So you’ve decided to take your niece or nephew away for the weekend, but the trip involves a little bit of travel.  Sure you could just hand over your iPhone or iPad and let your pint-sized sweetie pass the time playing Angry Birds or Cut the Rope, but don’t you want to spend some quality time together?

Here are some old fashioned games to ensure he or she won’t be bored on a train, plane or automobile:

Crossword puzzles

Read books or magazines

Word scrambles

Rock, paper, scissors

Name that tune

Hangman

Draw pictures

Mad Libs

Tell jokes

Play cards

Bubble gum blowing contests

Counting games (Kids can count how many blue cars, cows, deer or fast food restaurants they see.  The possibilities are endless.)

Memory games (Try “I’m going on a trip” where each person names an item to bring on a trip in alphabetical order. The next player has to remember all of the items before adding hers.)

Twenty Questions (One child thinks of a person, place or thing. The other players try to guess what he or she’s thinking about by asking yes or no questions. After 20 questions, each player gets to make a guess.  The winner gets the next turn.)

Car Bingo (Print up bingo cards before your trip and have your kids fill in all the things they might see during the trip.  As they identify those items they can cross them off.  Have prizes for the winners.)

Open-ended storytelling (Have one child start telling a story, and after a few sentences, the next child continues the plot.  These tales are often very creative and funny.)


Published: January 27, 2012