Road trip games for kids: no screens, no supplies

Games to play in the car with kids

A good travel game can be explained in one sentence, needs nothing from the trunk and can stop at any moment when traffic gets tricky. The driver only plays with words and keeps their eyes on the road.

• I spy: One player picks something and names its color. In the car, stick to things inside or far ahead, or the barn is gone before anyone guesses.
• License plate game: Who can spot plates from the most states? Older kids can keep a tally and pick up some geography on the way. Or turn the letters into a sentence: “KMB” becomes “Kangaroos make bread.”
• I Packed My Suitcase: Each turn repeats the whole list and adds one more item. On the way to vacation, sunscreen, flip-flops and a beach ball tend to show up on their own.
• Sound count: Everyone except the driver closes their eyes for a moment. Who hears the turn signal, the rain, a motorcycle?
• Story chain: One person starts with “Once upon a time there was a dog who…” and the next adds a sentence. The sillier, the better.
• Car colors: Everyone picks a color. Who has spotted the most cars in their color after ten minutes?

For ideas at home, see screen-free activities for kids.

On the train: a little more room

On a train, everyone can play, and a table gives hands something to do. If your child doesn’t get queasy, pencils and paper are fine too.

• Clap echo: In Clap Echo, you clap a short rhythm and your child claps it back exactly. In a quiet car, use fingertips on the table.
• 20 questions: One person thinks of an animal or a character, and the others may only ask yes-or-no questions.
• Window bingo: Each person names three things they want to spot outside, like a cow, a bridge and a tractor. The first to see all three wins.
• Categories without paper: for school-age kids. Pick a letter, then take turns naming a city, an animal and a name that start with it.

Restaurant and waiting room games: quiet ones for the table

In a waiting room or a restaurant, you are stuck in your seats and other people want some peace. Quiet games that fit on a table are the way to go.

• What’s missing? Put sugar packets, a spoon, a napkin and a coaster on the table. Your child takes a good look and closes their eyes while you take one thing away. What’s missing?
• Emotion charades: In Emotion Charades, one person acts out a feeling without words and the other guesses. Nobody has to stand up.
• Instruction chain, seated: In the Instruction Chain, your child hears several small tasks, repeats them and then does them in order. In a waiting room, try “touch your nose, point to something blue and fold your hands.”
• Word chain: Each new word starts with the last letter of the one before: dog, goat, tiger, rabbit.

At a restaurant, let your child order for themselves. It fills the wait and feels like a big deal to many kids. You’ll find more games for remembering among our memory games for kids.

Games to play while waiting in line

At the checkout, the airport gate or the restroom line at a rest stop, there is no point starting a big game. These start instantly and stop just as fast:

• Simon Says with small moves: In Simon Says, your child only joins in when the sentence starts with “Simon says.” In line, keep it small: touch your nose, stand on one foot, thumbs up.
• Thumb war: Hook fingers and let the thumbs wrestle. Almost every kid ends up laughing.
• Guess my animal: Your child gets three questions, then has to guess.
• Rhyme ping-pong: You say “cat,” your child says “hat,” you say “bat.” Whoever runs out of rhymes picks a new starting word.
• Spot it: Who can find something red, something round and something soft in the line?

Calming down: Shape Breathing and quiet minutes

After a long day at the theme park or a fight in the back seat, the mood can tip quickly. That is not the moment for another guessing game.

In Shape Breathing, your child traces a shape with one finger and breathes along with it. On the road, draw the shape on the palm of their hand or on a fogged-up window: breathe in along one side, breathe out along the next.

Another quiet round: for one minute nobody talks, everyone looks out the window and picks something to tell the others about afterward. For more on guiding breathing with kids, see breathing exercises for kids. More quiet games are under calm and feelings.

Road trip games for kids by age

The ages are rough guides. Your child will quickly show you what is too much and what is too boring.

Ages 2 to 3:

• Animal sounds: you say “moo,” your child points to the cow in a picture book or out in a field.
• Songs with actions that work sitting down, and finger plays.
• Point and name: Where’s a bus? Where’s a dog?
• Short rounds, lots of repetition and more frequent stops.

Ages 4 to 6:

• I spy with colors instead of letters.
• Clap Echo, Simon Says and sound count.
• Counting cars by color.
• From about age five: I Packed My Suitcase and the Instruction Chain.

Ages 7 to 10:

• The license plate game and sentences made from plate letters.
• 20 questions, word chain and categories.
• A story chain with a rule, for example every sentence needs an animal.
• Switch roles: your child invents the next game and explains the rules.

Breaks, snacks and car sickness on long drives

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests stopping to give yourself and your child a break about every two hours. It also recommends pointing out interesting sights along the way, bringing favorite music for a sing-along and packing water and snacks (AAP, HealthyChildren.org). For children under five, the WHO advises not keeping them restrained for more than an hour at a time, for example in a stroller or high chair (WHO 2019). A car seat on the highway won’t always allow that, but it is a good reason to stop more often with little ones and let them really run.

Snacks: pick things that don’t crumble or stick, like rice cakes, plus water. Give little ones only what they can chew safely. In a moving car, you can’t pull over right away if someone chokes.

Car sickness: the NHS suggests looking straight ahead at a fixed point such as the horizon, opening a window for fresh air, not reading or using screens, and skipping heavy meals shortly before or during the trip. For children, it also suggests talking, listening to music or singing songs (NHS). Keep a bag, wipes and a change of clothes within reach.

The games above need no paper and no screen. They run on ears and voices, and anyone who wants to can look out the window while playing.

Screens on the road: honest rules

Let’s be honest: on an eight-hour drive, plenty of kids watch a movie at some point, and that is okay.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a family media plan that you discuss with your kids and revise often, for example during holiday breaks (AAP Family Media Plan). The WHO advises no more than one hour of sedentary screen time a day for children aged two to four, and says less is better (WHO 2019).

1. Agree beforehand: whether, when and for how long there will be screen time on the trip. Then nobody has to renegotiate at every exit.
2. Play first, watch later: the movie comes after the second stop, for example, not as you pull out of the driveway.
3. Watch for car sickness: looking at a tablet means looking down. If your child gets queasy easily, audiobooks or music are a better choice.
4. Give a heads-up: a few minutes’ warning so the episode can finish.

In waiting rooms and restaurants, the decision often happens on the spot. Having one or two quiet games in your head gives you an option besides the phone.

When to talk to your pediatrician

Talk to your pediatrician if your child feels sick on almost every trip, vomits often, or has dizziness or headaches even when they are not traveling. Before giving any motion sickness medicine, ask your pediatrician or a pharmacist. The NHS notes that some products, such as patches, are only meant for children over 10 (NHS).

And if waiting and sitting still are very hard for your child everywhere, not only on trips, that is worth a calm conversation with your pediatrician. For ideas at home, read activities for restless kids.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• Screen-free activities for kids: 20 indoor ideas
• Listening games for kids: sounds, rhythms and rhymes