Alter them however you like to fit the size and age of your traveling posse.
The Alphabet Game
You know the drill! First person says.... "I went on vacation, and I brought a ..... [Fill in an item starting with letter A]. Second person repeats that, and adds a b item to the list, third person repeats "I went on vacation, and I brought... " reciting the A item, the B item, and adding their own C item.... continue until you get to Z.
I will be 39 tomorrow... but I can still recite the ENTIRE LIST from a trip my parents, my sister and I took when I was 14 or so.
Make it more interesting!... Use any variation you can think of! "I went to the beach, and I took...." I went on vacation and I FORGOT to bring...."
Horse it up! I went to a horse show, and I brought.... I went on a trail ride, and I saw....
Make it more FUN! Break out of the mold a bit. My little family's favorite is "Im making a hamburger with ...... on it" Being lenient on "what fits" makes for the most FUN. (bringing your stable to the beach?, Peanut Butter on your Hamburger? Whipped Cream on your hamburger?)
Go Fish
Who says you need CARDS to play go fish? Not us! Just hold your imaginary deck, ask a traveling companion for a card you "need", then draw from the imaginary draw pile. Be sure to cheer when you get what you wanted... and to sigh and cry when you don't!
Horse it up! Use horse sounds instead of yes/no. Neigh if they got the card, whinny if they didn't.
I spy, 20 questions.... Don't forget the classics! No one needed a hand-held game, or Pictureka to play these games in the 70s... and you do not need those things now either!
Stop Thief!
This was an electronic board game with sound effects in the 70s. But - we are not going to be bringing ANY of that on this car trip! We all have the sound effect machine we were born with!
One player creates the story, by first stating a location everyone playing is familiar with(your own home is the most likely candidate). Start with an entry location in mind, but do not tell where it is. Make a sound of entering that location.... could be turning a key in a lock, or opening a window, or breaking a window... whatever works. Then, make sounds for taking a few steps, jumping up or down, going up or down stairs, open more doors, whatever. Keep each sound separate by leaving a good pause in between (a few "and then"'s will help too!)
After a few sounds, ask each person to guess where you are. Continue as you like... give the answer then, or let the story teller continue a little farther, giving a clue at that point - or not. You might have the story teller choose an ending point/location, and not take the final guesses until he reaches it (perhaps eating ice cream out of the fridge, or brushing is teeth, etc) Taking guesses after every few steps is helpful to keep the group interested.
Make it younger. Instead of a "thief" coming into the house.... say its Santa, or the Tooth Fairy, or a Little Lady Bug, or Aunt Stacey, or whatever suits your fancy. Narrow down the location to one room, or one area of the house, if it will work better for you.
HORSE it up. The "character" is a horse, rather than a person... perhaps in your school, the mall, or out at the stables. Yes, this means you'll need trotting, cantering, and galloping sounds!
HORSE it up. Use your horse farm or riding stable as the location!
The Name Game
(That's what WE call it.... you can call it whatever you like). This is my all-time favorite. The longer the trip, the better! The best part is, you play this WHILE playing other car games.
Each player chooses an alternate name for themselves. Family favorite in my parents white station wagon with the wood grain on the door panels... Hortense. Why? I have no idea.... but its a memory which is never going to leave my mind!
If there are any party poopers in your group, who refuse to choose a name (perhaps claiming they cannot think of one)... I suggest assigning one to them. :)
HORSE it up! Choose horse names.
HORSE it up! Use horse-related terms in place of other phrases often used during car rides. Perhaps "Oats and Carrots" instead of "stop to eat". Perhaps "Which trail?" instead of "Which road?" or "which exit"
Make it younger. Encourage your little ones to create alternate names for THEIR traveling companions... baby dolls, action figures, loveys, et al.
Set up whatever rules you want as far as when to pause the "name game". Some may pause during rest stops, for example. Try it.... you will like it! I wont give away some of the "unexpected side effects" you might encounter.
Note: While I am VERY much in favor of house rules... I do have to strongly recommend that you pause the name game if your trip includes crossing an international border. Customs and immigration are NOT places for games. ;)
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Remember - House rules apply.... Its just you and yours, in your own private world --- your car. Modify, take liberties, allow extra turns and re-dos (or DON'T) --- whatever suits you.
If you can avoid enforcing rules, and avoid declaring "winners" (and assigning prizes) you can probably keep the fun going a lot longer before the inevitable melt downs (whatever age your group is, there WILL BE melt downs!)
Happy trails!!!!
Cindy - Horse Lover's Mama
PS - Not a game, but its GREAT FUN on loooooooong trips - stop at 6am and order dinner foods... including dessert!
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