Your holiday can start as soon as you set off for the port when you play these fun family road trip games. Avoid the dreaded chorus of ‘we’re bored’ or ‘are we there yet?’ by entertaining the kids with these simple and enjoyable games, and you might even get a bit of peace and quiet during the drive too!
Alphabet road trip games
There are a number of family road trip games that can be played which are based on the alphabet. These are a great option for children who are trying to improve their alphabet skills, but are also fun for those who learnt it a long time ago!
The original alphabet game is where you choose a topic, such as types of food or animals, and say something from within that topic beginning with each letter of the alphabet, starting with ‘A’. To make it more difficult, get everyone to recite all of the words that have been said before adding their own to the end. Alternatively, start with ‘Z’ and go through the alphabet backwards.
Another fun alphabet game involves trying to spot things beginning with each letter of the alphabet out of the car windows. This is a great option for playing as a team because you can all work together to reach the end of the alphabet. If you’d like to make it competitive, you could always offer a point to whoever spots the required object.
Observation road trip games
As you travel down what feels like endless miles of roads you are sure to see lots of things along the way. Quite often, you can include these in an observation game that is sure to keep everyone entertained.
If you have some time to plan in advance, it can be fun to make or download some travel bingo cards for the journey. This game is simply played like normal bingo, except you’re all trying to spot the things on your cards out of the window instead of listening for numbers. Don’t forget to take coins or counters that can be used to cover objects once they’ve been seen.
Alternatively, you can combine observation with counting by each choosing something you’d like to look out for and gaining a point each time you spot it. Horses, yellow cars, and emergency vehicles work well in this game, but you can tailor it to suit the types of road that you are travelling on.
No road trip is complete without a game of I-Spy! Say the famous phrase ‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…’ and the rest of the car can guess what’s on your mind. If you have younger children who aren’t confident using letters yet, they can always name the colour that something is rather than the letter it starts with.
Creative road trip games
A road trip offers the perfect opportunity to get a bit creative, and there are plenty of games that will get the whole family thinking. Start off with a classic – 20 questions. Someone simply has to think of an object and everyone else has to work out what it is by asking no more than 20 questions. Top tip: think outside the box!
Another creative road trip game is based around storytelling. Someone starts off by saying a sentence that could start a story and then people add on a sentence one by one. You may be surprised at the twists and turns that are created as the story progresses and everyone has fun using their imaginations.
A game that can be educational for younger children is rhyming words. Start off with three letter words as these are easy to rhyme with, and encourage your little ones to come up with words that rhyme with them. Feel free to give hints if they are getting stuck!
With so many fun family road trip games to try during your drive to the port, or onwards to your destination, you can make the journey part of your holiday! Take a look at our tips for travelling with kids on a P&O ferry too!
