Color hunt is a spotting race for the youngest passengers: someone calls out a color, and the first player to find three things of that color, inside the car or outside, wins the round. It’s the first car game many toddlers can play properly, because the only skill it needs is knowing a color when they see one.
Older kids play the harder rainbow version, which can fill half an hour.
How to play
- The caller picks a color: “Find me three red things!”
- Players look inside the car and out the window. Each find has to be named out loud: “Red car! My cup! That sign!”
- The first player to name three different things wins the round.
- The winner becomes the caller.
Things inside the car count. For toddlers that’s where most of the game happens: shoes, snack bags, a car seat buckle.
The driver calls the colors
The driver can play this one properly. The caller never has to look for anything, only name a color and accept or reject the answers, which a driver can do with eyes on the road. It’s a good job for a parent at the wheel with a toddler who wants their attention. Say the color, count the finds out loud, cheer at three.
Versions by age
Age 2 to 3
One thing, not three, and inside the car only. Stick to red, blue, yellow and green. Point and help: “Is your shoe blue? Yes!” Every find is a win at this age. Stop after five or six rounds, before they get bored.
Age 4 to 5
Three things, inside or out. Add orange, purple, pink and brown. Things outside have to still be visible when they’re named, so a passing red truck counts only if the child calls it before it’s gone.
Age 6 to 8. The rainbow hunt
Each player finds one thing for every color of the rainbow, in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. You can’t skip ahead. Orange and purple are the hard ones; a construction zone and a purple car are the prizes. First through the rainbow wins.
Scoring for kids who want points
Toddlers don’t need scoring. For siblings of five and up, try rarity points: a common color like white, black or gray scores 1; a less common one like green or red scores 2; orange, purple and pink score 3. Callers can’t repeat a color until every color on the list has been called, so nobody picks only the easy ones.
Car tips
- Stock the hunt. A few colored things within a toddler’s reach, like a red ball, a green cup and a yellow book, mean they always have something to find.
- At night, play inside the car only with the dome light on, or switch to “color I’m thinking of,” where kids guess a color from clues.
- Mix the colors that are common where you’re driving. Green is easy in the countryside and hard in the desert.
When it stops being fun
Color hunt wears out quickly for kids over six.
When the rounds get too easy, move up to I Spy, which is the same looking game with a guessing layer on top. Or hand them a road trip bingo card, which gives them a whole grid of things to find. For toddlers, stop after a few rounds and bring it back after a nap. Short and happy beats long and cranky.
