We can all remember those long boring drives as a child, can’t we? Hours of nothing but the same car interior over and over. Now most of us are from an era where iPhone, tablets and high-speed mobile internet didn’t exist – But what of the fun we had on those car journeys to our favourite holiday destination? The family bonding over hours of I Spy and other printable road trip games we used to play as our excitement built whenever we would see another landmark that we knew meant we were ever closer to our destination. Can you remember the excitement, the buzz, and the energy we all used to feel? Sometimes that boring car journey became something much more special …
If you want to excite your kids with something more than a mobile or tablet screen and replicate the family fun that you had as a child bounding towards your favourite holiday destination, then Things to do on a Car Journey has everything that you’re looking for. From I Spy (but bigger and better) to word searches, scavenger hunts, and much more! Simply read on for the list of car journey games with free printable worksheets for all the family to enjoy!
I Spy Activity Sheets
Now, I Spy should be top of the list for every long car journey game – after all, it is one of the best car journey games there is. Our free printable I Spy worksheets give you three options to enjoy with all the family! We have our I Spy traffic sheet – providing a fun and exciting new I Spy experience for children to enjoy – you may even get a few teenagers excited too! The kids can be occupied in the back seat with all three I Spy sheets while they use them to count in the number of farm animals, road traffic items, and beach items that you can find and come as a part of our free printable worksheets.
I Spy is a fantastic educational tool for children. It sparks an imaginative and creative part within them and can be absolutely captivating for young children. There are many proven mental health benefits of playing I Spy with your kids, from building a working memory by helping your younger children remember animals using our Farm Animals sheet to enhancing visual stimulation, crucial for younger children. ( More ispy worksheets can be found here )
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ISPY TRAFFIC
ISPY BEACH
ISPY FARM ANIMALS
Road Trip Scavenger Hunt’s
What is better than a scavenger hunt? Two of course! Our first scavenger hunt includes plenty of objects you will pass on your road trip, with tractors, animals, and plenty of different objects for the kids to look out for! Next up is one for the future car fanatics we have amongst us! What better way to get our enthusiastic youngsters learning about the road than with our Road Sign Scavenger hunt! The Scavenger hunts are really easy to play and are absolutely perfect for use on long car journeys. Simply print the sheets off and hand them out to all the family – they’ll be on the lookout for all the signs and objects, checking each one off as you pass by from our free printable worksheets. This is a fantastic tool to engage your children and promote visual learning through recognising different objects and road signs on your journey. What better way to turn something relatively normal into competitive fun for all of the family to enjoy! ( More Scavenger hunts can be found here.
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SCAVENGER HUNT
ROAD SIGN SCAVENGER HUNT
Car Colour & Supermarket Lorry Game
The car colour game is another one of our amazing free printable road trip games that can be used for family enjoyment on long car journeys. The Car Colour game consists of six colour cars and a checklist alongside each car. Each person is to pick a colour and the first person to spot 20 cars of their chosen colour wins the game. This game can be played over and over with the whole family, picking a different colour each time. The fun can last as long as you want it! The Car Colour Road Trip game is an easy and fun competitive game to play with children of all ages. But the fun doesn’t stop there, make sure you don’t miss out on the supermarket lorry game. The same rules apply, simply print off our free printable worksheets and get each family member to pick out a type of supermarket lorry, checking off each type of lorry on your journey, and the first one to get them all wins!
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CAR COLOUR GAME
SUPERMARKET LORRY GAME
Fun Car Mazes
If you haven’t already got enough fun and exciting games to play on car journeys, we also have three mazes for your children to complete. The mazes consist of a drive to the petrol station where you will be guiding the family through a series of twists and turns to get to the pumps! Make this even more enjoyable for your children by adding a time limit – we wouldn’t want to run out of fuel now, would we! Next up is ‘Find the path to the key’ a game with three options; A, B, and C – which is the right path to follow to the key? Simply follow the lines to the correct answer! Finally, another maze! A little trickier than the first one but the same rules apply. All you have to do is guide the family home by choosing the correct path! Mazes are a great way to keep the kids entertained all by themselves and may even give you a bit of peace and quiet … for a short time!
