Stay Entertained On Your Next Road Trip | 6 Fun Car Games to Keep The Fam Occupied

Nothing beats the feeling of hitting the open road knowing you’re in for an action packed weekend filled with fishing, camping, off-roading and spending some quality time with the family.

However, there’s just one speed hump you need to cross first: the long drive there.

Long road trips can either be an enjoyable experience, with the kids happily sitting in the back laughing or sleeping.

Or, they can bring out the worst in everybody — kids fighting and screaming, drinks getting spilled, or food getting thrown around.

All this while being stuck behind a train of cars waiting to overtake a semi-trailer going 20kms under the speed limit.

Ahhh, how we love going on family road trips.

To make your next road trip a more enjoyable experience, we’ve created a list of fun games to play in the car to ensure it’s full of happy memories.

1- I Spy

This is a road trip classic that we’ve all grown up to love and I’m sure we’ve all played at some point in time.

• First, a nominated person will choose an object, only allowing to provide a certain number of hints as other family members take turns guessing what the object is.

• Hints can include colour, height, weight, texture, the first letter, material and a word that it sounds like.

• However, be mindful of what you choose. Selecting an object that goes speeding by in the opposite direction will not end well!

2- Would you rather?

‘Would you rather’ is a hypothetical game where players have to choose one or the other. For example, would you rather be superman or batman? Would you rather questions can be devised based on age and works well with older kids just as much as younger ones.

Would you rather questions for kids:

• Would you rather be a wizard or superhero?
• Would you rather be an astronaut or an olympic swimmer?
• Would you rather dance in front of 1000 people or sing in front of the whole school?
• Would you rather take a bite out of an onion or eat a lemon wedge?

3- Memory game

This game involves someone telling a story and while listing an item and the end. The next person begins with the same story and must list the first person’s item before adding their own item after it.

For example,

Person 1: “I am going on a road trip and I’m going to bring…a bowl”

Person 2: “I am going on a road trip and I’m going to bring a bowl… of yoghurt”

Any players who get a part of the story wrong will be eliminated, and the story resets.

4- The singing game

For all the songbirds in the car, this is a game that’s going to test your lyrical skills. It starts with one person singing a lyric from a song.

The next person must then connect to it with another songs lyrics. The game continues until someone messes up the lyrics or is stumped.

For example,

Person 1: Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?

Person 2: Night is young and the music’s high

Person 3: Take my hand, we’ll make it i swear…

5- Name that song

This game involves one person reciting lyrics from a popular song in a normal-tone voice while the other passengers must guess the name of the song.

You may provide hints such as who is the artist if it becomes too difficult to guess.

6- Who am I?

To make this game more appropriate for the car, one person will be given a sticky note with the name of a famous celebrity, actor or fictional character.

This person does not know who they have been given and must ask yes or no questions until they figure out who they are.

Tips for playing who am i?

• Start with asking broad questions. EG: am I a male?
• Get more specific with your questions EG: am I a fictional character?

7- Mobile games to help pass time

Thanks to modern day technology, there are now more ways to help pass time on a long road trip, with thousands of mobile games available for free. Choose to get the whole family involved with games including What If, or keep the kids occupied with Mario Kart while you drive in peace.

1- What If

One person asks a question that asks you to consider what you’d do in a certain situation. As a group, each passenger will take turns to answer the question or take a majority poll to decide on a collective answer.

For example, What If you could fly but could no longer walk? Others would then have to guess yes or no to see if everyone agrees with your answer.

2- Mario Kart

If you played Mario Kart 64 then you’d know this is an absolute winner when it comes to keeping the kids occupied. Mario Kart Tour is currently free-to-play on iOS and Android and allows friends and families to compete globally anytime and from anywhere.

3- Family’s Game Travel Pack Lite

Get the whole family involved with multiplayer games including Chess, Crazy Eights and Sudoku. Players can opt to play against each other in multiplayer games or choose to play solo in offline mode against the AI.

4- Lego Creator Islands

You can forget about stepping on rogue pieces of Lego thanks to virtual blocks. When the real thing isn’t available, this official game is the perfect virtual substitute. It allows players to build an island that you can call your own.

From designing vehicles including boats and planes, vibrant cities, to constructing neighborhoods with perfect harmony, Lego Creator Islands is guaranteed to keep the young ones occupied on long road trips.

Note: We recommend disabling in-app purchases at a system level on your device before handing it over to the little ones.Now the questions is where to?
Here are a few suggestions that might interest you around Perth and WA:
– Family day trips around Perth
– WA’s most beautiful scenic drives
– Stargazing in WA

Before heading out with your family, make sure your car is up to safety standards – tyres are well maintained and no chips on your windscreen.

If you’re afraid it will be a little bit too hot for the little ones, consider tinting your windows.