Games to play in the car

If Jed Clampett had included a couple of bored kids as he loaded the truck, he would never have made it to Beverly Hills. Jed would have ordered Jethro to turn around before leaving the California state line.

Anyone who has spent unstructured car time with kids knows how taxing the experience can be. There are a lot of questions, frequent bathroom breaks and too many conversations starting with "Are we there yet?"

But long trips don't have to be boring; they can be fun and educational. Here are some games you can play with your kids that will keep them active and engaged (and maybe even bore them so they'll shut down for a while).

I follow

It is likely that everyone has played some form of this game. It works like this: one person chooses an object that he sees or has seen along the way, and says: “I follow with my little eye something that begins with a letter (choose one of the letters of the alphabet).” The rest of the people take turns trying to guess the mysterious object.

If you really want to drive your kids crazy, look for something that starts with "Q". Does dairy queen count? This debate will take the family for miles.

Trivial Pursuit

If your kids have a special interest (like baseball) and are good at trivia, play Trivial Pursuit, where one person asks a question to see who can answer first. For example: “Babe Ruth played for three major league teams. Name them."

Name this TV show

Have one person name the TV show. The next person in line must name a TV show that starts with the last letter of the previous show. For example, the first show might be titled Dog with a Blog. The next show should start with a G and could be titled Girl Meets World.

20 Questions

Have one person think of a person, place, or thing. The person who is "it" says to the group, "I'm thinking of a person." Everyone in the car takes turns asking a yes/no question. For example, "Are you running for president?" or "Are you an actor?" As the game progresses, the questions will become more and more specific. The goal of the game is to find the answer to 20 questions.

Number plates

It is a famous game that can be played in many different ways. One way to play the game is to count how many license plates from other states you see while driving. You can bet that a plate from Hawaii will be hard to come by to earn double or triple points.

Another way to play the license plate game is to try to make sentences from the letters on each license plate. For example, 123 WLY can become Walk Like You. Or you can try to make words out of letters. WLY can turn into a "wallaby".

beetle mania

This game can get a little tough so be careful. Mom and dad have to set some rules in advance. The essence of the game is that every time someone sees a VW Beetle, the first person who notices it says: "Hit, beetle, do not fight back" and gets the opportunity to "hit" (knock? Lightly hit?) the one who is within reach. Everyone else in the car must say "No retaliation" to avoid being "punched" (or tapped or punched). The interpretation of what constitutes a "hit" may vary.

If you have children who are prone to aggression, you may want to clarify the definition and intensity of a "hit".

Call this tune

This game is taken from the TV show of the same name. One person in the car hums, whistles, or sings part of the song—it could be a few notes or part of the chorus. The rest try to be the first to identify the song.

The title of this tune can be especially funny when the car is being driven by more than two generations, as Grandpa is unlikely to guess Lord's "Royals" any more than kids are likely to recognize Minnie Riperton's "Loving You". This game can be a good conversation starter.

Bob the Memory Builder

Do you think you can remember the 26 items mom took to work? If you think you can, try it. Have one person start a sentence like this: "Mom went to work and brought ...", and then complete the sentence with words that begin with the letter A. For example, "Mom went to work and brought an apricot." The next person in the rotation will repeat the sentence and add something that begins with the letter B. “Mom went to work and brought an apricot and sausage.”

Kudos to mom for finding something that starts with Q and X to take him to work.

The Count Who Loves to Count

Young children love to count things. Turn your early math skills into a game. Let them count anything - telephone poles, stop signs, semi-trailers or cows. Set some kind of game limit (it could be miles or minutes) so the kids can figure out who won and everyone can start over.

Hold your breath

As you enter the tunnel, start holding your breath to see if you can hold your breath to the end. It's a good idea to have the driver complete this game!

Final Tips

If you're lucky enough to have DVD screens in your car, watch a few age-appropriate shows to help reduce boredom. If your kids are younger, shows like Blue's Clues and Jack's Big Music Show have games in episodes, so when mom and dad need a break, pop in the DVD.

Finally, if your kids are a bit older, they will probably want to play games on their tablets or smart devices too. Be sure to “check in” to the app store before leaving home.