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FIND THE WAY HOME
DRIVE TO THE PETROL STATION
FIND YOUR KEYS
Wordsearches
Who doesn’t love a good wordsearch? Well with our free printable worksheets we have two for you! The first wordsearch consists of different car makes – what better way to get those young car fanatics learning about their favourite cars! Also included is the vehicle wordsearch covering vehicles from gondola’s to oil tankers! The wordsearches are child friendly but may even give some of you adults a run for your money! ( Check out our other printable word searches here )
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CAR WORD SEARCH
VEHICLE WORD SEARCH
Car Journey Bingo
Gone are the days of boring car journeys with the car travel bingo game. This family car journey game will transform that long drive into family fun for all to enjoy.
The car travel bingo game can be printed off and used with ease for maximum enjoyment.
How to use;
- Print off the bingo sheets
- Simply keep your eyes peeled and check off each grid when you see one of the objects on your journey
- You can add in as many games as you like (First to get to a row/line or 4 corners, all the way to the big win of the full house!)
- Shout BINGO when completed!
Car bingo is just one of the many games to play on car journeys you’ll find here. Just read on, print the games out, and let the fun begin. Before you know it, you and your whole family will be wanting that journey to last just a little while longer.
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BINGO CARDS
Design Truck & Van
Included with our free printable worksheets is a design your own trailer and van template, which should keep those budding artists occupied for a while! There will be plenty of inspiration on your journey for the kids to design their own trailer or van, or maybe they’ll fancy a go at drawing mommy or daddies’ work vans! Remember to print a few copies so they can design as many as they like!
Family Quiz
Finally, we come to our family quiz, an incredible car journey game to pass the time. The general knowledge quiz includes 100 questions that will test all the family. The quiz includes questions from – General knowledge, film, TV trivia, and plenty more to get all the family thinking!
All of these things to do on a car journey Include free printable worksheets – so before you set off on that summer holiday road trip with all of the kids make sure you check out all of our printable road trip games – you will be surprised just how much fun you can have on that long car journey!
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QUIZ QUESTIONS
The Number Plate Game
The number plate game is an incredibly fun activity to play, not only this it stimulates learning behaviours in your children in a fun and engaging way. The game is simple to play, take the letters from a number plate on the road and try to make a word with it. The longer the word the more points you receive. For example, points can be based on this;
1-3 Letter word – 1 Point
4-6 Letter words – 3 Points
6-10 Letter words – 5 Points
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PLAYERS SHEET
SCORECARD
The Alphabet Game
Starting with the letter ‘A” as you pass each road sign you must find the next letter in the alphabet. For example, you would look for ‘A’ on the first road sign, then the letter ‘B’ on the next! This is a great road trip game to play and is a brilliant way to get your younger children to learn the alphabet too!
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ALPHABET GAME
Other road trip games Ideas
What about some more games to play on long car journeys? Here are some classics;
Simon Say’s
I’m sure most of you amongst us will remember this old classic, but here is a recap for those who don’t;
One of you starts as the leader – this is the person who will be giving out the commands
The leader will give out commands such as ‘Simon Says put your right hand on your head’
The aim of the game is for the leader to get someone – or everyone to do a command without saying ‘Simon Say’s ‘ for example if the leader says ‘Put your right hand on your head’ without saying Simon Say’s then whoever completes that action is out of the game!
Pick up the speed of the game to make it more difficult!
Brilliant and engaging to play with all of the family – but maybe leave the driver out of the game!
Twenty Questions
Twenty questions is exactly as easy as it sounds, 20 questions of the chosen question masters choice, and everyone must answer. This game can be really useful in getting to know your kids and teenagers better in a safe and fun environment.
Name the Song
Name the Song or Name the artist (those music fanatics out there can play both) is a really fun game to play along with the radio. Simply keep score of who can guess the song, artist, or both as each song comes on the radio. You can also create your own playlist to make this more suitable for all age ranges and can be hours of fun!
What Colour Is it?
Before your journey, create a list of items that are all the same colour. The list can be as long or short as you like. Cycle through this list of items of same colour until the kids shout out the correct colour. For example; Sky, the sea, blueberries until the kids shout the word blue!
Would you rather?
