Carful

Travel games for kids

The travel games that work anywhere are the ones you play with your voice: I Packed My Suitcase, Story Chain, Rhyme Time and the Quiet Game. In the car, add window games like Yellow Car, the number plate game and car bingo. Every game here is free and needs no kit.

4+ yrsPlayers: 2+

  1. Spot a yellow car and shout 'yellow car' first to score a point.
  2. It must be a car and it must be yellow. Agree the rules on vans before you set off.
  3. Wrong shout loses a point. Most points at the end of the journey wins.
Full rules and variants

6+ yrsPlayers: 2+

  1. A passenger reads out the last three letters of a nearby number plate.
  2. Everyone races to make a word using those letters in that order. KTN: kitten.
  3. First valid word scores a point, and the shortest word at the end scores a bonus.
Full rules and variants

2–8 yrsPlayers: 2+

  1. The caller names a color: 'Find me three green things!'
  2. Players spot things of that color, inside or outside the car, and name each one out loud.
  3. First to name three wins the round and becomes the next caller.
Full rules and variants

4+ yrsPlayers: 2+

  1. One player opens with a first sentence, like 'Once there was a dog who drove a bus.'
  2. Each player adds one sentence that follows from the last one.
  3. After about 20 sentences, someone must end it. Then start a new story.
Full rules and variants

3–12 yrsPlayers: 2+

  1. The starter says a simple word, like 'cat'.
  2. Each player in turn says a new word that rhymes: hat, bat, flat.
  3. Stuck for five seconds or repeat a word? The round ends and you pick the next word.
Full rules and variants

4+ yrsPlayers: 2+

  1. Start with: I packed my suitcase and in it I put… plus one item.
  2. Each player repeats the whole list in order, then adds one new thing.
  3. Forget or swap an item and you lose a life. Last player standing wins.
Full rules and variants

3–10 yrsPlayers: 2+

  1. On 'go', everyone goes silent. No words, hums or giggles.
  2. The first person to make a sound is out. Players who are out can't make noise either.
  3. The last quiet player wins and starts the next round.
Full rules and variants

More games that fit

A travel game for children has one job: fill the time between here and there without a tablet. Where you’re sitting changes which games work. A car has windows and passing traffic. A train has a table and a wider view but a carriage full of strangers. A plane has almost nothing to look at. This page sorts the games by that, so you can pack the right ones in your head before you leave.

Games that work anywhere

These need only voices, so they suit the car, the train, the plane, the ferry and the queue for the loos at the services.

I Packed My Suitcase. Each player repeats the list and adds one item: “I packed my suitcase and in it I put a toothbrush, a bucket and spade, a penguin.” Children from about four can play, and they’re often better at it than their parents.

Story Chain. Take turns adding one sentence to a story. There’s no winner, which makes it good for siblings who’ve been squabbling since the M25.

Rhyme Time. Say a word, and everyone takes turns finding a rhyme. Made-up words are allowed for the little ones. It works from about three, which makes it one of the few travel games a toddler can join properly.

The Quiet Game. The last person to make a sound wins. Useful on a plane during take-off, or on a train when the carriage has gone quiet. Keep rounds short and have a small prize.

Games for the car

In the car, the window is your game board. These work best with a child in a booster seat who can see out properly.

Yellow Car. First to shout “yellow car” when they spot one gets a point. Agree the rules first, especially whether vans count, and ban the punch on the arm some families add.

The number plate game. Take the last three letters on a plate and make a word using them in order. From about seven, children love this, and they’ll beat you at it by the end of the journey.

Car bingo. Our UK card has sheep, roundabouts, post boxes and caravans. Give every child their own card, printed on A4 or on a phone, and play a fresh one after each stop.

Colour hunt. For under-fives. Pick a colour and find as many things of that colour as you can. Red is easy in Britain: post boxes, buses, phone boxes and a surprising number of cars.

For more car-only games, including Car Cricket with pub signs, see our full list of car journey games.

On the train

Trains are easier than cars in one way: children can move about, and there’s a table. They’re harder in another: everyone can hear you. Keep games quiet. I Spy is better on a train than in a car, because the view is wider and the object stays in sight longer. Whisper versions of I Packed My Suitcase work well. A bingo card with countryside items (cows, sheep, tractors, a canal boat) keeps a window seat busy for an hour.

On a plane

A plane has the least to see and the most time to fill. Voice games carry the whole flight: 20 Questions, Story Chain and Rhyme Time. Print or download anything you want before you board, because there’s no signal once you’re up. Save a new game for the descent, when ears hurt and patience runs out.

By age

Under 4

Colour hunts, Rhyme Time and I Spy with colours. Five minutes is a good game at this age. Our page on road trip games for toddlers has more for this age.

4 to 7

Yellow Car, I Packed My Suitcase and picture bingo. They can keep score and follow simple rules.

8 to 12

The number plate game, Story Chain with a twist ending, and harder bingo cards. Let them run the game for younger siblings.

Frequently asked questions

What games can children play on a train?

Quiet talking games suit a train carriage best: 20 Questions, I Packed My Suitcase in a whisper, and I Spy through the window, which works better on a train than in a car because the view is wider. Keep shouting games like Yellow Car for the car.

What are good travel games for kids on a plane with no window seat?

Games that need nothing to look at: Story Chain, Rhyme Time, 20 Questions and the Quiet Game for take-off and landing. Download or print anything you need before you board, since there's no signal once you're in the air.

How do you keep children entertained on a ferry crossing?

Use the ferry itself. Let them explore the deck with a parent, then play a spotting game from the window: boats, gulls, the first sight of land. A colour hunt works well for under-5s, and a bingo card with a harbour theme for older children.

What travel games work for a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old together?

Colour hunts and I Spy, with the 8-year-old giving clues for the little one. Story Chain also works, because a 3-year-old's sentence about a dinosaur is as good as anyone's. Keep scoring out of it so the older child doesn't simply win every round.