The ABCs of Car Games: Part Two
Posted on June 14, 2010 by Suzan Woodard in Personal Experiences.
Tags: Big Universe, Car games, Family Time, Family Travel, Online Children's Books, Road Trip, summer reading, Summer Setback, Traveling with kids
In my last blog, I talked about summer vacation, traveling in a car and how important it is to prepare carefully when carrying young passengers. If you are going to confine small people in small spaces for hours on end, it’s best to have a plan. “Prepare or perish” were my exact words.
Car games are a good way to pass the time on a long trip, along with a pile of books, a new toy and some snacks. Car games are literacy builders, too – whether players look for letters on billboards, build an expanding story based on the ABCs and memory skills, or sing silly songs with changing sounds.
I shared a new but simple game called “Horse on Wheels” in my previous blog. Here are three more games to foster communication, build literacy skills and boost family bonding while putting some mileage on your car.
The Great Race from A to Z
Have your children look for each letter in the alphabet, using billboards and signs on businesses. See how many times they can get through the alphabet before getting to Aunt Carolyn’s house. Or, use a stopwatch to time the race from A to Z. It can be a group effort or kids can compete, depending on the squabble factor. Add a notebook and pencil to the equation if your children need practice with penmanship.
Sack on My Back
This is a memory game and tongue twister all packed into one! Each player takes a turn reciting the game prompt: “In a sack on my back, I think I’ll pack…” He or she adds a noun each time, starting with A, then B, and so on. Each player will need to listen closely, so he doesn’t leave anything off the list. “In a sack on my back, I think I’ll pack an apple, a basketball, a camera and my dachshund.”
Name Game
This rhyming car game takes some practice, but the kids love it. I never quite mastered it, but children have a special knack to pick up on the playful sound switcheroos, especially when names are involved. You can play it with other words, too. Learn one line; then add another. Here are several examples:
Darby, Darby, Bo-barby
Banana, Fanna, Fo-farby
Fee, Fie, Mo-marby
Daaar-by!
—-
Tom, Tom, Bo-bom
Banana, Fanna, Fo-fom
Fee, Fie, Mo-mom
Tooo-ooom!
—-
Maddie, Maddie, Bo-baddie
Banana, Fanna, Fo-faddie
Fee, Fie, Mo-maddie
Maaad-die!
—-
Dave, Dave, Bo-bave
Banana, Fanna, Fo-fave
Fee, Fie, Mo-mave
Daaa-ve!
(Clue: Note the rhyming pattern. Pick a name. Say it twice, then drop the first letter of the name and substitute the silly consonants and sounds.)
*** NOTE: See more car games in my next post, and read the first in this three-part series:
*** NOTE: If you are taking a laptop with you on your trip and have a 3G Internet card or have Internet hookup at your vacation lodging, Big Universe provides a portable library for children at your fingertips. With thousands of beautiful picture books available 24/7, there is no reason for your kids to experience “summer setback” in reading. Maintain or even improve their literacy skills with a wide assortment of fiction and non-fiction stories.
Thank you for these ideas. I always look for new games.
[...] my two previous blogs I detailed tips to make long trips easier, including a packing list and some car game suggestions to make the time go faster and to exercise brain [...]