Five Fun & Educational Word Games to Play in the Car

Finding ways to keep the kids occupied on long car journeys can be a challenge. So when embarking on a family trip, getting there is often the first hurdle parents have to face. If you don't want to plonk them down in front of a portable DVD player, there are a few other, educational, games to try whilst on the move. In this guest post, Isabelle - a writer from PassSmart - has created a top 5 of fun & educational word games which you can try next time you go on a long drive with the kids.

1. The number plate game

You can adapt this one to involve their favourite things. Simply ask them to look out for the last three letters of number plates, and to try and think of three things starting with that letter. You can search for animals, foods, or - for the older ones - countries. The more inventive they are, the more points they get. You don't have to keep score, and - best of all - it's completely free!

2. The alphabet game

This game tests memory as well as word skills. The first person says "I went to the shops and bought an apple" then the second person would say "I went to the shops and bought an apple and bread". This continues until you reach z or someone forgets one of the letters. You can change the game to focus on different words, such as "I went to the zoo and saw a…" or "I went on holiday and saw a…". It's fun, doesn't require any pens or paper and they might even learn some new words.

3. Pub legs

Don't worry, it's not what it sounds like! Pub legs is a great game to play when driving through towns, cities and villages. The game involves tallying up the number of legs a pub would have based on its name. The Red Lion, for example, would have four legs for the lion, but the Man of Kent would only have two. The first person to spot the pub and call out the name gets as many points as there are legs. This one tests their mental maths as well as their observational skills, as they'll have to tally up the amount of legs quickly in order to get the points!

4. Activity packs

Activity books are great for only children, or if you want to get a bit of quiet time on the journey. There are so many different books to choose from, each targeted at different age ranges. They'll have word searches and creative writing exercises to complete, and with so much choice, they won't get bored. You could also get them to write a travel diary if you're going on a longer trip. Get them to record their thoughts and adventures from each day, and they can look back on it when they're older.

5. One word story game

Get the kids to build a story, taking it in turns to add one word at a time. We all know how imaginative they can be, and they can get as creative as they like with this game. They don't need to write it down, so they can come up with the wildest tale possible. An added bonus of the one word story game is that it'll keep you entertained in the front whilst you're driving!
This content was provided by PassSmart.com.

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