Group GamesTravel and family games
Word games for car rides, train journeys, queues and power cuts. They need no board, no phone and no pen, only people who are willing to play. They are also a gentle way to practise spelling, memory and geography with children.
- I SpyA looking game for car, bus and train journeys.Travel and family games · 2 or more players · 10 minutes
- A to Z GamePlayers go around naming things in one category, in alphabetical order.Travel and family games · 2 or more players · 10 to 15 minutes
- AtlasAtlas is the place-name version of antakshari.Travel and family games · 2 or more players · 10 to 20 minutes
- Road BingoEach player has a card with nine or sixteen things that can be seen from a window.Travel and family games · 2 or more players · 30 minutes or the whole journey
- The Counting GameEvery player chooses one thing to count from the window, and the first to reach the target wins.Travel and family games · 2 or more players · 10 to 20 minutes
Games for the road, the train and the waiting room
A journey with children has three difficult stretches: the first half hour, when everyone is excited and restless; the long middle, when nothing changes outside; and the last hour, when everybody is tired. A different kind of game suits each. Begin with a looking game, I Spy or Road Bingo, while eyes are fresh. In the middle, switch to word games that need no window: the A to Z Game or Atlas. Near the end, choose something gentle that needs little effort, such as the Counting Game played as one team.
Choosing by age
- Four to six years: I Spy by colour, and the Counting Game with a target of ten.
- Six to nine years: Road Bingo, the Counting Game with sums and the A to Z Game on easy subjects.
- Nine and above, and adults: Atlas, and the memory version of the A to Z Game, where each player repeats the whole list.
Rules for playing in a vehicle
The driver may listen and laugh, but never looks for things or reads a card. Keep voices at a level that does not disturb the driver or other passengers, especially in a train or bus. Seat belts stay on, and nobody leans out of a window to spot anything. If a child begins to feel unwell, stop the looking games, which need the eyes to follow moving things, and change to a talking game.
These games are just as useful away from travel: in a clinic's waiting room, in a queue, during a power cut or at a restaurant while the food is coming. For a group that is travelling in several cars, a WhatsApp group game keeps all the cars in one game.