6. Prop It Up
Hand out a bag of random props (or encourage students to come up with items they have on them). Tell them they have to use their prop in some way at the next rest stop as they talk with the cashier at a gas station or improv some dialogue with each other that patrons can hear. (Obviously, be sensitive to where you’re at. Some areas of the country or other cultures may be more open to this than others.)
7. Ping Pong Chit Chat
Fill a bag with ping pong balls and pass it around so everyone gets one (along with a marker to have or share). Ask a crazy question out loud that you invite students to write down a crazy response for. Examples include “How many boats should (insert celebrity name) own?” and “What’s the best name for a dog?” After everyone writes an answer down on a ping pong ball, put them back in the bag. Shake it up and then have everyone grab one. They have to then passionately answer the question based on what’s on the ball, along with a reason their answer is the right one.
Repeat it with a new question but the same ping pong balls, which means on the next turn the person can choose any answer on the ball to reply back to the current question. It obviously gets fun as the game goes on because answers start to range all over, as does the intensity of the debate.
8. Ten Fingers
Everyone holds up ten fingers (except for the driver, who can play on the honor system) and tries to come up with statements of things they either have or haven’t done. For example, “I have never gone skydiving” or “I have two dogs.” If others can’t honestly claim the same thing as that person, then they put a finger down each time. The winner is the person who still has at least one finger up at the end of the game.
9. Whistle While You ___________
Let teens know that whenever something happens (i.e. going through a tunnel, driving over a bridge, paying a toll, etc.) or at any given moment when you call it out, they have to whistle without stopping in one continuous blow. The winner is the one who lasts the longest. Encourage kids to hold each other accountable.
10. Hurray for Hollywood
It’s simple: Connect movies and actors together until you get stumped. Start out with one person naming a celebrity, and then the next person naming a movie that person starred in. Then the next person names another actor in that movie, followed by a different movie that actor starred in, and so on (i.e. Chris Pratt. Guardians of the Galaxy. Zoe Saldana. Star Trek.).
BONUS: I Spy
Um, hello…? How can this not make the list of road trip games? One person finds something inside or outside the vehicle that can be seen for at least a few minutes and mentions a clue about it. For example, “I spy with my little eye something (green, small, that begins with the letter ____, etc.”).
Any favorite road trip games and activities you enjoy? Share them with your colleagues in the comments below!
This article about road trip games and activities originally appeared here.
