When traveling through an area with a lot of billboards or street signs, try this fun game which combines observation with the basics of the ABCs. Each child begins checking signs for words containing the letter "a". The first child who spots one calls it out and then moves on to the letter "b". No other child can use the sign where he found the "a" and must start again with the next sign. No sign may be used for more than one letter. The children then work their way through the alphabet letter by letter. The first child to reach the letter "z" wins the game.
This game works well for children with good imaginations. Point out a landmark on the road--an old barn, a used car dealership, an RV which passes your car on the highway or the like. Tell the children that they can see inside each landmark and ask them what they think is going on. Have them describe what they see and then use crayons and drawing paper to make a picture of it. Maybe the used car lot is actually a factory for building robots or an all-night diner has a giant octopus as a short order cook. Ideally, your kids should come up with these ideas on their own, but if they need a helping hand, you can provide the description and then have them draw the picture from there.
Pretend hide and seek, or long distance hide and seek, is a variation on the basic "20 Questions" game. Select a place in your home where you claim you are hiding. It can be anywhere--even places where you couldn't normally hide such as the sock drawer. (Those tend to be more fun.) The kids then take turns asking questions to determine where you are ("Are you in the bathroom?" "Is it dark where you are?") until someone gets it right. The questions must be answerable by a "yes" or a "no"; anything more elaborate and the enjoyment of the game is lost. Once they get the hang of it, each child can take a turn pretending to hide in the house while the other children guess his location.
