The best car games for kids are spotting games (I Spy, alphabet hunt, road trip bingo), word games (20 Questions, categories), number games (number plate maths) and story games, all played with eyes outside the car and no screens. Here are 25 games to play in the car, each with ages and players, plus the safety rules that keep the driver out of them.
Most of these car games for kids need nothing at all. A few work better with a list of questions in the front seat, such as our this or that questions for kids, or a printed bingo card. Games are grouped by type, so you can switch to a calmer kind when the car gets loud.
Car games for kids: quick picks
Use this table to choose games by trip length and mood. Ages are a guide: younger children can join most games with a grown-up as a partner.
| Situation | Try first | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Under 30 minutes, ages 3 to 5 | I Spy colours (#1), Animal Spotting (#5) | No reading, instant to start |
| Long motorway drive | Road Trip Bingo (#4), Alphabet Hunt (#2) | Keeps children looking out of the window |
| Siblings bickering | One-Word Story (#22), This or That (#13) | Everyone takes turns, nobody loses |
| Ages 8 to 12 | Make 10 (#16), Distance Detective (#20), Word Chain (#10) | Real challenge, sneaky maths practice |
| Night driving | 20 Questions (#8), Riddle and Trivia Round (#14) | Nothing to see, so use voices |
Safety first: car games for kids that never distract the driver
Every game here is for passengers. The driver should drive, not referee. The UK Highway Code (rule 148) lists arguing with passengers among the distractions drivers should avoid, and the CDC describes three kinds of distraction: eyes off the road, hands off the wheel and mind off driving.
- A passenger runs the games. If you are the only adult, choose listening games and let the children judge each other.
- The driver never looks at cards, phones or drawings, and never has to settle an argument. Agree a “pause” word that stops any game at once.
- Pause at junctions, roundabouts, merges and in heavy traffic or bad weather.
- Children stay buckled in their car seats or boosters. No game needs anyone to lean, unbuckle or pass things to the front. The AAP’s car seat guidance on HealthyChildren.org says the back seat is the safest place for all children under 13.
- No throwing or loud sudden shouts. Swap “shout Bingo” for a hand up in the air if the driver finds it startling.
Looking-out games also help with travel sickness. The NHS advice on motion sickness suggests looking at a fixed point such as the horizon, not reading or using screens, and distracting children with talking, music or singing.
Spotting games for the window seat
Spotting games keep eyes on the horizon, which makes them the best car games for kids prone to car sickness.
1. I Spy (with colours for little ones)
Ages: 3+. Players: 2 or more. One player says “I spy with my little eye something beginning with B”, or for 3- and 4-year-olds “something that is green”. Pick things that will stay in view for a while, such as a hill or a bridge, not a passing car.
2. Alphabet Hunt
Ages: 6+. Players: 2 or more. Find the letters A to Z, in order, on road signs, shop fronts and lorries. Play as one team, or the left side of the car against the right. Q, X and Z are allowed anywhere inside a word.
3. Colour Car Count
Ages: 4+. Players: 2 to 4. Each child picks a colour and counts cars of that colour for 10 minutes. Red and blue are fair; silver and white usually win, so give those to the youngest.
4. Road Trip Bingo
Ages: 4+. Players: 2 or more. Print a different bingo card for each child with things to spot: a bus, a cow, a bridge, a petrol station. Mark them with a pencil or a sticker. First to complete a line shouts “Bingo!”.
5. Animal Spotting
Ages: 3+. Players: 2 or more. Score 1 point for each animal on your side of the car: cows, sheep, horses, birds and dogs. A herd counts as one sighting, or older children can estimate how many animals are in it.
6. Shape Hunt
Ages: 4+. Players: 2 or more. Spot a circle, triangle, rectangle and octagon on signs and buildings. Many countries use an eight-sided stop sign, which makes the octagon a good final target.
7. Number Plate 0 to 9
Ages: 5+. Players: 2 or more. Find the digits 0 to 9 in order on number plates. Each digit must come from a new car. Young children can just call out any digit they recognise.
Word games that need only voices
Word games work in the dark, in traffic and on the motorway, so they are the backbone of road trip games for kids.
8. 20 Questions
Ages: 6+. Players: 2 or more. One player thinks of an animal, food or famous character. Everyone else asks yes-or-no questions; can they guess it in 20?
9. Categories A to Z
Ages: 6+. Players: 2 or more. Choose a category such as fruit, animals or countries and go round the car from A to Z: apple, banana, cherry. Skip X if you must.
10. Word Chain
Ages: 7+. Players: 2 or more. Each word must start with the last letter of the one before: car, rabbit, tiger, rain. No repeats and no pausing longer than five seconds.
11. Rhyme Time
Ages: 4+. Players: 2 or more. Say a simple word like “cat” and take turns with rhymes: hat, mat, bat, sat. The round ends when someone repeats a word or gets stuck.
12. Would You Rather
Ages: 5+. Players: 2 or more. Ask silly choices such as “Would you rather have a dog’s nose or a cat’s ears?” and everyone explains their answer. Our would you rather questions for kids give you dozens ready to read.
13. This or That
Ages: 4+. Players: 2 or more. Faster than Would You Rather: “Beach or snow? Pizza or pasta?” Each child answers in one word. Read from our list of this or that questions so you never run dry.
14. Riddle and Trivia Round
Ages: 6+. Players: 2 or more. A front-seat passenger reads riddles and quiz questions; the first child to answer scores. Use our maths riddles for kids and science trivia questions, which both have answers.
Number games and number plate maths
These games sneak in mental maths. Keep them to a few rounds, and let younger children use their fingers.
