each person in the car adds a line and the story builds and builds. Once you reach your destination the kids could write out and illustrate the story.

Have your say! Have you got a favourite activity or games for car journeys that the kids enjoy? Share it with us in the comments below.