Get your face out of your smart phone, pry the iPad out of your kids’ hands, and try for some good, old-fashioned family drive time.
1. 20 Questions
One player thinks of a person, place, or thing. The other players ask that player 20 yes-or-no questions to figure out what the person is thinking about. Be strategic about the clues and this one can go on a while. Shout out the right answer and you win.
2. Round Robin
Get everyone giggling (even that perpetually cranky teenager) with this exercise in creative storytelling. Start by creating the order in which each family member will speak. The first person starts a story by coming up with the first sentence. Then each “player” takes turns adding the next sentence, one at a time. This one can go on and on, and usually results in some pretty ridiculous scenarios.
3. License Plate Scavenger Hunt
Before hitting the road, sit down with your kids and make a list of state license plates for your hunt. Choose a number that works for your travel time (10 or 15 for a couple-hour drive). Hand out a list to each family member to keep track of the ones they find during the drive. The winner is the first to find them all.
4. Alphabet City
This is a great one for including younger kids since it doesn’t involve reading, but includes all of the letters. Have each family member take turns shouting out items they see that begin with each letter of the alphabet, starting with A and continuing in alphabetical order. For example, the first person might see an ‘a’nimal in someone’s car, the next might see a ‘b’lue car, the next a ‘c’loud. Keep it silly and you’ll have much more fun (and be able to get through the trickier letters).
