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Games and Activities for the car
In Grandmother's Trunk - This is a great one for memorization, recitation, and alphabetizing! The youngest player goes first. She says, "In grandmother's trunk, I found an a pple." Or any other word beginning with A. The next player has to repeat, "In grandmother's trunk, I found an a pple, and a b oxing glove." The third, "In grandmother's trunk, I found an a pple, a b oxing glove, and a c ardboard cutout of Scooby Doo." After all players have had a turn, the youngest takes another turn, repeating all that has gone before her. You can play this a couple of different ways. If you like a competitive style, those who fail to remember are "out." If you have different ages, the younger ones can choose anything while the older are required to choose from a certain category (like fruit or automobile makes.) It's a lot of fun, especially if you have some creative players in the game. If you have a 9 year old boy (hi David!), you might want to make certain Mom has the letter "P" [furrowed brow].
Out of State - I don't recommend the way my brothers played this game with me while we were growing up. An out of state license plate meant a punch on the arm. Joe sure seemed to find a lot of out of state vehicles! ;-) We play a kindler, more gentle version. The first person to spot an out of state license plate and call it out loud gets one point. If he can name the capital, he gets another point. We keep track of points on a monthly basis. Hawaii is extra -- we made it 50 points (still 1 for the capital); same with Rhode Island, Canada, and Alaska (10, 2, and 5, respectively). You'll want to change point values by scarcity in your area.
Fractured Phrases - This license plate game is another that can be customized by maturity level. For the younger ones, simply naming words might be enough. Call out a license plate, "YBA 112." Think of a word beginning with each letter. Make it progressively more difficult with the next oldest child needing to make a sentence (" Y ou'd b etter a nswer.") Another, three words with something in common ("Youth, baby, adult"); and the oldest group assigned their foreign language study or parts of speech.
Alphabet Signs - I loved seeing liquor stores out the car window when I was young. No, not what you might think! Qs were so hard to come by! The Alphabet Sign game is pretty simple and straightforward. You have to find, in alphabetical order, letters on signs. That includes road signs, billboards, and buildings. It does NOT include license plates or bumper stickers. Too easy to "mistake" an O for a Q on a vehicle moving 65 mph. Start at the same time. Players must call out their letters and, for readers, the word in which it appears. "A, on the Road Work Ahead sign." "B, on the Billboard for rent billboard." "X on the exit ramp." etc etc Letters must be found in order. If you have mixed ages, you can handicap the older children by changing their rules to finding TWO of each letter before moving on. Just make sure you explain to your neighbors why your kids are arguing over who saw the liquor store first ;-).
Fortunately/Unfortunately - A great one for narration. Your storytellers will love it. Mom begins. "Unfortunately, I forgot to pack snacks for this trip." Jenna chimes in, "Fortunately, there's a Jack In The Box along the way." David continues, "Unfortunately, I didn't bring my wallet." To which Elisha replies, "Fortunately, they take checks!" Lizzie's turn, "Unfortunately, Mom already spent all of Dad's money in the checking account." And back to Mom, "Fortunately, I have a little cash." And so on. You can play silly and outrageous fiction, or reality-based, depending upon the mood.
Everything in its Place - First, determine what category your answers will fill. You can play as general or specific as you like. Cities is a good one. Let Mom go second. First player begins with A. He must think of a city that begins with A. " A usti n ". Mom now has to think of one that begins with N. Double points if they are in the same state. " N ashvill e ." "Ooh. E is a hard one!" " E dmonto n ." "Hey, no fair, that's in Canada!" Better make the category more specific. US Cities. Back to N. No, Nashville can't be used again. " N orma n ." "That's not a city, that's a boy!" "No, Norman is in Oklahoma. It counts." "You didn't know that. You just guessed." "I knew it." "Did not." "Did so." "It counts. Hmmm...it counts DOUBLE because it begins and ends with the same letter. Next?" " N orma n ." "Your sister already said that." "No, I meant Norman, North CAROLINA, not Norman, Oklahoma." "Ahhh, that doesn't count either." Anyway, you get the idea. If you have a child that takes things as literally as one of mine does (hi David!), you'll want to be very specific with the rules. It's a lot of fun, and can go on indefinitely.
