Years ago, travel games didn't refer to little electronic boxes that beeped. Rather, they referred to classic board games miniaturized to be easily playable on long trips in cars or planes. Manufacturers still make board games, including chess, checkers and other familiar favorites, that have magnetized pieces and come in handy traveling cases. Perhaps the easiest to pack with the most options for entertainment is the simple deck of cards. With cards, kids can switch between games like Crazy Eights, Go Fish and War without ever having to get out new game equipment.
If hearing song titles like "Home on the Range," "On Top of Spaghetti" and "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" bring back fond memories of car trips from your childhood, the time has come to pass the tradition on to your own children. Families in the mood for more than the classic sing-along can take the musical entertainment to the next level by adding an element of competition into the mix. Incorporate the classic game show "Name That Tune" into the sing-along by having kids hum short portions of the next song they want to sing rather than simply calling out the title. The person who correctly guesses the melody gets to pick the next song. Add an additional challenge to the sing-along by requiring the picker to select a new song that has one word in common with the previous song. For example, "Do, Re Mi" and "Home On the Range" both have the word "deer" in the lyrics. Musical games work best when traveling in cars or RVs, where your family's rambunctious singing won't disturb other passengers.
Some classic car games rely on kids to use their keen observational skills as they take in the passing countryside. I Spy, while entertaining, presents a certain challenge as the objects spied might slip out of view as the car rolls on before the other players can correctly identify it. On the other hand, License Plate ID can last the entire duration of the vacation as kids can play off and on for the entire trip. Keep track of plates from different states together as a family or keep separate tallies to compare at the trip's end, noting which family member had the most from each state and which had the greatest variety of spotted plates. Aside from license plates, kids can keep track of vehicle types or car colors instead. When the sun goes down, keep an eye out for those automobiles with only one headlight.
Verbal games get kids talking, laughing and interacting with one another in a positive way. With 20 Questions, kids get to guess which person place or thing their sibling is thinking of as they ask each other carefully worded questions that must be answerable with a simple 'yes' or 'no.' Some verbal games challenge memory skills as well, such as the classic "I'm Going on a Picnic" in which players take turns selecting items to take on the picnic in alphabetical order. The challenge is to remember all the items each player has selected before adding your own to the list. For example, a player on the letter D would need to include previously named items by saying, "I'm going on a picnic and I'm taking an apple, a brat, a cabbage and a drumstick." Substitute other locations, such as the beach, school or your trip destination to create new variations of the game.
