Put mom & dad, two brothers, and two sisters in a vehicle for hours and what do you get? Bad stuff if you aren't prepared for the experience!
Of the long distance locations my own family has traveled to, none of them have been by automobile. Growing up in a family of 6, however, we used to cover a great many miles on summer vacations.
Driving games help preoccupy the minds of the passengers because we all know the road can be wearysome. Staring at gorgeous landscaping is one thing, but long drives never entirely provide a view of natural wonder.
Games That Have Many Variations
Keep in mind that most of the games we played as a family in that rolling Toyota Van have other variations. You may know a game that's similar if not played by exactly the same rules.
It's also noteworthy that these games only help ease the tensions that can arise in a vehicle on a family vacation. They don't relieve them completely...at least not going by my own experiences.
So what were some of these time-killing games that helped us get on down the road? You probably already have one or two in mind that you played yourself. Here are a few of the ones my family used to have fun with.
I Spy
If you haven't heard of I Spy.....let me enlighten you now. The game typically goes like this:
Whoever started the game by bringing it up to the others in the vehicle usually went first. They picked an object withing their continual line of sight and gave the others a clue with the I Spy saying. It goes something along the following lines.
I Spy With My Little Eye.... Something That Begins With The Letter K
Of course, the letter doesn't have to be K. It corresponds to the first letter of whatever the turn-goer chooses as their object.
I Spy can bring laughter for a few reasons. Once the turn-goer makes their I Spy statement, the group will usually start shouting out their guesses. But if no one gets it, things can go real quiet. You can feel the deep thought all around you.
Then there's the case where the turn-goer didn't hear the answer. It turns into an "ok, we give up" situation. Then when the group hears the answer, everyone's mad because they already guessed it some time back.
The group can ask questions to try to narrow down the answer. Is it inside or outside the car was a common question. And the turn-goer had to answer honestly. Whoever ended up guessing the object became the new I Spy turn-goer.
100 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall
A game? No. A song that has the ability to drive a person to the edges of sanity? Yes! Again, I'm surprised if you haven't heard of this one. It is indeed a song, and a time-killer, that goes something like this:
"One hundred bottles of beer on the wall
One hundred bottles of beer
You take one down
Pass it around
Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall!"
Though I can't purvey the melody to you in text, it's simple and catchy. And if you hadn't guessed already, the song just keeps going...on...and on...and on. Until you reach 0 bottles of beer on the wall.
On one trip we reached zero and I seized upon that great opportunity by creating new lyrics. Only my version started at zero and counted upward.
Blue Stationwagon
Do car makers even manufacture a Stationwagon anymore? If not, just picture the Griswold family as they made their way to Wally World in the movie, Family Vacation. Now you have the image of a Stationwagon planted firmly in your mind.
While on the highway, we'd keep an eye out for any blue Stationwagon on the road. We'd call it out if we saw one. This is a game that does have many variations as you can easily substitute the color and make of the vehicle.
Yellow Bug, Red Corvette, or VW Bus would also work just as well. It's also a game that lasts for hours, which can make the whole family forget they're playing. We'd keep score for a while until someone would remember we were playing and call out another vehicle. It helped to wake us up at the very least.
What Driving Games For Time Killers Do You Play?
Nowadays vehicles come with televisions, movies, or even online video games. All you need is a mobile hot spot or satellite connection. Back then, we didn't have the high tech gadgetry to keep ourselves entertained. We had to resort to dumb road games.
They did make us laugh and even fight at times, but we interacted as a family. What did your family do on long trips? And what do you do on long trips if you're all grown up with your own family now?
Thanks for reading and as always...
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