Have you ever been stuck in the car for hour after hour just waiting for the trip to end?  Kids asking you “Are we there yet?” repeatedly. Well nothing is going to compete with that refreshing first leg stretch when you’ve reached your final destination and step out of the car, but here are a few games you can play with your kids to keep your mind mentally fresh and your brain off that endless road.

Restaurant Race:

Each player in the car chooses a restaurant of his or her choice. (I.e., taco bell, burger king, izzy’s, etc…) players can score points by spotting their restaurant on freeway signs, billboards, radio ads, or even off the road. You can play to a certain score. say 25 or for a certain time limit and add up your total points.

Alphabet Race:

Each player tries to complete the alphabet by spotting letters on license plates, freeway signs, billboards, etc. The first player to complete the alphabet in order wins.

Three letter word game: 

The first player starts with a three-letter word such as cat. The next person has ten seconds to come up with another three-letter word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. For example, if cat is the first word the second player could say the. The first player to take longer than ten seconds is eliminated. The last player left standing wins. (Spice it up by adding in stipulations such as no repeats of the same word).

Zitch dog:

One of my favorites, players try to spot a dog in the car or being walked. The first player to spot it yells ZITCH DOG and gets a point. Great for short drives through the neighborhood or town. First player to a set amount of points or the most in a certain time limit wins.


All of these games are intriguing and help take your mind off the endless miles of black tar you are consecutively passing. To make things more enticing have an award for the winner of each game, such as an ice cream cone or their choice at the drive thru. Guaranteed to end your headache of never ending questions. 

cartoon car