“Are we there yet?”, a question children love to ask every few minutes when traveling. Traveling is a challenge for many parents since they need to keep their kids preoccupied until they reach their destination. Hence, travel games come in very handy to keep toddlers happy whether traveling by car, plane, train or boat.

I Spy Alphabet

The I Spy game is a simple, fun and classic game toddlers love to play during trips, perfect for beating long hours of boredom. Start by deciding on a category. Say for instance the category is animals. You can start by saying an animal that starts with the letter A, say for example “ape” then have your little one say something beginning with that letter like “ant” and move on to the next letter until you finish the alphabet. This game is better played during a family outing so a lot of people can participate to make it more interesting. Not only will this game excite your toddler but also challenge him mentally as well.

Backseat Bingo

You will need a pen or crayon (for marking) and printable game boards which you can download online or you can make your own game boards with different categories. Play the game by marking the item when you see it as you travel. The first one to get a straight row going up, down, across, crosswise or until every item in the board is marked must say BINGO to be declared the winner.

Travel Collage

Cut out pictures of airplanes, boats, bicycles, motorcycles, cars and trains using old magazines or newspapers. Together, you can glue these down randomly to create a travel collage. As you work on this project, ask your toddler questions about the various modes of transportation. Which is his favorite? Why does he like it? Which would be best to take to the park? Grandpa’s house? To Disneyland?

The Transfer Station

Now that your toddler is an expert at using his hands and is beginning to understand basic concepts like “empty and full” and “in and out”, utilize  these emerging skills by bringing two covered plastic containers. Fill up one container with toys like blocks, stuffed animals, crayons, etc. and leave the other container empty. Place the two containers next to each other and encourage your young one to move the items from one container to the next, then back again.

Granny Went To Market

Ideally played during car trips, this game also doubles as a memory game. Begin the game by saying “Granny went to market and bought…” Make sure to choose items you can see outside the car windows, say for example flowers. Let your toddler repeat this and have him add another item to the list, for instance, a  bottle of milk. Repeat these two items and add another, saying “Granny went to market and bought flowers, a bottle of milk and vegetables.”. Continue doing this until you have mentioned at least 20 items.

Guess The Animal

Take turns of being the animal and let everyone guess what you are. If you are a giraffe, you can say “I am tall. I have a long neck. I have spots.”. When someone has guessed what animal you are, let that person be the next animal.

Storytelling

Reading is another great travel game. Use board books since they are small and lightweight. Choose his favorite stories, read them to him or read together. Read them as if you are acting in a dramatic play, complete with delighted, scared and funny voices. Point out pictures, a dog for example and act out the sound of the dog. Have him repeat it after you so he will not get bored just listening to you.

The right travel games can make a trip much easier not only for your toddler but for everyone else as well. Be creative, have variety and challenge.