5 Road Trip Games That Will Keep Everyone Entertained

Hitting the road this year and wondering how the hell you are going to entertain the children? The last thing any parent wants is a sibling squabble mid-motorway so here are some tried and tested road trip car games that have, without a doubt, helped keep me and my partner sane during our numerous road trips across Ireland and the UK last year.

Keeping it simple with the easiest. Not only is it easy to learn for preschoolers but it can keep them entertained for a good half hour too. If you don't know the game, the directions are very simple. One person looks for something in view and gives everyone else a clue to what that thing is and everyone else in the car takes a turn and guesses what that word might be.

Before departure, give each child travelling a notebook and a pencil for entertainment purposes, doodling and to take part in certain games. When travelling on a straight road list the numbers on the license plate driving in front and ask the older kids to add them up. Whoever gets the correct number first wins.

A bit like Hedbanz, one of the most popular board games for smallies but with a twist. The rules are pretty straightforward and it is perfect for small children too. One person thinks of a place or thing and the other passengers have twenty attempts to guess what is it asking simple questions like 'is it an animal?' and 'does it have legs?'. The game can go on for more than twenty questions but that's what makes it great for passing time while road tripping.

An ideal game for toddlers and small kids who are getting restless mid-journey. One player is picked to be Simon and whatever Simon says, the other has to do. For example, the player acting as Simon will say 'Simon says touch your nose,' and everyone touches their nose. However, if the player in charge does not say 'Simon says before the task' and a player acts out that task, they are out. Whoever wins plays Simon next.

A game suitable for all ages, even for an adults-only car journey that will guarantee a belly laugh or two. One player starts with 'Once upon a time...' and each passenger adds their own sentence to the story out loud until it is complete. The more sentences added, the more ridiculous it sounds.

Prepare games like tic tac toe or connect the dots prior to your journey for tweens and teens. Hopefully, it won't cause any arguments and if you wanted to be really savvy you could print off some easy sudoku puzzles and crosswords to keep them entertained.

And just in case the above games fail and all hell breaks loose pre-download a heap of movies on Netflix. It should keep them quiet for an hour or two.