Are we already there? Ten games without materials for car rides

Let’s face it: unless they’re fast asleep, traveling with young children can be challenging, even in the best of times. But as your toddler approaches age 3, they’re in the early stages of being able to play some classic (and new) car games.

The following are some concepts for the automobile that do not necessitate the use of technology or materials:

Note: all of these games can be played while you are a driver or a passenger.

Sausage

In the game of Sausage, people take turns asking someone a question—and they’re only allowed to say “sausage” in reply. Tell them to try not to laugh or even smile (though they probably won’t be able to avoid it. For example you ask your child, “what did you brush your teeth with this morning?” and they must utter “sausage!” You can use any funny-sounding word or phrase instead, like pancakes, peanut butter, or underwear.

What am I?

This works well with extremely accessible things to guess, like sounds. Have your child guess which animal, vehicle, or other sound you’re imitating: “what animal am I? Moo!” or “What sounds like me? Chugga chugga chugga chugga.”

Favorites

If you have a lot of broad categories in mind, this activity can take a lot of time. Inquire about your child’s (and anyone else’s) favorite color, food, toy, animal, etc. Be sure to offer your own and try asking “why?” after they’ve named it. You can use this as a template for your own responses: “My favorite animal is a dog because they’re cuddly and cute.”

Rhyming games

It’s probably a little early for your child to be able to produce their own rhymes, but you can definitely get started. Rhyming ability is a good indicator of future reading success, according to research, and at the very least, it’s not a bad idea to try. Give your child a list of simple words like “cat, mat, rat” and ask “what’s another word that sounds like those words?” Be sure to give credit for made up words.

Simon Says

Another classic game is Simon Says because of its straightforward rules and limitless possibilities. Before getting into a car, this is probably a good one to teach and practice. When you do teach it, try to be almost unbearably direct. Do the motions along with your instructions, and exaggerate when you say “Simon says” and when you don’t.

I Spy

The classic game of observation is I Spy. The traditional way to play is to find something visible to everyone and describe it with a clue. For example, you might say “I spy (with my little eye)… something big and blue” (the sky). For children at this age, you may need to be more direct at first: “I spy a car seat,” or “I spy someone (in the car) wearing red.” This way, it becomes more of a finding game than a guessing game. Invite your child to observe something if they begin to understand.

Visual scavenger hunt

This game is similar to I Spy, in that you’re keeping an eye out for specific objects that you see frequently on a car ride. You decide what you’re looking for—stop signs, trees, mailboxes, animals, buses, things that are plentiful around you—and anyone can call out every time they see one. You can even count how many you have “collected.”

Tell a story

Children at this age love a story, especially if they’re featured as main characters. Even if you don’t consider yourself a storyteller, changing a couple of details of something that happened in everyday life can turn into an engaging tale. Tell the story of what happened at the park yesterday, but make everybody a mouse. Here, a story doesn’t have to have a plot; it can just be a series of events: “Carlos the mouse flew off the end of the slide and landed on the wood chips.” Make that sound. This game starts with you telling your child you’re going to make a specific sound or musical tone, and that they need to listen closely and try to repeat it. Start with simple noises like animal sounds, and if they’re getting it, make the sounds longer and more complex.

Sing songs

As Tom Petty sang, “the waiting is the hardest part.” Singing your favorite songs can help everyone pass the time more quickly. As your children get older, they have more capacity to remember lyrics: starting at around age two, you may start to see your child memorizing and repeating words to songs they know well, even if they’re a little off-tune.
You don’t have to limit yourself to kids’ music: sing along to your favorite music on the radio, make a driving playlist, and expose your children to the music that you love—just make sure you’re comfortable with the lyrics being repeated anywhere and everywhere