This old classic game has been used on car journeys, meeting icebreakers, and parties for years. But just to refresh, one person asks the question ‘Would you rather’ then adds their own twist, such as;
‘Would you rather be able to hold your breath underwater and swim for as long as you want or have wings and be able to fly like a bird’
Or
‘Would you rather be an astronaut or a pilot’
Then all of the other players must answer. Then take it in turns to be the chosen one to ask the questions!
Top 10’s
Top 10’s can be applied to pretty much anything! 10 movies, car makes and models, songs, artists, holiday destinations and so many more. So, pick the genre of your Top 10 and get all the family to list their favourites! This game is such a fun car journey game and can go on for hours!
Count the ……
Count the sheep, count the road signs or count the car make! Whatever takes yours and the kid’s fancy is up to you! The aim of the game is that by the end of the road trip whoever has the highest tally of whatever object you have all decided wins, just get someone to keep count along the way, and you are guaranteed hours of competitive fun!
Finish the ….
Whether it’s finish the statement, finish the movie line or finish the song – you can guarantee loads of fun with this car journey game! It is as easy as it sounds, simply choose one person to start the sentence, and the first person in the car to finish the sentence wins the round. Either have the kids shouting out their answers or take it in turns for a challenging points finale!
Name the Most ….
Another game that you and the family can mix up to suit your own preferences is ‘name the most’. A simple game where you choose the category, for example; Name the most Disney films or name the most songs by a certain artist. To make it even more competitive add time limits to make this next game to play on a car journey even more fun-filled!
The Shopping Game
The chosen player thinks about an item they can get at a supermarket and the rest of the players have to guess the item by asking questions about it. For example, they would ask;
‘Can we find it in the fruit and veg aisle’
Keep asking questions and guessing items until finally there is a winner!
The Category Game
First off choose the category, it can be anything you like from food, to songs to films. Then, after you have chosen the category each player must take it in turns to name an item from that category in alphabetical order. For example; If you had chosen children’s songs you could start with – Alphabet song, Baby Shark and so on and so forth. This game can get really challenging dependant on the category and is sure to bring lots of fun!
In my Suitcase
This really fun memory game is such an enjoyable way to pass the time. The chosen person must start the game by saying; ‘In my suitcase I have packed’ and then the following players must start with something beginning with the letter ‘A” and work their way down the alphabet! It’s great to see how many letters of the alphabet you can get through before someone gives up or forgets!
Truth or lie
Taking it in turns to say different statements, one passenger must make a statement such as ‘Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike competition and came third’ and the rest of the passengers must decide whether the statement is the truth or a lie. The statements can be as bold or outrageous as you like and is definitely a great car journey game for adults and children alike!
Did year hear that ….
‘Did you hear that ….’ Is another fun car journey game that is a little bit of a twist on ‘Truth or Lie’. One passenger makes a statement such as; ‘Did you hear that my teacher used to be a pilot’ and the other passengers have to guess whether the statement is true or false. It can be as silly or authentic as you like!
The Name Game
To play the name game you must start with the name of someone famous and continue naming names based on the first letter of the last name until someone gives up or gets it wrong! For example; Harry Potter, Peter Rabbit, Buzz Lightyear and so on! This is a great game for kids, naming their favourite characters and also is great for teenagers and adults.
Battle of the Bands
To play, two people must pick a category, such as; ‘Children’s songs’ and the two people must battle within a time limit to name as many Children’s songs as they can! The other passengers can judge the choices and ensure that they keep a tally to decide the winner!
The Word Association Game
First off, one person begins with a word and then the following person must come up with a word associated with that word, then the next player a word associated with the previous word. Keep on playing until someone gives up or the rest of the car decides that their word is not associated! For example; Computer, Keyboard, Mouse, Rats and so on! This car journey game is sure to bring endless fun to your trip!
On My Side
A really fun and interactive game to keep the kids entertained is ‘On my Side’. Simple choose a number of objects, like sheep, McDonalds or even types of vehicles and get shouting when one of the objects is on your side! ‘Sheep on my side!’
The Counting Game
One of the passengers begins with the number 1, then randomly another passenger must follow with the number 2 and so on. The game ends when you get to the number 20, or if you and your family are really good why not try to get to 50. Here is the twist, if two passengers say the same number at the same time you must restart the game again, or if longer than 5 seconds passes without someone shouting a number out, the game must restart again!
