How to Boost Summer Learning with Travel Games4 min read

Whether it’s a short or a long road trip with the family, it becomes a challenging task for parents to find ways to entertain the kids and keep them occupied. But you don’t have to worry. While you were busy packing your essentials, we prepared this list of games that are both fun and educational for your next family road trip.

Do you know what the best part about this list is? It’s got games and activities which will not only keep your little one hooked to one corner during trips but will also seamlessly help your kids learn a handful of things.

What’s more? These games make your journey more happening and full of fun.

5 Games You Can Play On Your Next Road Trip

When you think about the road trips you took as a child, we’re sure you get a little nostalgic. The serene views, roadside cafes, and those special songs bring back joyful memories. Now as a parent, you would want your kids to have fun during their trip, and at the same time make the most out of it. Here we have a list of some interesting and educative games you can play on your next road trip

All of these activities are appropriate for children of all ages. They’ll also help you bond with your children. Here are five fun activities to try with your child when you’re ready to go on another adventure.

The 20 Questions Game

This could be considered one of the best options for a travel game.

If you’ve never played the 20 Questions game before, here’s a quick tutorial: Each person thinks of an object or noun in turn. The other players then ask up to 20 yes or no questions to try to figure out what the mystery object is.

The player who correctly guesses the object takes their turn to select the object while the others guess. You can raise the difficulty by limiting the number of questions allowed or changing up the categories.

Let’s Map This

This game is a must-try because of one reason: it is one of the most fun and educative games to be played during a road trip.

For this game, you would need to print out a couple of maps of the United States or of the country you are traveling through. As you pass through any landmark or state or city, mark it off on the printed maps with your kids.

This would be a great way to help your kids learn geography and the names of states or cities.

The Travel Bingo

If you have a competitive kid, you can prepare a list and chits of every city or state in the United States to share with your family on the road trip.

Next, make a bingo plate, awarding a prize to the participant who receives 5 cities belonging to the same state or any 5 cities which occur consecutively in the list.

You can change up the categories as well. Maybe it could be parts of the human body, or animals, or even, mathematical puzzles.

Makin’ It Real

An excellent way to make your journey educative and fun for the kids is to gamify their achievements. It could be in the form of a monetary reward or even some other perks such as a trip to their favorite amusement park or maybe a game they’ve had their eyes on.

While doing so, this will also be a great way to teach your kids about the rewards and how to make them last. For instance, if they ask for monetary rewards, you could help instill basic financial skills. Trust us, their 30-year-old selves will be thanking you in the future.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0

Whether you’re in a car or a train, a scavenger hunt can be exciting for the entire family. Instead of directly asking your little one to locate certain items, compose a list of clues that require them to work through the steps. Make sure they use their essential questioning abilities to locate the gadgets and mark them off their list.

If you can coordinate your scavenger hunts with landmarks you’re planning to go to along the way, your kids can go around (with supervision), checking off their lists while burning off the strength that’s been bottled up during the tight journey space.

This is not only a great way to occupy their minds, but also help your kids develop their analytical skills.

Things to Remember

Kids always want to have fun and be entertained. However, on long journeys, especially road trips, this isn’t always easy. Sometimes, we may lose our patience and the mood may turn sour.

Always remember to not play the blame game. Make sure to have time to cool off between activities as well so everyone gets the rest that they need.

As always, listen to your kids as much as they listen to you. When you plan these activities together, it can always be more fun.