Car Games for Kids: Fun Games to Play in the Car on a Road Trip, With and Without Paper (Ages 6–12)

Every family knows the moment: twenty minutes after leaving home, a voice from the back seat asks, “Are we there yet?” Long drives are part of Christmas for many of us – to grandparents, to cousins, to a cottage for the holidays – and a good stock of car games makes the miles go much faster. Here are car games for kids that really work on the road: games with no paper at all, games with a pencil and a clipboard, ideas sorted by age, tips for children who feel car-sick and a simple car-games kit to pack before you go.

Car games for kids, by age

• Ages 6–8: keep the rules short and the rounds quick. I spy, picture bingo, counting red cars or lorries and simple story games suit this age well. Children who are just learning to read enjoy spotting letters on road signs and number plates, and a maze or a colouring page fills a quiet stretch of motorway.
• Ages 9–12: older children like a challenge and a bit of competition. 20 questions, categories, number plate maths, a word builder and dots and boxes keep them thinking, and many enjoy keeping a trip journal or being in charge of the scorecard.

Younger brothers and sisters can join most talking games with a little help – an older child can whisper hints or play as a team.

Games to play in the car without paper

These need nothing but voices, so the whole family can join in – though the driver only listens and keeps their eyes on the road.

• I spy: “I spy with my little eye something beginning with…” For younger children, use colours instead of letters.
• 20 questions: one player thinks of a thing; the others ask yes/no questions and try to guess it within 20 questions. At Christmas, stick to festive and winter words.
• Story chain: someone starts a story with one sentence, and each player adds the next. The sillier, the better.
• Categories: name three things in a category – things that are cold, things that are red, animals that live where it snows. No repeats allowed.
• Hum the tune: one player hums a song without words and the others guess it. Christmas songs make it easy for everyone.
• Would you rather: “Would you rather ride in Santa's sleigh or drive a snowplough?” Everyone answers and explains why – it often turns into the longest conversation of the trip.

Car games with paper and a pencil

A clipboard on the lap turns the back seat into a small games table.

1. Road bingo: each child gets a card with pictures – a lorry, a bridge, a tractor, a petrol pump – and crosses out what they see. Five in a row wins.
2. Alphabet hunt and number plate maths: find every letter from A to Z on road signs, shop signs, lorries or number plates, or add up the digits on a number plate and see who gets the biggest total.
3. Spot and count: keep a tally of red cars, buses or houses with lights. Before you start, everyone guesses which will win.
4. Pencil games for two: tic-tac-toe and dots and boxes are perfect for the back seat.

Car-sick? Choose the right games

Reading and writing in a moving car does not suit every child. If someone starts to feel unwell, put the paper away and switch to the talking games above. Encourage children to look out of the window – games like I spy and road bingo played out loud keep their eyes out of the window rather than on their lap. Plan the paper games for straight, calm stretches and the talking games for winding roads.

Pack a car-games kit

• A clipboard for each child – it makes writing in the car much easier
• Pencils and a few crayons (a pencil case stops them rolling under the seats)
• An envelope for the small cut-out cards, so nothing gets lost
• A spare copy of the bingo card for the way back

Small cut-out cards are not for children under 3, so keep the envelope with an older child or a grown-up.

Christmas road trip ideas

Make the drive part of the celebration. Count Christmas trees on car roofs, look for snowmen in front gardens, and after dark, spot houses with lights. Let one child be the “trip reporter” who writes down the funniest moment, and give everyone a small certificate when you arrive. Keep a few games for the journey home, when everyone is tired and full of mince pies.

What's in My Christmas Car Games

If you would like everything ready to print, My Christmas Car Games is a 24-page PDF for children aged 6–12. It has 16 games and activities: Christmas road bingo with 2 different cards, spot and count, an alphabet hunt, number plate maths, 24 would you rather cards, 24 secret-word cards for 20 questions, 12 story-starter cards, 12 category cards with the rules for hum the tune, a road scavenger hunt with 20 things to spot, tic-tac-toe, dots and boxes, a word builder, a maze to Grandma's house, an “Are we there yet?” tracker and a trip journal. There are also 3 colouring pages, a “Super Traveller” certificate and a page of tips for grown-ups. It comes in seven editions – English, Български, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Español and Polski – and the English edition has both A4 and US Letter files.

Want to try it first? The free 6-page sample has bingo card 1, 12 would you rather cards, the maze and a colouring page. Enter your email on the sample page and the download links appear right there – no cart and no payment.

See My Christmas Car Games – 24 pages

Travelling with younger children, or looking for games for every season? The Road Trip Fun Kit is made for little ones and works all year round. And before a winter drive, the Winter Ready Car Kit gives grown-ups simple checklists for the car.

Have a safe, merry trip – and save a favourite game for the last few miles.

Illustrations created with AI assistance and reviewed by hand. The files are for your own family, or for your own class or group if you are a teacher.