The Movie Game
The game must start with an actor or actress and another passenger must state a movie that they were in, the next passenger must name another actor or actress from that movie and the game carries on until someone gets it wrong or can’t think of a movie or actor / actress to go next. This game can sometimes be a little tricky for younger children but is guaranteed to make car rides fun for teenagers and adults!
While you were asleep
You are almost guaranteed to get some tired eyes during your car journey, and this car journey game is perfect for that situation. Wait until one of the passengers falls to sleep and when the sleepy passenger wakes up, someone must start telling the story, then the next passenger must add to the story, followed by the next passenger and so on. The aim of the game is to get the sleepy passenger to believe what happened whilst they were sleeping! To make it even more fun, you can add a points system to the story telling. Any person telling a believable part gains points and anyone who gets a bit too outrageous loses points!
The Rhyme Game
The first passenger must start with a lyric or rhyme, of their own choosing (this must be completely self-made) then the next passenger must add the next lyric or rhyme and continue around the car until someone doesn’t rhyme it with the previous lyric!
The Rule Game
Passengers must take it in turns to make rules throughout the car journey. The rules can be anything you like, within reason of being in the car, but you might want to try things like ‘Every time that we pass a yellow car all passengers must clap three times.’ Keep going with the rules until someone forgets to follow one of them and then they are out of the game! This is one sure fire car journey game for all of the family to have fun with, no matter the age!
Who am I?
Whether it be a fictional character, a celebrity or someone from history – passengers must take it in turns to pick a character and answer questions as that person. The rest of the passengers then must take it in turns asking questions about the character until one of the passengers guesses correct!
The Quiet Game
This may be your favourite game of all to play with the kids and probably best to play when you need a little quiet time. Simply challenge everyone in the car to be quiet for as long as they possibly can, the winner is the one who stays quiet the longest!
The Story Game
On your journey you are sure to pass hundreds of different cars, full of families all likely heading to their holiday destination. Passengers must take it in turns to pick out a car and create the most interesting story they can based on that car. The stories can be as funny and outrageous as you like and to determine the winner all of the passengers in the car must vote and decide!
Can you spell ….
This is a fun and educational game to play with your kids and can become a great learning tool as well as a competitive game to play on your car journey. Simply choose words, starting with the easier to spell words and then progressively getting more difficult and get the kids to answer. You may need to help of google with this one, but this game is highly recommended if you want to add an educational opportunity that feels like fun to your trip!
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock, paper, Scissors is definitely up there with I Spy with one of the old classics! If you don’t already know the rules then here is a reminder; Two players must count to three, on three each player must make the shape of either a rock (closed fist), paper (flat hand) or scissors (Index and Middle finger in the shape of a pair of scissors), the winner is then determined by these rules – Rock beats scissors, Paper beats rock and Scissors beats paper. Play in rounds of three to determine the overall winner!
Never have I ever
Never have I ever is another one of the classics and can be enjoyed by all age ranges. The game is simple, one of the passengers says the statement ‘Never have I ever ….’ Then a statement of their choice, such as ‘Never have I ever been to the seaside’ and the rest of the car has to determine whether the passenger is telling the truth or not!
Health Benefits From Our printable road trip games
Although technology has certainly came a long way in recent years, which is absolutely fantastic, our children now have access to all of the information in the world at their fingertips. There are, in some circumstances the argument that as we have been able to communicate more freely, we have lost touch with the way we would bond, as families – together. The purpose of the car journey games you find here are to help pull your kids from those tablets and engage in fun activities with all of the family. That way, those potentially boring and silent hours on that long car journey can be filled with bonding, understanding and fun – what better way to start and finish your holiday. Games such as the ones mentioned in this post are brilliant ways to combine fun interaction between adults and children alike, as well as promote healthy learning through visual and cognitive awareness. Not only this these games touch upon an understanding of words and sentences as well as challenging your child with fun and creative games.
Closing Statements
One of the most special things about holidays is putting work away and really enjoying quality time with your family. It’s easy to get lost in the daily routine of working life, but these are the moments you’re working so hard for – so make sure you check out all of our free printable road trip games worksheets for your long car journey and make the most of those hours spent in the car with your family. Not only that, check out www.justfamilyfun.com for more activities, we guarantee we have everything covered with hours upon hours of fun for you and all of the family!