Buzz - I was always "out" right away with this. Buzz requires thinking fast on your feet, or thinking ahead like a chess player. But it's a fun game nevertheless. It's also a welcome change from all the language games for your math-minded child. Choose the game number first. 3 is a good one. Start with the youngest. She counts off out loud. "1". The next child is "2." But the third child isn't 3. He sounds off, "Buzz." Anything with a 3 OR A MULTIPLE OF 3 becomes "buzz." Here's how the 3 game would play out. "1, 2, buzz, 4, 5, buzz, 7, 8, buzz, 10, 11, buzz, buzz, 14, buzz, 16, 17, buzz, 19, 20, buzz, 22, buzz, buzz, 25, 26, buzz, 28, 29, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, 40, 41, buzz, buzz, 44, buzz, 46, 47, buzz, 49, 50." I don't know that we've ever gotten to 50, though I suppose if you have teens, you might. 2 is really difficult. 5 is the easiest for us.
Twenty Questions - An old stand-by. Everyone knows this one, right? Yes or no questions. It helps if the person who is "it" tells Mom or Dad what he is first. That way, if the little ones get confused, Dad can step in an correct them. I picked Eli's first guess. "Are you Buzz Lightyear?" "Yes." Game over ;-) Usually, it's not that quick. "It" chooses something to be. I'm the steering wheel. They have to guess within 20 questions. "Are you alive?" is usually first. "No." "Are you something we can see right now?" "Yes." etc etc Sometimes this has to be 30 questions, and sometimes we simply "forget" to count.
The Word Game - An easy one, but you'll need to join in to make sure it doesn't go off on a tangent that's inappropriate. The concept is simple. Each person gets one word, in turn. Jenna: "I"; Mom: "love"; David: "stinky"; Elisha: "old"; Elizabeth (said with absolute glee): "David." "No Elizabeth, you can't use the name of someone in the car." "Can I use Uncle David?" "Hmmm...let's make it no names, period." If you have older children, you can vary this in a couple of different ways. Play that whomever ends a sentence is "out." Or, assign older children to specific words -- parts of speech or words beginning with a particular letter.
Rhyming - I'm not a big fan of rap and wouldn't allow my children to listen to it, but simple rhyming can be a lot of fun. One sentence each, in turn. Don't let your smart-alec start with, "Today I ate an orange," or "My favorite color is purple." ;-) Best if Mom or Dad begins. Some words that are easy for the younger set to rhyme: Bat, Ball, Win, Sit.
"We're going to the store to get some bread,
That's where we're going, Mom said.
Put on your seatbelt, knucklehead!
Hey! I just saw Grandpa Fred!"
I Spy - Along the same lines as 20 Questions, but with no limit to the amount of questions. "I spy with my little eye something green. " It's a little easier because it has to be something in plain view. Rotate questions. The questioner gets to ask until he gets a "no." Then it's the next player's turn. First one to guess what it is wins and becomes "it."
Six Syllable Stories (say THAT three times fast!) - This is a fun one, but requires a little more thinking. Start a story line. "Once upon a time, there..." Next player adds six syllables to the story. "...was a carful of a..." Next adds six more. "mazing, flying, acro..." and so on and so forth. If you have younger children, change it to six words, or four words, or one sentence. That's easier than syllables for them. You can also play one-word at a time, though we have found that the longer phrases are more productive. Whatever works for your own. This is really good for narration practice, especially if you have a child who may be a little insecure about telling a whole story out loud.
ABC Story - This is better for the older children. Create a story five words at a time. The catch? Each of your five words must begin with the same letter, and be in alphabetical order. "About an acre away, a..." "boy's best buddy, Brian, began..." "calling Cathy's cat. 'Come Calico!' " The game can end when the alphabet is completed or after everyone has a specific amount of turns.
Four Letter Words - No, not the ones you're thinking of. These are parts to a round-robin story. Each word has to be four letters long. It's not as easy as you might think!
