The Car Next Door

Everyone's played the storytelling game: Each player tells one sentence of a story before picking another player to continue with the next sentence. Spice it up by telling shorter stories about people in the surrounding cars: "'Wake up,' said Jake, the dad. 'It's time to head to Texas!'"
Good for: 4 and up

Dictionary

Pick a "judge." Pass around a piece of paper. Each member of the family adds one letter, forming a word that doesn't exist. Then everyone but the judge makes up a definition for the word. The judge picks the best definition, and its creator becomes the new judge. The first person to five wins.
Good for: 4 and up

I Spy

In this classic go-to car game, the first player picks out an object—not one that is passing by, preferably—and says, "I spy something...," inserting the color of the object. Other players then ask questions about the object. The first person to guess correctly wins. This game morphs easily into that other classic, 20 Questions. This time, the first player can think of, well, anything she wants. Other players start with the question, "Is it a animal, vegetable, or mineral?" and have a collective 19 more before having to place their guess.
Good for: 4 and up

License-Plate Bingo

Have the kids write random letters of the alphabet, five across and five down, on a piece of paper. Mom or Dad then calls out random letters they see on license plates. The first player to get five letters in a row wins.
Good for: 4 and up

Map It

Stop the "How much further?" questions before they start. Before your vacation, print out an extra map and highlight your route. (We like the ones at YourChildLearns.com.) Draw in special stops or sites so your child can follow along with where you are in your trip.
Good for: 4 and up

One Red Car, Two Red Cars

Here's how this one works: Individuals or teams keep their eyes peeled for red cars on their side of the road and count them as they pass. Pass a cemetery and that side of the car has to start over. At a predetermined ending location, the team that has counted the most red cars wins. In the good ol' days, this one was called "Counting Cows," but now that the chances of passing multiple grazing cows have diminished, the game deserves an update. We like red cars, but it works with motorcycles, police cars, or anything you like.
Good for: 4 and up

Roadside Arithmetic

Everyone picks a color. For each car of that color that passes, that player gets one point. If a bus, RV, or truck of that color passes, the player loses one point. Spot and call an ambulance, fire truck, or police car first, regardless of color, and get a five-point bonus. The first one to 25 wins.
Good for: 4 and up

Road-Trip Scavenger Hunt

Before you hit the road, make up a list of things to look for along the way. You can craft your list specifically depending on where you're going, or just use one of the ideas below:

Rural:

Tractor
Grain elevator
Cows
Dirt road
Dog
Roadside diner
Lake
Train tracks
Sheep
Farmhouse
Pigs
Bridge

City:

Convertible car
Bridge
Train
One-way sign
Smart car or mini
Mom and a kid
Dog walker with pack of dogs
Bike messenger
Policeman
Ambulance
Starbucks
Moving van

Suburban:

School
Fire truck
Wal-Mart
Billboard with an animal on it
Church
Grocery store
Ice cream shop
Park
Jogger
Flower store or nursery
Kids playing ball
Sports game in play
Ice cream truck

Good for: 4 and up

Next Page: Games for Ages 5 and up