In cooperation with Promutuel Insurance
The hardest part of any road trip has to be the non-stop “It’s sooooo far—are we there yet?” from the back seat. We’ve got some ideas for free activities to make the journey more fun, without resorting to an iPad or passing toys, books, and crayons back and forth in the car.
But before you set off, there are two things to check. Make sure your child’s car seat is installed properly (especially in winter, when a snowsuit can make it a tight fit) and that you can concentrate on driving with no distractions. If you have a helper in the front seat—even better!
Ages 2 to 6
Even very young children who haven’t learned to read yet can join in these games. You just have to get creative!
Detectives
This game takes a little bit of work ahead of time, but the good news is that you can use it over and over again. Print out a sheet with pictograms (or ask an older child to draw the pictures): a pine tree, a speed limit sign, a moose sign, cars (in different colours), a truck, a mountain, and so on. Ask the kids to look for each of these things on the journey. They’ll need to stay alert!
Who am I?
Take turns making animal noises or imitating a friend or family member’s favourite expressions. Little ones will enjoy imitating and guessing farm and zoo animals. Older kids will have a blast mimicking mom and dad. Laughter guaranteed!
Where am I? (ages 3 and up)
Ask people to guess the place you’re thinking of by explaining what goes on there. For example, “I take a shopping cart and put a box of cereal in it” or “I pitch my tent and go for a walk in the forest.” Two-year-olds will have fun guessing, even if they might find it a bit harder to give the clues.
20 questions (ages 3 and up)
Someone thinks of an animal or a family member. The other players have 20 chances to guess who or what the person is thinking about by asking yes or no questions. You can make it easier for very young children by guessing a person or animal without asking questions because the concept of yes or no answers is tricky for the under 5s.
Pass the story (ages 3 and up)
The youngest person starts a story by saying one sentence. The next youngest adds another sentence to add to the story. The game continues one sentence at a time, for several rounds. What will you come up with as a family? This is a great game when there are no front-seat passengers because you can say whatever comes into your head without taking your eyes off the road.
Parodies (ages 3 and up)
Think of a well-known nursery rhyme and change the words! Make up your family’s own version as a team or taking turns. Once you’ve come up with some hilarious lyrics, sing your new nursery rhyme together. It might even become your family’s favourite song!
Rhyming chain (ages 5 and up)
Sign, line, mine, sunshine... who will break the chain? This game builds vocabulary and phonic awareness (the ability to break words down into sounds and recognize similarities). Perfect for preschoolers!
Ages 6 and up
Alphabet game
Starting with A, look for things that start with each letter of the alphabet as you drive along: automobile, baby, cabin, and so on. For older children you can make it more challenging by limiting the game to a specific category, such as countries, cities, things you can eat, and so on.
Roadmap (ages 7 and up)
If you have a printer at home, print a copy of your route and give it to the children. Ask them to follow along and help navigate by looking out for signs!
Letters and numbers (Ages 9 and up)
Use licence plates for a fun way to practise math and English skills! Look at a licence plate (such as the one on the car in front) and use the numbers to make an equation and the letters to make a word. For example, with 756 DFD you could have 7+5-6 = ?, and the word “daffodil.” For an easier way to use the letters, you could ask the kids to think of a sentence, such as “Dig for diamonds” or come up with an acronym, such as “Dead Fish Day.”
For the whole family
Word association
The first player says a word and the others take turns saying the first word that pops into their head. For example: snow/mittens/wool/itchy/bite/mosquito/buzz. You’ll be amazed at the things people come up with!
Don’t say yes or no
A challenging classic that never gets old! Can you answer the questions without saying yes or no? (If you answered yes or no to THAT question, you’re out!)
Jukebox
For this game, you need a front-seat passenger. The person in the front uses their phone or other device to play a few seconds of a well-known song. The first person to guess the title gets to choose a song to listen to all the way through. Watch all those “I don’t want to listen to this song” complaints turn into a giggly race against time! To make it more challenging for older children, ask them to name the artist as well, or even the title of the album in the case of teens! For younger ones, play nursery rhymes and Christmas songs.
There are plenty of ways to keep your family entertained on a long road trip. All it takes is a bit of imagination to make the time go faster and get everyone laughing and having fun. For peace of mind on the road, make sure your car insurance is up to date, especially if you’re travelling outside the province or setting off in a new car. Safe travels, and have a great vacation!