15. Plate Sum
Ages: 6+. Players: 2 or more. Add up the digits on the next number plate. A plate showing 7, 3 and 9 makes 19. Highest total after five plates wins.
16. Make 10
Ages: 8+. Players: 2 or more. Use the digits on a plate with +, −, × or ÷ to make 10. For 3, 4 and 2: 3 × 4 − 2 = 10. Some plates are impossible, which is part of the fun.
17. Buzz on Seven
Ages: 7+. Players: 3 or more. Count round the car. On any number in the 7 times table or with a 7 in it, say “Buzz” instead. Up to 30, the buzz numbers are 7, 14, 17, 21, 27 and 28.
18. Skip-Count Relay
Ages: 5+. Players: 2 or more. Count in 2s, 5s or 10s, one number each. Miss one and the next player starts again. See our skip counting guide for the patterns by age.
19. Estimation Station
Ages: 6+. Players: 2 or more. Everyone guesses how many red cars you will pass in five minutes, or how many minutes until the next town. Closest guess wins.
20. Distance Detective
Ages: 9+. Players: 2 or more. Read a distance sign and work out the time. At a steady 60 mph you travel a mile a minute, so 24 miles takes about 24 minutes. Check with the clock when you arrive.
Story and imagination games
Story games calm a noisy car and suit mixed ages, because there are no wrong answers.
21. Fortunately, Unfortunately
Ages: 5+. Players: 2 or more. Players alternate: “Fortunately, we found a treasure map.” “Unfortunately, a goat ate it.” Keep going until someone cannot think of a twist.
22. One-Word Story
Ages: 4+. Players: 2 or more. Build a story one word at a time round the car. It will go strange quickly, and that is the point.
23. Sign Story
Ages: 7+. Players: 2 or more. Take the next three signs you pass, such as “Bakery”, “Bridge” and “Slow”, and make up a story that uses all three.
24. Where Is That Lorry Going?
Ages: 5+. Players: 2 or more. Pick a passing lorry or van and invent its journey: what is inside, who is driving and where it is going. Vote for the best story.
25. Fairy Tale Remix
Ages: 4+. Players: 2 or more. A parent tells a well-known story and stops at a key moment: “And then Goldilocks opened the door to find…”. The child invents the next part.
Which car games suit each age?
Children can usually join car games a stage above their age with help. Use this table to choose a starting set.
| Age | Best car games | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 4 | I Spy colours, Animal Spotting, Rhyme Time, One-Word Story, Fairy Tale Remix | Car games for toddlers need short rounds, colours and sounds, not letters |
| 5 to 6 | Road Trip Bingo, Shape Hunt, Number Plate 0 to 9, This or That, Skip-Count Relay | Picture bingo cards help early readers |
| 7 to 8 | Alphabet Hunt, Word Chain, Buzz on Seven, Sign Story, Riddle and Trivia Round | Add a scorekeeper in the back seat |
| 9 to 12 | 20 Questions, Categories A to Z, Make 10, Distance Detective, Would You Rather | Let them run a game for younger siblings |
How to plan travel games for kids on a long drive
On a long drive, car games for kids work best in short bursts with breaks in between.
- Rotate types every 15 to 20 minutes: spotting, then word, then story, then a quiet break.
- Save a favourite for the hard part, such as the last hour or a traffic jam.
- Print before you leave. Make bingo cards and pack a clipboard and pencil for each child.
- Stop for breaks. On long journeys, plan stops for fresh air, water and a walk.
- Allow quiet time. Not every minute needs a game. Looking out of the window counts too.
Common mistakes that spoil a car game
- Games that need reading on the move. Word searches and books can bring on car sickness; save them for stops.
- Too competitive. Bickering builds fast in a small space. Mix in team games and story games with no winner.
- Spotting things that vanish. In I Spy, pick objects that stay in view.
- Asking the driver to judge. Make a passenger or the oldest child the referee.
Printable bingo and question cards on PrintSheetLab
For the bingo game, make a different card for each child with the printable bingo card maker, or print our ready-made travel bingo cards and transportation bingo with pictures for non-readers. For question games, keep our icebreaker questions and conversation starters for kids on your phone for more games to play in the car.
Related guides and printables:
- Science trivia for kids, with answers
- Maths riddles for kids by grade
- Would you rather questions for kids
- How to improve concentration in kids
- Charades ideas for kids for the hotel or campsite
Sources
Driver distraction: The Highway Code, rules 103 to 158 (GOV.UK) and the CDC’s page on distracted driving. Back-seat advice: the American Academy of Pediatrics on HealthyChildren.org. Travel sickness: NHS. The games and instructions are our own.
Frequently asked questions
6 quick answers
What are good car games for kids without screens?
I Spy, Alphabet Hunt, Road Trip Bingo, 20 Questions, Would You Rather, Plate Sum and Fortunately, Unfortunately all need no screens, and most need nothing at all.
What car games for kids work for toddlers and preschoolers?
The best car games for toddlers and 3- and 4-year-olds are I Spy with colours, Animal Spotting, Rhyme Time and Fairy Tale Remix. Keep rounds short and use colours and sounds instead of letters.
How do you play the alphabet game in the car?
Find each letter from A to Z, in order, on road signs, shop names and lorries. Play as one team, or one side of the car against the other.
Which road trip games for kids help with car sickness?
Spotting games that keep eyes on the horizon, plus talking and singing games. The NHS advises against reading or using screens when prone to motion sickness.
Can the driver join in car games for kids?
Only in simple listening games, and never in anything that needs looking, judging or arguing. A passenger should run the games, and any game should pause in busy traffic.
What are good travel games for kids at night?
20 Questions, Categories A to Z, Word Chain, the Riddle and Trivia Round and story games all work in the dark because they use voices only.