The Old Standby: Word Games

About once or twice a year, my family makes the trek back to our hometown, about an eight-hour drive. Attempting this trek with three kids has never been easy. The kids sleep. We stop for walking and rest breaks. I feed them snacks regularly. The kids play their game boys and listen to their cd players. However, when all else fails, the only thing that gets us through the trip alive is word games.

I think word games work for several reasons. Firstly, it keeps the kid's minds active so they don't get bored. Secondly, it's harder for kids to fight when they are busy. Remember I said harder to fight not impossible. Thirdly, the kids have their parent's fairly undivided attention so they have no need to act out to get your attention. Fourthly, there are no pieces to lose or things you have to buy. All you need is a little creativity and imagination.

Here are a few of my kid's favorites:

I Spy is a classic game. One person chooses a colour, an object, a letter, a word, a sign, a shape, a number, an animal, or anything practically anything else. Then everyone else in the car has to guess what the first person chose. Make sure everyone gets a turn at being the chooser for fewer arguments.

I find that the games evolve over time and become more complex as the kids age. Therefore, the I Spy game might start off as simple as finding a single colour. Later on, however, the game might evolve into thinking of something (an object or even an idea) that promotes gender discrimination or bias. Discussions will no doubt follow. Yes, this particular game evolution did actually happen on a long trip with my teenagers last year.

Another good game is the I'm going to _____ and I'm going to bring a _____ game. The first blank represents a place. This can be an abstract place like a farm or a factory, a town, a city, or a country. The second blank represents an object or thing. This can be a belonging, toy, animal, food, plant, tree, or anything else you can think of. More evolved versions of this game include specifying specific themes such as countries, towns in a certain country, species of wildflowers, baseball players, or whatever your child is interested in. You can also require that the places and objects continue alphabetically, either from A to Z or Z to A.

Story Starter is another great word game for the car. The basic premise of the game is that you build a story line by line. Each person adds one line to the story. Some of these stories end up incredibly silly, outrageous, and completely entertaining. However, some of the stories are quite good. If your kids enjoy making up stories, you may also want them to take turns making up and telling stories.

Whatever games your kids like best, try to participate in and enjoy the games. Delight in the silliness and take pleasure in getting to know your kids a little better.

For even more ideas on surviving family trips, see my online courses Travel Planning at http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/18488/ and Family Travel at http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/18576/ or my online topic Traveling on a Budget at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/1448.

Please feel free to share your car games and travel stories on our discussion board.