Great Travel Games for Kids and Families

“Are we there yet,” probably isn’t anyone’s favorite thing to hear from the kids during a road trip. Luckily, a little distraction goes a long way in keeping the kids happy and entertained. If you’re looking for some great travel games for kids to keep the whole car excited for the trip ahead, look no further. We’ve collected some of our favorite road trip games for kids below.

Jump to:

Preparing for Things to Do on a Long Car Ride

Before you leave, make sure you have everything. When preparing for a long road trip or vacation, it’s important to make sure you’ve packed all of the essentials. Check the car for everyone’s overnight bags, toiletries, and other bags. Then make sure you have a separate bag for the car ride itself. This bag should include the following:

  • Snacks (fruit snacks, granola, trail mix)
  • Water and other drinks
  • First aid kit
  • Wet wipes and other clean up supplies
  • Entertainment supplies

Also plan for eating and nap time. Make sure to pack pillow and blankets for when everyone gets tired, and lap trays for food and drinks. These lap trays can also double as surfaces for play time.

For the entertainment, we’ve compiled a complete guide of possibilities for you below:

Road Trip Games For Kids

For kids of four years and older, finding the perfect road trip game can be difficult. You want to pick games that are easy enough for them to complete, but that also don’t lose their attention. Some of our favorite travel games for kids are included below:

Three kids aged 11 and 7 are having fun in car during a road trip. The kids are wearing shades on and having a lot of fun during road trip with the best travel games for kids

I’m Going on a Picnic

This classic game is fun, entertaining, and educational. The game follows the pattern of the alphabet. With the first person starting with “A” they say “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…” and then name a food starting with the letter “A.” The next person repeats this but must name a food that starts with a “B.” The game finishes when you finish the alphabet.

New Book

While this is not a game for the whole family, it makes a great activity for car rides. Give each kid a new story book that they can read for the road trip. It’s both fun and a learning activity, plus it gives Mom and Dad some quiet time.

Sing Along

Road trips are perfect opportunities to teach the whole family new songs. Whether they’re camp song classics, old favorites, or whatever’s on the radio, sing alongs are a perfect way to pass time. You can also print lyrics ahead of time to make sure everyone can follow along.

Car Activities For Toddlers

Sometimes road trips, especially long ones, with toddlers in the car can be a little overwhelming. Luckily we’ve found some great travel activities to help keep them busy and entertained:

Coloring Books

Coloring books make great distractions, and all you need are coloring pages and crayons. If you’re looking for coloring book drawings for your holiday road trip, check out our resources on Christmas coloring pages and Valentine’s coloring pages.

iPad/Electronic Games

Sometimes a great way to keep the kids happy in the back seat is with iPad or other electronic games. Preload an iPad with approved games and let them play to their heart’s content. Also, don’t forget to install parental controls.

family road trip with the best travel games for kids

I Spy

This classic has stuck around through the years and doesn’t seem to be on it’s way out any time soon. The game is played by each person taking turns saying “I spy, with my little eye, something…” and then they fill in the blank with a descriptive word like “green,” “small,” or “high up.” Everyone else in the car then takes turns guessing what it is.

Car Games For Teenagers

If you’re struggling to find travel games for your teens, look no further. The following activities will help keep them entertained all the way to your destination.

Riddles

Riddles are great ways to get people to exercise their brain and it makes for a healthy dose of competition. Luckily, there’s no end to riddles available online, so you’re have plenty for the whole car ride.

Phone Games

As simple as it sounds, phone games are sometimes a great gaming device for long road trips. Just make sure to limit the screen time so they don’t hurt their eyes.

20 Questions

This classic game is great for road trips because it takes time to play, and can require some serious problem solving skills. With one person answering 20 questions on who or what they might be, everyone else is left trying to narrow down the options.

Best Travel Games for Kids of All Ages

If you’re looking for more specific travel games for kids of all ages, we’ve got you covered. The following games are perfect for anyone, on any road trip.

License Plate Game

The license plate game can only be played while on the road, making it the ultimate travel game. The goal is to be the player who’s seen the most amount of different state or country car license plates. With each state plate called, you get a point, and no one else can claim that state’s license plate for the rest of the game.

license plates for the license plate game for road trips

Road Trip Bingo

Road trip bingo is perfect for family on a scenic drive or long road trip with geological diversity. First, make sure to print out bingo cards for the whole family. The should be labeled with things you’ll likely see on the trip such as “a red house” or “yellow flowers” or even famous landmarks. Make sure each bingo card has a different arrangement, then whoever gets a line in a row first, wins! This game also gives you the opportunity to take plenty of photos of the landmarks and scenic road views.

Would You Rather

Would you rather is a perfect travel game for families with a lot of creativity. The game is simple: people give two things, and ask everyone else which one they’d rather pick. For example, one might ask, “Would you rather have to eat one thing for the rest of your life, but never have to pay for food again, or have to pay for yourself and everyone else’s meals when dining out for the rest of your life?”

Travel Board Games

Travel board games can be bought in advance of a road trip and often make great distractions from the long trip. Many popular board game companies have developed special versions of their travel games for kids, and can be easily used in the back seat of a car. Popular board games for traveling include travel scrabble, bananagrams, pictionary cards, travel chess or checkers, various card games, and memory card games.

Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

Road trip scavenger hunts are similar to road trip bingo, but instead of trying to score a row of found items, each player attempts to be the first to cross off every item on their list. And if you’re worried about cheating, ask each person to take a picture of the thing they mark off, which makes for a great travel photo book in the future.

family playing the best travel games for kids