Survive a Summer Road Trip With These Fun Games

If you’ve ever taken your kids on trip, you’ve heard the dreaded “Are we there yet?” phrase. And, if that doesn’t get to you, bickering siblings irritated by each other’s poking or teasing is sure to make even the shortest trip a ride of regret. Luckily, driving with the kids doesn’t have to be a cause for anxiety, as there are plenty of car game and activities to beat boredom as you make your way down Highway 401 into cottage country. Check out Somerville Auto's Top 10 road trip games and put them to use on your next family adventure.

I Spy

Something green. Is it a tree? A leaf? Mom’s eyes? I Spy is a traditional classic that is bound to keep your kids guessing. It’s easy to learn, and the rules are simple. Simply think of an object that you see (preferably inside the vehicle to avoid shouts at passing objects) and give your children hints until they guess what you’ve got your eye on. They can take turns playing with each other, or you can join in too and make it a family affair.

Road Trip Bingo

This game combines a scavenger hunt with regular Bingo. Each player receives a scorecard and 16 markers to check off the items they find. In order to ensure fairness or no cheating, it might be best to play this game when you make a stop, or have your kids point out the object as it passes by.

License Plate Game

This one’s a classic. In the License Plate Game, the challenge is to spot as many provincial plates as you possibly can! Extra points go to the person who finds a few American plates as well. Give your kids a pen and paper and encourage them to write down the plates they come across on your drive down Canada’s highways.

Tic-Tac-Toe

One of the easiest games out there for kids, tic-tac-toe provides short-term entertainment for your kids. Player One places an X on the grid, Player Two plots an O. They continue to take turns until one player has three across in this 9-square grid. Make things a little more fun by using 9 candies, and let the winner take their sweet winnings!

I’m Going to a Picnic

This game is perfect for kids who have passed the pre-school mark. In this alphabet-based memory game, the first player starts the game off by saying “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing...” and lists a food that begins with the letter A, like apples. The second player must first repeat what the first player said, and then add an item of their own using the second letter of the alphabet, and repeat for the remainder of the alphabet. Get ready for a round of giggles as your kids wait to see who loses first!

20 Questions

This game is great for younger kids because of the easy rules. The first player thinks of a person, place or thing. Everyone else takes turns asking questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. After each answer, the questioner gets one guess. The game continues until a player guesses correctly.

Connect the Dots

No, not the freckles on your sibling's arm, as fun as that may sound. Connect the dots is a classic where the first player must draw a line between 2 dots that are next to each other. Player two repeats this. The goal is to make as many closed boxes as possible. Don’t forget to put your initials in your boxes!

Hangman

This fun letter-based game gets your kids thinking, Wheel-of-Fortune style. The first player thinks of a person, place, movie or book title—it could be anything, really. Instead of writing out the saying, the player leaves an underscore for each letter in each word, so the other players know how long the word is. The second player guesses one letter at a time. If the mystery saying contains the letter, it is written in the correct place. If not, the first player draws a head on the hangman scaffold. With each wrong letter, Player One draws the remaining limbs that make up a stick figure (2 arms, 2 legs). When enough incorrect letters have been guessed, the Hangman’s body is complete and the second player loses.

The Preacher’s Cat

Much like the picnic game, Preacher’s Cat centres around a sentence in which only two words change. To play, each player makes the same sentence revolve around a letter of the alphabet. Starting with A, the first player might say “The preacher’s cat is an awesome cat named Amy.” The second player replaces the two underlined words with others starting with A, such as, “The preacher’s cat is an adorable cat named Albert.” If a player can’t think of a new word, or if she repeats a word, she is out. The play continues with B, C, D, and so on, until there is one remaining player.

Spot the Car

Punch Buggy Red no punch backs! We’ve all heard our kids get worked up over this before. Spot the Car is a lot like the license plate game, but instead of looking for plates, you look for car models. While it may have been beeper panel back in the day, we suspect you won't find too many wood panelled cars cruising anymore. Bonus points if you do!

Are you going on a family road trip soon? Have your vehicle serviced through our Service Department at Somerville Auto and make sure your vehicle is safe, before you hit the road. Call us today at 1-(877) 503-5102 to book a service with our technicians.