23 Car Games for Kids: Exciting Ideas for Toddlers & Teens

While cruising through the streets, be on the lookout for a license plate from all 50 states. Not only is this a fun way to pass the time, but it will also educate kids on their geography. Meanwhile, they can practice the states song to ensure they’ve definitely found all 50 states.

This is an excellent game for a long road trip. You might not find all 50 in one day, but if you’re on a road trip for a few weeks, you should be able to find them all over time.

This classic game never gets old on a long car ride. It’s great for toddlers and older kids. Simply say, “I spy with my little eye, something…” and complete the sentence with a color. The other passengers have to look out for the chosen object.

You can make this harder by saying, “Something beginning with [choose a letter].” This helps kids with their spelling, too.

To play this game, one person starts by saying a random word. The next player says the first word that comes to their head off the back of the previous word. This continues. For instance, it might sound like: “water,” “waterfall,” “rainforest,” “snake,” “slippery,” “slide,” “playground,” and so on.

You can also play this with two people, where they both say a random word simultaneously, and they have to think of a word that joins these two words together. For instance, one person might say “giant,” and another person might say “book.” After the count of three, they might both say the word “bible” — since that’s a giant book! If they don’t say the same word, they try the next round with the two new words, and the game continues until they say the same word simultaneously.

Another fun word game for kids — this is great for kids with good spelling skills. We’re thinking of 8 years old or more! One person starts by saying a word, and the next person has to say a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word.

It might sound like this: “jam,” “milk,” “kettle,” “elf,” “fight,” “tornado,” and so on. The game ends when a person repeats a word, gets a word wrong, or takes too long to think of a word.

Before starting your trip, have a list of questions written out to pass around the car. Make sure you know the answers off the top of your head so you can validate the answers without taking your eyes off the wheel. You can do this in categories like movies, animals, or American history.

This game will pass a good amount of time and works well for a family road trip. Kids as young as 6 years old can play this — as long as they know the alphabet. It starts with the first person saying, “On my vacation, I brought…” and they have to name something that starts with “A.”

The next person says what the previous person said before adding another item that starts with “B.” The game continues throughout the alphabet. Everyone will need to remember everything everybody says, so it can be a bit of a mind exercise too!

Everyone looks for a sign that contains each letter of the alphabet. They might look at road signs, billboards, license plates, and more. But the catch is that you must do it in the alphabet’s order. Start with “A” and make your way to “Z.” Play this as a group or individually — whoever gets through the alphabet first wins!

Play some music in the car and randomly pause it at any time. The first person to guess the following lyric wins a point. You can also do this at the start of the song before any words have even begun — this is a little harder. Not only do they need to guess the first lyric, but they also need to know the song as well.

Take turns looking for license plates that contain three letters in a row. When you find one, take turns coming up with what the words stand for. For instance, if you find a license plate that reads “503 MLH,” you have to come up with a phrase that “MLH” stands for.

This could be “most lions hunt” or “monkeys linger high.” It’s going to be totally silly and random! Whoever says the funniest phrase wins a point.

Take turns thinking of a character or somebody you know in real life. Once the person has decided on their character, they list three facts about them. For instance, if they chose Elsa from Frozen, they might say, “I am a queen, I am lonely, and the cold doesn’t bother me.” Whoever guesses it first wins a point.

If your kids have a little tray to hold games and snacks in the car, then they can roll dice. You can use story cubes to prompt a fun storytelling game. On these dice, you’ll find six images. Whether you roll two dice or all nine, you must make a story connecting all images on the dice.

Before you embark on your journey, print out a scavenger hunt card. The first person to find all the items on the card wins. What the prize is, is up to you!

The items on the card could include a yellow slug bug car, a route marker, a police car, a cow, and more.

This funny game is great if you don’t want to hear certain words or phrases on the trip. Pick five words or phrases kids aren’t allowed to say on the trip. This could include “are we there yet,” the word “bored,” and other random words like “sunny,” “street,” and “dog,”

If they say the word or phrase, they gain a point. The person with the fewest points at the trip’s end is the winner!

This guessing game is a classic, but it’s limitless fun!

Somebody thinks of a person, a place, or a thing. The other passengers only have 20 questions to guess what it is. Usually, they start by asking broad questions like whether it’s a person. Is it a man? Is he older than 50?

They must be “yes” or “no” questions, but the person with the word can also answer with “I don’t know,” “sometimes,” or “maybe.” Once they get to the 20th question, they must take a guess, or they lose.

There are many travel games to play in the car. One that we love is highway travel bingo. The cards come with built-in covers that you can slide to mark the item you found. This included set has a variety of themes.

Kids look out the window, searching for items on the card. This set has a variety of themes allowing for multiple rounds.

Carpool Chaos is a game made especially for travelers. It’s made for 8-year-olds and up and includes 160 cards that feature games, hypothetical questions, challenges, and more. It’s a fantastic and fun way to pass time in the cars. We love it for families since it’s suitable for little kids, big kids, teenagers, and parents.

One person hums a theme song, and the other passengers have to guess the song and which show it’s from. The winner takes a turn, and the game continues. This is a great way to keep kids busy while they try to remember their favorite show’s theme songs!

Create a story together in the car! We love this for little kids, even toddlers, as well as parents. The first person starts by saying, “Once upon a time…” and then they finish the sentence however they’d like. Then the next person has to add a sentence. The story will take tons of silly twists and turns, but it will keep everyone happy for a while!

A car spelling bee is a great idea for bored kids! Plus, it’s education.

Give each child a word to spell. Start easy, like “ball,” before moving to more challenging words. If they spell it wrong, they’re out. The last child standing (well, in this case, sitting) is the winner.

We love this idea because you can play it multiple times, and it will still be loads of fun! Plus, it can get competitive — but hopefully in a friendly manner.

If you want a little silence to listen to your music, an audiobook, or the sound of your own thoughts, then car crafts are super handy. You can get knitting kits or perhaps a lovely embroidery kit that kids can teach themselves as you drive.

Would You Rather? is a hilarious game to play in the car. Whether you’re making up your own options or using a prompt book, this is a great way to pass time and start silly discussions with your kids.

Simply ask a silly question like, “Would you rather lose your sense of taste or only walk backward forever?” Kids take turns answering the question and giving their reasons why!

Players decide on a category, such as Disney movies, and one person has to try and list as many Disney movies as possible. The next person gets a new category, and if they can list more than the previous player, they’re the current winner.

You can also play this as a team, taking turns. Whoever repeats a word, says the wrong answer, or takes too long to think, ends the game and loses that round.

Games on the Go pack is fantastic for road trips. It has a bunch of kids road trip games, including rhyming games, memory games, and sharing games. If you’re not very creative when thinking of games, buy this pack and let it do the hard work for you.