Road Trip Activities | 25+ Fun Things to Do in the Car with Kids

If you’re looking for some of the best road trip activities and game ideas for children, you’re in the right place. We have 25 of the best things to do in the car with kids on long trips. Keep on reading!

Fun Road Trip Activity Ideas for Kids

Let’s get to the best road trip activities for kids that’ll keep them entertained for hours.

#1: I Spy

I spy is a classic road trip game! Here’s how it works.

1. Someone secretly chooses something that they can see.
2. That person says, “I spy with my little eye something that is _____ (usually a color).”
3. The other people in the car make guesses about what it is.
4. The person who guesses correctly gets to choose the next secret thing.
5. Play until you get tired of it!

#2: 20 Questions

This is a fun road trip activity hat can pass a lot of time! Here’s how to play.

1. Someone chooses a secret person, place, or thing.
2. The other people can ask yes/no questions about what it is.
3. The person answers yes or no in response to the questions.
4. Keep track of how many questions are being asked. 20 is the maximum.
5. The people can also make a guess about what the person, place, or thing is. This also counts as one of the 20 questions.
6. Whoever guesses correctly can go next.

20 Questions Example: 

1. Can I see it now? (no)
2. Is it a living thing? (yes)
3. Is it a person? (no)
4. Is it an animal? (yes)
5. Does it live in a zoo? (yes)
6. Does it have 4 legs? (yes)
7. Is it bigger than me? (yes)
8. Does it eat meat? (no)
9. Does it live in Africa? (yes)
10. Is it a giraffe? (no)
11. Is it an elephant? (yes)

#3: Difficult Trivia for Smart Kids

Entertain your kids for hours with these difficult trivia questions! It’s one of the best road trip activities for kids!

#4: Don’t Say It!

Try this out! Have your parents choose 3-5 words that nobody can say until you stop for some gas, a bathroom break, or some food. Keep track of who says them! Whoever says a forbidden word gets one point. The winner is the person who has the fewest number of points.

Here are some words that you might want to use:

• yet
• hungry
• bored
• and
• don’t
• stop
• water
• snack
• lunch

#5: Treasure Hunt Road Trip Game for Kids

Look for the following things. The first person to see them all is the winner. You can play 3 rounds.

Round 1

1. A big truck
2. A car with a child in it
3. An animal
4. A black car

Round 2

1. Someone eating or drinking something (could be in your own car)
2. Someone yawning, coughing, or sneezing
3. A road sign with km or miles
4. A white car

Round 3

1. A stop sign
2. Someone walking outside
3. A motorcycle or bicycle
4. A grey car

#6: Name a Place: A-Z

Think of all the places you know—cities, countries, or continents. Go in a circle. The first person says a place that starts with A. The next person something that starts with B. Continue until you reach Z. If someone can’t name a place, they are out of that round.

For example:

• Andorra
• Belgium
• Canada
• Detroit

#7: Mastermind

Someone thinks of a word with a certain number of letters. 4 or 5 letters work well. The other players have to say words that have the same number of letters. If that new word has a letter in the same position as the secret word, the person has to tell them.

Mastermind example:

Someone thinks of a secret word that’s 4 letters. The other players say 4 letter words.

• book (no letters)
• fast (no letters)
• blue (yes, the e is the same)
• mate (only the e)
• type (yes, the t and e)
• tree (correct, it’s the secret word)

#8: The Infinite Word Car Activity for Children

This is a spelling game that can continue on forever! It’s one of my favourite road trip ideas for kids. Here’s how it works.

• The first person says any word.
• The next person says a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word.
• If somebody makes a mistake or is unable to come up with a word, they are out.
• You can only use a word once.

Infinite Word Example: 

• tree
• egg
• giraffe
• elephant
• trip
• paper
• recess

#9: Jokes, Tongue Twisters, and Knock Knock Jokes

Hours of fun, guaranteed!

#10: I’m Going on a Picnic

Try out this game that can make people crazy! Someone has to choose a word that fits a certain pattern. Keep the pattern a secret!
For example, all the words start or end with a certain letter. Or, the words have exactly 5 letters. Maybe they have a “t” in them. You get the picture! It can be anything, but all the words have to fit that pattern.

Then that person says, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to bring ______ (the word that fits the pattern).” Everyone else has to make guesses, and if it fits the pattern, they can come. If it doesn’t, they can’t.

Going on a picnic example:

I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to bring a book.

• Can I bring a coat? (no, you can’t come)
• Can I bring a bar of soap? (no)
• Can I bring a trunk (no)
• Can I bring a bottle of water (yes, you can come)
• Can I bring a grasshopper (yes)Did you figure it out? The words need to have a double letter in them. Book, bottle, grasshopper.

#11: The Ultimate Word Car Activity for Kids

The first person says a word with 1 letter. The next person, a word with 2 letters. The next, 3 letters. If you can’t name a word, or name a word that isn’t the correct number of letters, you are out of that round. Continue until the words get too long and difficult. Play another round and choose a new person to start the game.

An Example:

• a
• it
• cat
• tree
• (5 letter word)
• (6 letter word)

#12: Telephone

You’ve probably played this game before! It’s also possible to play it on a road trip. The first person thinks of a secret sentence and whispers it to the next person. That person also whispers it to the next person, and finally, the last person says the sentence out loud. Compare it with the original one.

Another person can come up with a secret sentence and play the game again.

Caution: Be careful playing this game with the person who is driving. They have to focus on the road!

#13: The License Plate Game #1

This is a nice way to pass the time if you’re on the road with lots of other cars.

