5 Family Road Trip Games That Make the Miles Fly By

Road trip with the kids on the calendar? Relax. It doesn't have to be a sanity-testing marathon of "Are we there yet?" and "She's touching me!"

The secret is to be ready for the restlessness before it starts. And the easiest fix doesn't need batteries, Wi-Fi or a bag full of supplies.

These family road trip games need nothing more than everybody's attention (and maybe a sense of humor). Here are five of our family favorites to keep the whining to a minimum and the fun at the max.

1. Navigation Challenge (for Older Kids)

Put your older kids in charge of the route. Hand them a road map on a clipboard (or a printout of the route) and a highlighter, and let them chart your progress as you go.

Award points to the first passenger who correctly calls the next highway, freeway or exit before the road sign appears. The big prize? The winner picks the restaurant for dinner on the road.

Bonus: they'll learn to read a map, a skill that's becoming as rare as a car without cup holders.

2. Counting Cows

This one gets wild when you pass a whole field of them. Each side of the car counts the cows on their side of the road, and the goal is to count more cows than anyone else.

But beware: if you pass a cemetery on your side of the car and someone on the other side shouts "Your cows are buried!" you lose every cow you've counted. Cue the outrage.

No cows where you're driving? You can make a counting game out of almost anything: red cars, billboards, horses, gas stations. You get the picture.

3. The License Plate Game

Print a blank map of the United States before you leave, and have the kids color in each state as they spot its license plate. Whoever spots the most states wins, but everybody gets to cheer when someone finds Hawaii or Alaska.

4. The Silly Sentence Game

This game starts with one person saying one sentence, and it usually ends with everyone laughing too hard to talk. Each person adds a sentence about anything they see, think or feel, and the more random, the better. It's great for getting everyone's minds off the clock and the odometer, and onto listening to each other.

Here's how ours went on a 40-mile drive to Disneyland with my then 10-year-old daughter, Lyndsay, and her friend Stephanie:

"The car in front of us is taupe. It's a Yukon. Stephanie is wearing a bandana. There's a really big plane flying into LAX. The call box is blue. There are surfboards on the car in front of us. Lyndsay, are you okay?" (She'd choked on her water while laughing, so that became a sentence, too.) "Yes, I'm fine. Happy birthday, Lyndsay. The Disneyland castle needs to be repainted. The sky needs to be taller. I really want that limo in front of us. Put a sock in it, Stephanie. Lyndsay is loony..."

You get the idea. Nobody wins. Everybody wins.

5. Topic Time

Every 15 minutes, a different person picks a topic, and everyone has to talk about it: favorite vacation, worst food ever, what you'd do with a million dollars, which superpower you'd pick. (My choice is usually silence. It has never once been accepted.)

Need a break from talking? Let someone else do it. Download a few audiobooks or podcasts the whole family will enjoy before you leave.

Bonus Road Trip Games for Kids

Still got 200 miles to go? Try these classics:

• I Spy. "I spy with my little eye something that is green..." Perfect for little ones.

• 20 Questions. One person thinks of a person, place or thing; everyone else gets 20 yes-or-no questions to guess it.

• The Alphabet Game. Find each letter of the alphabet, in order, on signs, billboards and license plates. (Good luck with Q.)

• Would You Rather. "Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet unicorn?" Guaranteed debate for the next 30 miles.
  

One rule for every game: the driver keeps eyes on the road. Navigators and cow counters are passengers only.

Tips for a Happier Family Road Trip

• Pack snacks within reach, so you're not digging through the trunk at 65 miles per hour.

• Bring a trash bag for wrappers, juice boxes and banana peels (your car will thank you).

• Plan stops every couple of hours for bathrooms and leg-stretching.

• Organize the back seat with a hanging organizer for books, crayons and car games. Here's how to clean and organize your car before you go.
  

Road Trip Games FAQs

What are good road trip games for kids? Counting cows, the license plate game, I Spy, 20 Questions and the Alphabet Game are all classics that need no supplies.

How do you keep kids busy on a long car ride without screens? Mix car games with snack breaks, audiobooks and frequent stops. Rotate who picks the next game so everyone gets a turn.

What road trip games work for older kids and teens? The Navigation Challenge, Would You Rather and Topic Time keep older kids engaged.

Home Again, Home Again

The road trip's over, and now the car's a mess, the suitcases are exploding in the hallway and nobody knows where the mail went. My book The Daily Home Reset includes an Emergency Reset that gets your house back under control in under two hours.

Keep Going

Make family life a little smoother with these related guides:

• How to Clean and Organize Your Car: A Family Guide: Keep the family car clean before, during and after a trip.

• Family Life: Routines, Chores & an Organized Home: Simple ways to make family life run smoother.

• Backyard & Garden Guide: Patios & Outdoor Living: Make your outdoor spaces work for the whole family.

• Easy Summer Cleaning Tips: Keep the house clean while the kids are home.

• Daily Kids Chores by Age: Age-appropriate jobs that teach responsibility.

• Tips for School Mornings: Get everyone out the door on time, with less yelling.

• Entryway Organizing Tips: Corral the bags and shoes when you get home.

• Safe at Home: Keep your family safe from household hazards.