In the course of logging about 60,000 travel miles with my kids in the past eight years, I've found that most complaints from the backseat can be tempered with simple solutions that can actually make it fun to travel as a family. A good game, for example, makes the miles fly by. In addition to games, I've developed many activities and strategies designed to amuse the most bored backseat passengers (click on the following links to see them all: audiotapes for the road, car-ride treats, classic road-trip games, getting-to-know-you games, scavenger hunt for the car, scavenger hunt for the plane, tray-top games and the ultimate travel activity bag). I hope they'll help smooth your own family's journey.
LAUGH OUT LOUD
In the privacy of your own car, you can laugh as loud as you want or shout out the answers to questions. So don't hold back when you play these games--laugh, yell or sing your hearts out. The ideas are well suited to driving, as they don't involve writing.THE CAR NEXT DOOR: Invent stories about people in the car next to yours. What do you think they do for work? What's their favorite food? Where do they go on vacation? Get into lots of details, such as whether they snore loudly or are afraid of spiders. Give them names, hobbies, pets and so on.
BUZZ: This is a team effort to try to reach 100 without making a mistake. Take turns counting, beginning with one. Every time you get to a number that's divisible by seven (7, 14, 21) or has a seven in it (17), say "Buzz" instead of the number. If one person forgets to say "Buzz," everyone has to start over. If this is too hard, say "Buzz" for every number that's divisible by five. If you want a real challenge, try Fuzz Buzz. Say "Fuzz" for every number with a three in it or that's divisible by three, and "Buzz" for every number with a seven in it or that's divisible by seven.
ALPHABET WORDS: Starting with A, find words on signs that begin with each alphabet letter. The first person might spot a billboard with the word "all" on it. The next person might spot the word "brake" on a road sign. After you get through the alphabet, find all the numbers from one to 100.
WHERE DO YOU DO IT?: One person mimics a sound, and everyone tries to guess where this sound is performed. For example, you could make the sound of computer keys tapping, and the answer would be "in an office." This game can degenerate quickly into bathroom humor, which may be why kids love it.
BUILDING WORDS: Take turns saying letters and build words together. Someone starts with any letter, maybe an R. The next person thinks of a word, such as rake, and says A. The next person thinks of a word, such as rabbit, and says B. Each player must have a real word in her head before speaking. If you challenge someone and they don't have a word, they're out.
I SPY: Someone says "I spy with my little eye something green." Whoever guesses correctly goes next. You could limit the items to what's in the vehicle. Or, you could get tricky and play I Spied, selecting items that you've already passed.
When she isn't buzzing her backseat passengers, Susan Fox is a freelance writer in Palo Alto, California.