If you’re in the USA, try to find a license plate from each of the 50 states. Write them down in alphabetical order to keep track of them. Bonus points for finding ones from the Canadian provinces. And also write down beside each one who spotted them. The person who found the most can get a special prize at the end of the trip!

If you’re in Canada, try to find the 10 provinces. You can also look for the three territories, but that might be a bit more difficult! Bonus points for finding cars from the USA.

#14: What’s that Song?

Someone can hum or sing a song from the radio, an advertisement, or a theme song from a TV show. The first person to name it gets a point. The next person can hum or sing a song. Continue until someone gets 5 or 10 points.

If it’s a song, you can get a bonus point for saying the name of the song, as well as the singer.

#15: Math Trivia and Riddles for Smart Kids

Does your child like math? This is the book for them!

#16: Make a Story Road Trip Idea

Have some fun by making up a story together. The first person starts off with, “Once upon a time ______,” and adds a fun detail. The next person adds another sentence. Continue with adding more sentences until the story comes to an obvious end.
Make up another story if you wish! The sillier, the better.

#17: Places, Beginning & End

Think of places that you know and uuse the last letter of the previous word. Continue until everybody is out, or you get tired of it. You can only use each place once.

For example:

• Australia (a)
• Albany (y)
• York (k)
• Kuwait (t)

#18: The Memory Circle

How good is your memory? Test it out!

Each person says a letter and adds a word. Keep adding more letters and words. The key is that you have to repeat all the previous ones before adding your own.

If someone makes a mistake, they are out. Continue until only 1 person is left. If you are good enough to make it to “Z,” go back to the beginning of the alphabet and start with “A.”

An example:

• A is for apple.
• A is for apple, B is for bird.
• A is for apple, B is for bird, and C is for carrot.

#19: Name that Place Road Trip Activity

Look out the window and choose something that you see. It might be a hill or mountain, a lake, a river, or a field. Then, give it a fun and interesting name. For example:

• Lake of shimmering waters.
• Field of golden dreams.
• Dark and mysterious mountain.

#20: Have a Debate

#21: Restaurant Race

Choose a certain fast food restaurant such as Burger King or McDonald’s. You can get a point if you see the restaurant itself, a sign with it, or hear it mentioned on the radio. Only the first person to spot or hear it gets the point. The winner is the person with the most number of points after 30 minutes.

Have some fun with one of the best road trip activities for children.

#22: Would You Rather Questions

Have some fun family discussions on your next road trip with these would you rather questions for kids!

#23:  The License Plate Game #2

The goal is to find the letters of the alphabet on license plates, in order. It works better on busier roads!

Look out the window and find a license plate with “A” in it. The person who spots it first is the only one who gets to use it. The others continue looking for a license plate with “A” while that person moves on to “B.” Continue the game until someone reaches “Z.” The key is to do it in the order of the alphabet, so you don’t get confused!

Don’t give up! This game can take a long time.

#24: Name 5 Things

#25: Learn the Lyrics

Is there a song that you like but you don’t know the lyrics to? Have someone look up the lyrics on their phone and then learn them! Play the song, and this time, you can sing along to it with the words. It’s such a great road trip activity idea.

#26:  Word Association

Get inside the heads of your road trip companions! The first person says a word. The next person says the first word that comes into their mind. Continue on with word association until you are tired of it!

For example:

• fire
• camping
• forest
• green
• nature
• bugs
• mosquitoes
• itchy
• doctor

If you’re looking for some road trip ideas for kids, look no further than this activity.

#27: Have a Light-Hearted Debate

#28: The Animal Name Game

This is a spelling and memory challenge. You can’t repeat the same animal more than once. The first person says an animal. The next person has to say a different animal that starts with the last letter of the first one. Continue on. If someone makes a mistake or can’t say an animal, they are out of the round.

An example:

• fish
• horse
• elephant
• tiger
• rat

#29: Riddles for Kids

More Ideas for Road Trip Activities and Games

Do you want to have even more fun? You’ll want to check out these car activities for kids book: Road Trip Activity Book for Kids. Long car rides don’t have to be boring. Really!

This book has trivia, riddles, would you rather questions, game ideas and so much more! Have some family fun on your next road trip and turn, “Are we there yet?” into, “Let’s keep going!” You can pick up the book right here:

FAQs about Long Car Rides

There are a number of common questions that people have about taking long car rides with kids. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

What are some fun road trip activities for kids?

Some fun road trip activities for kids include playing car games like “I Spy,” listening to audiobooks or podcasts, creating a travel journal, playing with travel-friendly toys, and having a picnic at a rest stop.

How can I keep kids entertained during long car rides?

To keep kids entertained during long car rides, you can bring along activity books, coloring supplies, handheld electronic games, portable DVD players, or tablets loaded with age-appropriate games or movies.

Are there any educational activities suitable for road trips?

Yes, road trips can be a great opportunity for educational activities. You can play educational trivia games, listen to educational podcasts or audiobooks, have discussions about the places you’re visiting, or engage in geography-related activities like spotting license plates from different states.

What are some interactive games for the whole family to enjoy during a road trip?

Some interactive games for the whole family during a road trip include the “License Plate Game,” where you try to spot license plates from different states, “20 Questions,” “Guess the Song,” or even “Scavenger Hunts” tailored to the things you might see along the way.

How can I make pit stops more fun for kids during a road trip?

To make pit stops more fun for kids, you can plan short activities like stretching or playing a quick game, bring along a Frisbee or ball to have a quick game of catch, or pack some snacks and have a mini picnic at the rest area.

Car Trip Activities: Join the Conversation

Do you have any ideas for fun road trip activities or games? Leave a comment and let us know. We’d love to hear from you! And, good luck on your next long car trip with kids.

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API