If you are trying to maintain your sanity on a long car ride this Labor Day weekend, you know that being prepared is a critical component to achieving your goal.
These boredom busters will go a long way to keep your end of the summer road trip on the right track:
GEOGRAPHY BEE
There are different versions of this game, but this one best suits a road trip. Have one member of the family think of a place (city, state, country, etc.), then the next person has to think of another destination that starts with the last letter of the previous place. Remember that you can’t use the same place twice and the place has to be real.
For example:
Mom starts with: Hawaii
Dad: Alabama
Son: Arkansas
Daughter: South Carolina
I SPY
What family hasn’t taken part in this classic car game? Car rides and I Spy go together like peanut butter and jelly, which is something that my brown eyes spied in the cooler in the back seat. For those who have never played this family favorite it is very simple: One person spies an object and the rest of the family has to guess what it is. Also, remember that you can tailor the game to fit your family. For example, you might limit what you spy to the interior of the car, or you can include things that you have already passed.
BAKING SHEET BINGO
Pack a baking sheet in your vehicle and you will quickly see how versatile it can be on a long car trip. The baking sheet is multi-faceted. It can be used as a playing surface for Legos, cars, or dolls. It is also doubles as a great table for drawing and spreading out snacks. If you have young children, the baking sheet can be used for magnetic letters, numbers and shapes. Older children can use it to play travel bingo: Prepare equal size grids for several colors of cars or other objects that you typically see on a car ride and have your kids X out a square each time they spot one. The first one who completes his or her bingo sheet wins. Remember to make each bingo grid different, so your kids can compete against each other.
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