Who Am I? - A good logic game. If you have the board game version of this (and actually still have all the cards!), you're likely well versed in the rules. For the rest of you, it's similar to I Spy. Yes or no questions can be asked. "I'm thinking of a person. Can you guess who it is?" "Is it a man?" "Yes." "Is he older than you are?" "Yes." "Does he have grey hair?" "No." Jenna is very disappointed, having narrowed it down significantly for the next questioner. "Does he live in California?" "Yes." "Is he related to you?" "Yes." "Is it Grandpa?" "No." David asked too early. Elisha thinks for a moment. "Is it one of your brothers?" "Yes." "Is it Uncle...um, never mind. Does he have blonde hair?" "Yes." "Is it Uncle Brian?" "Yes! Hooray!" The correct guesser gets to choose the next person.
Props - Okay, I admit it. Paul watches Whose Line Is It Anyway? We've modified their idea, and play Props in the car. It's a non-competitive game that stretches our children's creativity. Elisha is especially good at it. Take a bag of whatever you have in the car -- a diaper bag, purse, toy bag, even the food bag. The children take turns removing an item and using it as a prop. For instance, a baby bottle might become an elephant's trunk, or a pen may end up to be an Olympic javelin. Make sure each child gets a chance to act out a short scene before the next one takes a turn. This can be hilarious :-).
In My World - This game looks easy when it's written down. It's not so easy when it's spoken. You'd think it could only be played once, but it's fun even after everyone has caught on. The person who knows the code begins. "In my world, there are kittens, but no cats." The next player says, "In my world, there is green, but no blue." "Correct." The third, "In my world, there is water, but no streams." "Incorrect." The object of the game is for all players to crack the code. See if you can figure it out from the following true statements:
In my world, there is pepper, but no salt.
In my world, there are battles, but no wars.
In my world, there is Bippity Boppity Boo, but no Fairy Godmother.
Do you know the code? Everything IN the world must have a double letter! Remember, it's a lot more difficult when you can't see the clues.
I'm Going On A Picnic - Similar to In My World except the code is what you're bringing must start with the same letter as your name. Philip stumped us with this one because there was no alliteration. "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing pickles." It took us quite awhile to connect pickles, pasta, and poor boys to "Philip." Thanks to Philip for these two games!
Digital Safari - I love our digital camera. It may not be the fanciest model, but it takes great pictures and it's easy to erase the not-so-great ones. And, most importantly, it's sturdy enough for the children to use. For the Digital Safari game, make a list of a dozen or so items that possibly may be found along your route. Assign point values to each item, and give extra credit to clear photos. Then give your budding shutterbug half an hour to photograph as many as possible before it's the next adventurer's turn. You might assign him to find a red barn, a police car, someone in another car waving, a cow, etc.
My personal favorite car game is the Quiet Contest. Guess who made this one up? Not the children! Five minutes is about the limit for my five-year old, so five minutes from home or our stop, I'll say, "Let's have a Quiet Contest!" Mine are up for anything that is a "contest." *snicker* Mouths close, giggles are surpressed. One whole minute of silence! "Cough, cough." I can tell a fake one. "That's 1 point for you, Eli." "But I didn't say anything." "That's 1 more." "Ha ha, you got a point," Lizzie whispers. "That makes 2 for Eli and 1 for Lizzie." Four minutes is all David can stand. "Mom, I need to go to the bathroom." Five minutes is up, and Jenna gets to choose the restaurant. "She always wins," whines Elisha. "Just pick one with a bathroom!" pleads David.
CURING THE "ARE WE THERE YET?"S
It's the question every driver loathes. Especially when it's voiced by a messy face with nose crunched up in a nasal tone that indicates the questioner isn't necessarily looking for an answer. There are a few ways to combat this, none of which works every time.
For long trips, get your interrogator his own map or Rand McNally Atlas. Turn it around on him! "How much longer until our next stop?" "Are we halfway there yet?" Let him be your navigator. Give him a marker and let him trace the route and make notes as you go along.
For shorter trips on the freeway, see who can hold their breath the longest between mile markers! Of course, unless you drive like my dad, none of them is likely to be able to make even the first marker. But that 30 seconds of silence sure is nice ;-). Mile markers can also be another source of amusement. Give them one minute (about the time between markers, or 45 seconds for my dad) to relate the number to something else. For instance, mile 2 52 becomes 52 weeks in a year. Mile 258 is "+3" -- 2 +3= 5 , 5+3= 8 . Mile 2 70 is when daddy says Jenna can get married -- age 70 . 25 4 is four seasons.
Send us your Road Scholar ideas ! We're happy to credit you :-).
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