On our way to Michigan two weeks ago, we were less than an hour away from home and more than five hours from our destination when my six-year old son began the mantra: Are we there yet? How did kids learn this plea? It seems to be passed down magically through the ages.
Now that his older sister, a newly minted second grade graduate, can print and spell adequately, I asked her to open a notebook and write the alphabet, leaving a space next to each letter. For the following hour, we each tried to find as many things along our route that started with the letters in the alphabet: Cloud, McDonald’s, rest stop, and semi all made the list. We had to cheat a smidge for X (exit) and Q (quick car), but overall, the game was a success. It jogged my memory of other games I’ve played during car trips or long hikes in the past. While these games may not be enough to leave the DVD player at home, they can certainly stave off a half hour or more of impatience and may even provide a memorable moment in your trip.
For Older Kids and Adults
Michelangelo
Similar to twenty questions, one person thinks of a person from history and provides the first letter of his or her name. The other players ask questions that can only be answered “yes” or “no,” e.g., Are you a man? Are you alive? Were you a painter? Continue questioning until the guesser gets the answer.
Bob Is a Volkswagen Bug
One person thinks of a mutually known friend or family member, and then the other players ask questions to determine who it is. The questions, however, have seemingly nothing to do with people, and ask you to imagine this person as, well, a non-person, e.g., If this person were a kind of car, what would he be? If this person were a country, which one would he be? If this person were a kind of weather, what would she be? Sometimes there is disagreement about whether Bob really would be a VW Bug, but most of the time, everyone agrees that, yes, Sherry would definitely be a bowl of Ramen.
Geography ABC
You name any place—city, country, or state—and then the next person has to name a place that begins with its ending letter, e.g., New York, Kalamazoo, Oregon, Nice, and on and on, until someone is stumped.
Three Facts and a Lie
If you’re playing with people you know less well, such as teammates or friends on a hiking trip, you can try a personal version of this game in which you name three “facts” about yourself, and then the other players guess which one is really a lie. For example, “I’ve visited Paris, Dublin, and Jerusalem.” Or, “I can’t stand sushi, anchovies, or coffee.” You can also make up more general facts, such as “Ernest Hemingway was once married to a woman named Hadley, a successful journalist, the first woman senator from Idaho.”
For Younger Kids
Animal Guessing
Adapt Michelangelo from above for smaller people. One person thinks of an animal and the others take turns guessing what it is by asking yes/no questions, e.g., Do you have hooves? Do you live in the jungle?
Name That Tune
My kids both play Suzuki violin, so we started using the CD that they listen to every day in order to play Name That Tune. We’ve since expanded it to other favorite CDs, such as the Beatles, or to humming Christmas carols.
I Have a Cat
There are many variations on this alphabet game—including “I’m going to the grocery store to buy …”—but this is among the cutest I’ve heard. The first player begins with a name that starts with an “A” and a kind of food beginning with the same letter, attributing both to his cat. For example, “I have a cat named Arnold who likes to eat asparagus.” The next player adds a “B” name and a “B” food for her cat.
Storytelling
This isn’t a game per se, but a great activity that my kids really enjoy and that can easily be adapted to different interests or situations. It’s simply a group story, in which one person begins the story, often with a limit of two sentences. (One doesn’t feel like quite enough, and three can be too much, especially for younger players.) Then the next person adds to it. We’ve done stories that related to the place where we’re going, or that have to include a pre-determined set of people or things, e.g., the woman we talked to at the beach yesterday, a whale, and the semi-truck that just pulled past.
It’s worth it to get a few good car games under the belt while traveling, as it makes the time go by faster and offers a brief respite from the Are we there yet? For a while, at least.