Games to entertain the kids while walking or driving

Those of us who travel as a family know that car rides or long tourist walks in a new city can go from being a pleasant activity that everyone enjoys, to a complicated situation where we have to handle when our children become bored and want to do something else.

In ISP Schools, the teaching methodology in the early educational stages is largely based on learning through structured, teacher-led play. This allows children to lead their own learning and stay motivated.

Here you can read some ideas for games that the whole family can participate in so that we can help you continue to enjoy those moments on vacation.

I See I see – Veo veo

Who hasn’t played I See I See while traveling by car? This traditional game is entertaining whether you are on a car trip or walking long distances with your children. It has numerous learning and developmental benefits for children, as it stimulates deductive reasoning and language development. There are several different versions of this game: an object that begins with a letter, an object that is a certain color or that is used for something specific… The possibilities are endless!

Chained

Shall we play chain words? It’s very easy: the participants have to say chained words where each word begins with the last syllable or sound of the previous word. You can even try stringing sentences together!

Making up a story

Children love stories. Why not create a new one? One of the participants starts the new story with a sentence and the rest of the players take turns adding a sentence onto the story. Everyone must respect the sentence added by each player and make the story cohesive!

Guess what it is

One player thinks of an object and the rest of the participants have to guess what the object is by asking questions to that player. The challenge is that the player can only answer yes or no, so the participants have to strategically consider how to ask the questions.

Which objects can you find in…?

This game is usually very popular with younger members of the family and also serves to develop their language skills. It consists of taking turns saying what objects or things you can find in different places: kitchen, circus, school, etc. For example, for kitchen you could list objects such as food, plates, or sink. Keep listing items until you run out and the last player to think of an item can pick the new location.

Paper games

Before leaving home, prepare small notebooks and pencils. Once in the car, have your childen play traditional games on paper, such as Sink the Fleet or Tic Tac Toe. These different classics will help keep your children entertained on long drives!

Toys

Keep it simple! Children are capable of entertaining themselves with anyways, so it’s not always necessary to carry a car full of toys. Take their favorite toy, some dolls, a hardcover notebook with pencils or an activity book and stickers.

Children quickly get tired of playing the same thing for a long time, so it´s best to stop the game while it´s still fun and move on to another activity than to keep insisting until they are tired. And don’t forget, children have to learn to be bored from time to time!