The "Classic" Song Game
This game can be very challenging, and involves the memory of song lyrics.
The first person will sing a song and then stop at a word and then the next person must think of a song with that word in it. For instance, one person might sing a Justin Bieber popular song and end with the word, "baby" and the next person might sing, "Rock my baby on the tree..." Ending with word, tree the next person playing this song game will have to find a song with tree in it. This game can be played until no one can think of a song with the word or this song game can simply, and cooperatively and collectively, be played together.
Name That Tune
A classic television show can be played while traveling the long distance in a car with each person, or just the parents, giving clue notes about the song they have chosen. The players try and see if they can think of what song is being hummed or whistled. If older children are playing this game, they can try and guess how many notes they are going to guess the song in. Start with one note, then another and so on until the song is guessed.
Make a Playlist of Songs for a Guessing Game
This suggestion takes some preparation but might end up passing the time effectively in the car ride. A version of name that tune is to copy the beginning of songs onto a playlist for the travelers to guess. Another suggestion is to make a full playlist of songs, or portions of songs, and the players have to guess an aspect of that song. Following are some ideas or variations for the guessing game:
- Movie Soundtracks: guess what movie the song can be found
- Who is Singing?: guess the artist
- Now or Then? : find songs from the past and present, and the players have to guess
- World Music: guess what part of the world the song is from
- What Decade? players have to decide which decade the song comes from
This game can be a collective song or played individually. Moreover, the parents might sing songs for their restless toddlers. Use the alphabet and with each letter find a word that starts with that letter and then a correlating song. Finding the word is a great activity for young children learning phonics and the sounds of letters. To illustrate this game: A is for apple and the song could be I like to eat apples and bananas.
ABC's and Shopping
This is another memory game, and is great for learning the alphabet and phonics. It is a cumulative game matching the alphabet with a bought item. The first person begins, "I went shopping and bought an apple.
The next person says, I went shopping and bought an apple and a b__________(anything that begins with a b, such as a banana. The next person says, "I went shopping and bought an apple, a banana and a c______. See which family member can remember the whole alphabet!
The Geographical Game
This ia game that can have any topic, but originally was created with geography. The rules are only one geographical spot (city, town, state, province, country, ocean, river...) can be said once, no repeats. The first person will say any place, such as Canada. This ends with a, and so the next player, must think of a place that begins with A.
Long car rides can be trying, but with some creativity and music, hopefully your next trip might go by a little faster with these fun game suggestions.