Our top 8 picks for fun family car trip games

For many families, the holidays are synonymous with long car rides to Grandma’s, Aunt Sally’s and Cousin Bob’s.

And even though iPads, portable DVD players and portable video games go a long way to keeping the troops entertained, you can also use old-fashioned car games to liven up the ride and create an opportune bonding time with your kids.

Here are Hong Kong Auto Service’s top game picks for family fun:

1) Who’s Driving The Car
Everyone picks a car in the distance and makes up a story about who they think is driving the car. For example, if you see a beige minivan, one player might say, “The person driving that car is a mother of twins.” The next player might say, “And she has dark brown hair.” The next player might add, “Her sister’s family lives in Ohio, and she’s taking them a lot of presents.” The next player might add, “And the kids are in the backseat sleeping (in their carseats).” You go around the group and craft the story until you pass the car. Then you see how close you were to being “right.”

2) Name That Tune
In the spirit of the classic game show by the same name: Hit the scan button on your car radio. The first person to guess the name of the song gets a point. If the guesser knows the singer, band or composer, he or she gets one point. If he or she knows the song name and artist, that’s worth three points.

3) License Plates
This is a great way to reinforce your kids’ knowledge of the 50 states. Using black-and-white U.S. map printouts, each player colors in a state with a crayon after spotting its license plate. Get advanced by requiring players to name each state’s capital, too.

4) Alphabet Game
Each player attempts to find the letters of the alphabet, in order, on road signs, buildings and other stationary objects. Some families count words on passing vehicles – some rules those out. The word must begin with the letter. For example, a player looking for an “S” would be delighted to spot a stop sign. The player must call out the letter and the word when they see it, and no two players can claim the same word on the same sign. Competition really heats up when you’re looking for Js and Xs! The first player to work their way through the alphabet wins.

5) Counting Cows
Players count the cows on their side of the car. Pass a cemetery and call out “your cows are buried” to force the other players to lose their cows. Distracting each other is OK, too. Mix it up a bit by adding a white horse as a bonus. For older kids, settle a tie-breaker by asking players to name all the things made from cow’s milk: cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

6) Virtual Hide and Seek
Imagine yourself in a particular place in your home. The cool thing is, unlike the real game, you can be any size (think Alice in Wonderland), so any location is fair game: the kitchen junk drawer, the garbage disposal, the toilet (remember the Ty-D-bol man?). Other players ask yes/no questions, such as “are you in the laundry room?” until your location is narrowed. Children will love this game because they can use their imaginations to create hiding places they’d never be able to use in actuality.

7) Scavenger Hunt
Each player receives a list of items to locate along the road. The first player who spots all items on the list wins. Difficulty level can be adjusted to include kids of all ages and customized for each trip—city, suburban or rural—and feature such items as a flashing red light, dog, playground, church, statue, silo or tractor. Don’t have time to create your own scavenger hunt list? Google “scavenger hunt clues for the car,” and you’ll find oodles of ready-to-print lists.

8) Tell a Tale
Let the creative juices flow! The first player starts telling a story to the others. At any point, the narrator stops talking (even mid-sentence) and the second player must pick up the tale. Each player continues building the story until it reaches a logical (or illogical) conclusion.

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Does your vehicle need an oil change or other service before you head out of town? Schedule an appointment now — and learn why we recommend coming in a week or more before your trip.