A long drive with children can be a real ordeal if there is no activity planned to keep them entertained. Fortunately, with a little imagination (and our selection), you can easily keep them busy. Aufeminin offers 11 ideas for games in the car to do with the family.
Summer vacation has started, to everyone's enjoyment! But who says going on vacation, also says traffic jams on the road. Especially since with the Coronavirus epidemic, many families have decided to go only to France. It is therefore to be expected that the highways will be more frequented.
Depending on your destination, the car journey can be (very) long. If this is already painful for adults, it is even more painful for children. The kids indeed need to be occupied, otherwise you will break your ears all the way with their famous questions "when are we coming?" "," Are we still far? ". However, it is difficult to find activities to do when everyone is strapped to their seat. Especially if you don't want them to spend the 8-hour journey glued to a screen in front of a video. Fortunately, there are many games to play in the car! Whether they are fun or just entertaining, you can be sure they will save your trip. Aufeminin has selected 11 for you to do with your family.
1 / The classic "Neither yes nor no"
During a defined period of time, players will not be allowed to answer "yes" or "no" to questions that the chosen person asks them. As soon as a player makes a mistake and says the forbidden word, he has lost! You can count the points and give a small token to the loser, to spice up the game.
2 / The guessing game
If you're used to your cherub asking "what are you thinking? On a daily basis, know that you can turn this question into a game! During the guessing game, the child will have to figure out what to think about. Of course, you have to predefine a theme. For example: Disney characters. Your kids will have to guess if you have Mickey Mouse or the Frozen in mind instead. You can give them hints to make the game easier. The first to find wins and can in turn make other players guess a character. A good exercise in reflection.
3 / The logical sequence game
The principle is simple: the first player starts with a word and the others will have to follow in turn with another word belonging to the same category or the same theme. For example: farm / chickens / eggs / easter / chocolate / snack. The first player to repeat a word already heard is eliminated.
4 / In my suitcase I have …
This game is well known to vacationers. And for good reason, it is very simple and fun, but above all, you can adapt the level of difficulty according to the age of your children. The first player begins by adding a word after saying "In my suitcase I have …" and the players go on to repeat the entire sentence using the competitors' words (without making a mistake) before adding a word in turn. For example "In my suitcase I have a hat / In my suitcase I have a hat and pants / In my suitcase I have a hat, pants and a snake". You can indeed twist the game by not only adding an object but also an animal or a trade name for example.
5 / The alphabet game with license plates
This game needs to be fast (and you have an advantage if you are already good at the junior high school). A person chooses a car and based on the letters on their license plate, players must find a word. You can make the game more difficult by asking to find an object, a first name and an animal according to the letter. For the youngest, limit yourself to the vowels they know.
6 / the game of speed
This is a little race between your children. The rule is very simple, ask them to find as quickly as possible outside the car an object, a red vehicle, an animal, etc. Whoever accumulates the most points first wins! These little races between kids are obviously possible when you have scenery on the road.
7 / The quarter monkey
This game is more suitable for children who can already write and read and requires at least three or four participants. The first player chooses a letter, then the other players must chain with other letters to form a word. The game can be difficult if the first player starts with the letter K, for example, but you have to use your imagination! Whoever does not find a letter to continue the word has lost and reaps a "quarter monkey". If he loses again in the next round, he will have a half monkey and so on. The winner is the last player who doesn't have a whole monkey (the game can go on for a very long time).
8 / The play of colors
This game is ideal for the little ones! One person names a color and players have to find as many items as possible (outside of that car) that match that color. He can choose from an object, a car, a sign etc. Please note, an object cannot be identified twice! Whoever finds the most things as quickly as possible wins.
9 / The twin car game
It is also a game suitable for younger people. The principle is simple: just choose a car model and ask the children to find an identical car. You can limit yourself to the brand or go further by asking for the same color etc.
10 / The Chinese portrait
To keep your children busy, there's nothing like asking them to paint their Chinese portraits! It is a fun and imaginative game in which the player has to introduce himself by answering questions such as: if I were an animal I would be / if I were a dish I would be, etc. You can find many sample questions on the Internet to help you.
11 / The blind test
This game requires a certain musical culture and is therefore more suitable for older children and adolescents. Even if it is no longer worth reminding you of the rules of this famous game, we are still making a little clarification. It's about finding the title of the song that's playing as quickly as possible. You can spice things up by also asking to find the interpreter. Kids version, you can play songs from their favorite cartoons and ask them in which movie they heard it. Count the points! The winner may have the right to play their favorite music for one hour.
12 / Bonus: The king of silence
Nothing like having peace for a few minutes (because do not think that your children will abide by the rules of this game for hours) on the road! The loser wins the right to be silent for one more hour.
A serene journey
A long drive and family trip can seem like a real obstacle course. But planning games to play on the road is a good way to spend this travel time serenely. Children will be stimulated and entertained, and parents won't just feel like they're driving a cab. Ask their opinion to choose the activities they want to do in the car! For those quieter times, don't hesitate to tell them to pick up books, comics, or coloring activities.
Be careful, if you are traveling with an infant, it is essential to stop frequently (about every two hours) in the parking lot of a motorway rest area to get them out of their car seat for a few minutes. Although they are more and more adapted to baby's body type, this position is not necessarily natural for his body. In addition, he will need to be in your arms and feel your love.
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