The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Long Car Rides: 17 Games That Will Keep Your Kids Entertained for Hours

As a mom who’s logged more miles than I care to count with two energetic kids in tow, I’ve learned that the key to a peaceful car ride is keeping those little minds busy. These games aren’t just time-killers – they’re memory-makers. They’ll have your kids so engrossed, they might even forget to ask for their tablets. (Gasp!)

1. The License Plate Game

This classic never gets old. Challenge your kids to spot license plates from different states. Make it competitive by seeing who can find the most out-of-state plates, or work together to “collect” all 50 states. 

We keep a running tally on a small whiteboard, which doubles as a geography lesson. Last summer, we made it to 37 states on our cross-country trip – the kids were more excited about that than some of our actual destinations!

2. I Spy with a Twist

Give the traditional “I Spy” a makeover by adding categories. Instead of just colors or objects, try emotions (“I spy someone who looks grumpy”), actions (“I spy someone eating”), or even made-up scenarios (“I spy an undercover superhero disguised as a truck driver”). This game never fails to get our creative juices flowing and often leads to hilarious stories about the people and things we see.

3. The Alphabet Game

Start with “A” and work your way through the alphabet, finding objects outside the car that begin with each letter. To spice it up, we add themes like “food only” or “things that fly.” Fair warning: “Q” and “X” can lead to some creative interpretations. My son once insisted a cow was actually a “quick-moving quadruped” just to claim the Q!

4. Would You Rather: Road Trip Edition

Prepare a list of travel-themed “would you rather” questions before the trip. “Would you rather sleep in a treehouse or an igloo?” or “Would you rather be able to fly or teleport?” This game always leads to the most interesting conversations and gives you a peek into your kids’ wild imaginations.

5. The Singing Game

Take turns singing a line from a song, then the next person has to sing a different song that starts with the last word of the previous line. It’s like musical mad libs! This game has turned our car into a rolling karaoke machine more times than I can count. Fair warning: you might end up with “Baby Shark” stuck in your head for days.

6. The Story Chain

One person starts a story with a single sentence, then each family member adds a sentence to continue the tale. By the end of the trip, you’ll have created an epic adventure together. Our last story involved a time-traveling squirrel, a sentient GPS, and a quest for the world’s best roadside diner. I’m pretty sure there’s a blockbuster movie in there somewhere.

7. 20 Questions: Destination Edition

Think of a place (city, country, or specific attraction) and let the kids ask yes or no questions to guess where it is. This is a great way to build excitement about future trips or reminisce about past adventures. It’s also taught my kids some impressive geography skills – they can now locate Timbuktu on a map, which I’m not entirely sure I can do.

8. The Memory Game

Start with “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…” Each person adds an item to the list, repeating all the previous items in order. This game is great for building memory skills and can get hilariously absurd. Our record is 43 items, including “a yodeling yak” and “Zeus’s lightning bolt.”

9. Road Trip Bingo

Before the trip, create bingo cards with things you might see on the road (red car, cow, windmill, etc.). First to get five in a row wins. We laminate our cards so we can use dry-erase markers and reuse them on future trips. The kids get so into it, they sometimes cheer when we pass a construction zone just because it means they can mark off “orange cone.”

10. The Rhyme Game

Choose a word and take turns saying words that rhyme with it. The first person who can’t think of a rhyme or repeats a word is out. This game has significantly expanded our vocabulary, though I’m not sure when we’ll ever need to use “cantankerous” in everyday conversation.

11. License Plate Acronyms

spot a license plate and make up a funny phrase using the letters on it. For example, BHN could be “Big Happy Narwhal.” The sillier, the better! This game has produced some of our family’s most quotable inside jokes. We still laugh about the “Zany Yak’s Xylophone” from a random ZYX plate we saw two years ago.

12. The Category Game

Choose a category (animals, countries, foods, etc.) and take turns naming items in that category. The twist? Each answer must start with the last letter of the previous answer. It’s a great way to practice spelling and expand knowledge. We once spent an entire hour just on types of pasta – who knew there were so many?

13. The Quiet Game

Okay, this one might seem like a parent’s desperate attempt at peace, but hear me out. Turn it into a challenge by seeing who can make the funniest face or strike the silliest pose without making a sound. The first to laugh loses. It’s led to some pretty epic silent giggles in our car.

14. The Movie Game

One person names an actor, the next has to name a movie that actor was in, then someone else names another actor from that movie, and so on. It’s a great way to pass the time and has turned my kids into mini film buffs. They can now connect Kevin Bacon to just about anyone in Hollywood.

15. Name That Tune

Hum or whistle part of a song and see who can guess it first. To make it more challenging, stick to a theme like Disney songs or 80s hits. This game revealed that my 7-year-old knows an alarming number of ABBA songs, thanks to her grandmother.

16. The Counting Game

Choose something to count (red cars, billboards, cows) and see who can spot the most in a set time. We like to make predictions at the start and see who gets closest. It’s taught the kids a bit about estimation and statistics, though I’m not sure how useful their knowledge of “cows per mile” will be in the future.

17. Create-a-Commercial

Pick an object you can see from the car (a tree, a road sign, a cloud) and challenge everyone to come up with a silly commercial for it. Bonus points for jingles! This game has produced some of our most laugh-out-loud moments. My daughter’s impassioned pitch for “Clou-D-Oderant: For the Sky That Wants to Stay Dry” had us in stitches for miles.

Your Ticket to Road Trip Bliss

There you have it – 17 ways to turn “Are we there yet?” into “Can we keep driving?” These games have saved our sanity on countless road trips, creating memories that last far longer than the journey itself. So the next time you’re packing up the car for a long ride, remember: with a little creativity and a lot of laughter, the journey really can be just as fun as the destination. Happy travels, and may the odds of a peaceful backseat be ever in your favor!