Group GamesThe Counting Game
Every player chooses one thing to count from the window, and the first to reach the target wins. It is the simplest travel game there is, and small children can play it as soon as they can count to ten.
It also teaches patience and fair play in a small way: each sighting has to be called aloud, and nobody can count a thing twice.
- Players
- 2 or more
- Time
- 10 to 20 minutes
- You need
- Nothing
- Ages
- 5 and above
- Type
- Travel and family games
Who it suits and when to play
The Counting Game suits children from five years and needs nothing at all, so it is ready the moment a journey becomes dull. Each player chooses one thing to count. It works on highways, in trains and even on a walk. For older children, add sums: a tractor is worth five, a bridge ten.
How to play
- Agree on a target, such as ten for small children or twenty-five for older ones.
- Each player picks a different thing to count: red cars, trucks, bridges, bikes, trees with flowers.
- When a player sees their thing, they call out the new total: "Red car, four!"
- The first player to reach the target wins the round.
- For the next round, everybody chooses a new thing.
Things to count
- Red cars
- White cars
- Trucks
- Tractors
- Motorbikes with two riders
- Buses
- Bridges
- Petrol pumps
- Speed breakers
- Cows and buffaloes
- Shops with a blue signboard
- Trees with flowers
Tips and variations
- Sums version for children of eight and above: give each thing a value. A bicycle is 1, a tractor is 5, a bridge is 10. The first to reach 50 wins, and everyone adds aloud.
- Team version: the whole car counts one thing together and tries to reach 100 before the next town.
- On a train, count stations, tunnels, signals or bridges instead.
Common problems and how to fix them
- One player's thing is everywhere and another's is nowhere. Swap things every ten minutes, or let the youngest choose first.
- Players disagree about a count. Each count must be said aloud when the thing is seen. Silent counts do not stand.
- It gets boring. Set a target, such as "first to twenty", and start a new round with new things.
More travel and family games
- I Spy 10 minutes
- A to Z Game 10 to 15 minutes
- Atlas 10 to 20 minutes
- Road Bingo 30 minutes or the whole journey
Need fair teams or someone to go first? Use the team maker. See all 45 games.