TOP  TEN              IN-­CAR  GAMES Are we nearly there yet!?

Pros:    •   Great  fun  •   Simple      Cons:  •  Needs  three  kids  in  

the  back  seat  •  Regular  seat  

rota9on  required  to  avoid  squishing  

Corners  

When  you  go  round  a  corner,  lean  into  the  bend  and  crush  up  against  who  you  are  

si@ng  next  to    

WINNER:    Anyone  who  can  successfully  crush  their  opponent    

HOW  TO  PLAY….  

No.1

   

Pub  Cricket  

When  passing  a  pub,  count  the  total  

number  of  ‘legs’  in  the  people  and  animals  in  

the  pub  name    EXAMPLE:    

The  King’s  Head  =  2  The  Red  Lion  =  4      

WINNER:  The  biggest  score  at  the  end  of  the  journey  

 

Pros:  •  Everyone  in  the  car  can  

play  as  it  doesn’t  maNer  where  you  sit    

•  Could  improve  mental  arithme9c  abili9es  

Cons:    •  Complicated  rules  •  Tricky  to  play  on  the  

motorway  or  travelling  at  high  speeds  

HOW  TO  PLAY….   No.2

Every  9me  you  go  under  a  bridge,  someone  shouts  

‘DUCK’  and  whoever  doesn’t  duck  is  out    

WINNER:  Player  who  has  successfully  

managed  to  duck  every  bridge    

   

Pros:    •  Works  best  with  

under  8  year  olds  (you’ll  lose  interest  way  before  they  do)  

•  Great  for  motorway  driving  

Cons:    •  Could  cause  some  

back  strain  in  adults    

Duck

HOW  TO  PLAY…   No.3

Every  child  chooses  a  colour  and  counts  the  number  of  cars  of  that  colour  to  pass  in  the  opposite  direc9on    

WINNER:  The  first  to  50  wins*  (*winning  total  may  need  to  be  adjusted  

depending  on  length  of  journey  and  type  of  

road)  

Coun@ng  Cars  

Pros:    •  In-­‐car  noise  is  at  a  

minimum  as  children  must  concentrate  and  keep  their  eyes  peeled  

 

Cons:    •  Not  ideal  for  children  

who  get  car  sick  •  Parents  must  be  vigilant  

to  prevent  chea9ng    

HOW  TO  PLAY…   No.4

Find  the  26  leNers  of  the  alphabet  on  

number  plates  of  other  cars  in  the  correct  

order.      

WINNER:  The  first  person  to  

complete  the  alphabet  

Pros:    •  Can  be  played  in  teams  

to  create  sibling  ‘harmony’  rather  than  ‘rivalry’  

 

Cons:  •  Requires  concentra9on  

so  not  good  for  younger  players  

The  Number  

Plate  Game  

HOW  TO  PLAY…   No.5

 The  

Alphabet  Game  

Pros:  •  Good  way  to  help  

children  with  spelling  •  Difficulty  of  finding  

leNers  such  as  X  make  it  more  fun  and  stretches  out  the  game  

 

Cons:    •  The  driver  can  only  look  

ahead,  restric9ng  their  ability  to  play  

Each  player  must  find  the  leNers  of  the  

alphabet  on  road  signs  or  nearby  buildings.    

Once  a  leNer  has  been  located  on  a  sign,              

no-­‐one  else  can  use  it    

WINNER:  First  one  to  get  all  the  leNers  in  the  right  

order  wins  

HOW  TO  PLAY…   No.6

Eddie  Stobart  Game  

Pros:    •  Entertaining  and  

funny  •  Encourages  quick  

thinking      Cons:    •  Young  players  may  

not  have  the  famous  person  knowledge  to  last  long  journeys    

 

 Every  Eddie  lorry  has  two  female  names  on  its  front  and  side  

   

WINNER:  The  first  player  to  shout  out  a  famous  person  with  the  name  on  the  cab,  with  a  surname  

     

HOW  TO  PLAY…   No.7

The  classic  game  that  everyone  loves.  One  person  simply  finds  an  object  they  can  see  and  then  says  “I  spy  with  my  liNle  eye,  something  

beginning  with  _____”.      

WINNER:  Whoever  guesses  the  

right  object  

i-­‐Spy  Pros:    •  very  easy  to  play  and  

all  ages  can  get  involved    

 Cons:    •  Can  get  a  bit  boring  •  There  are  only  so  

many  items  that  can  be  used  in  the  car  as  everything  outside  is  whizzing  by    

 

HOW  TO  PLAY…   No.8

Grandma’sSuitcase  

Pros:    •  Great  memory  

training  for  the  kids  •  Encourages  crea9vity    Cons:    •  Can  become  lengthy  

and  requires  concentra9on,  so  not  good  for  sleepy  children  

Someone  starts  by  saying:  'My  Grandma  went  on  

holiday  and  in  her  suitcase  she  packed_______’    

Then  names  an  item  for  Grandma’s  suitcase  

 The  next  person  has  to  repeat  the  line,  previous  person’s  item  and  add  one  

of  their  own  WINNER:    

The  person  who  remembers  everything  

HOW  TO  PLAY…   No.9

Think  of  an  Animal  

Pros:      •  Very  easy  to  play  if  

s9cking  to  the  farmyard  animals  

Cons:  •  Can  cause  frustra9on  

if  too  many  quirky  or  unusual  animals  are  used    

HOW  TO  PLAY…  

 A  player  has  to  think  of  an  animal  and,  in  turn,  other  passengers  ask  ques9ons  to  determine  what  it  is.  The  player  can  only  answer  yes  or  no  and  guesses  must  be  

made  aker  10  ques9ons    

WINNER:  First  person  to  correctly  

guess  the  animal    

No.10