Fun Travel Games to Play with Preschool Kids

Long journeys can be challenging for kindergarten kids, but introducing engaging travel games can make the trip exciting.

These games are entertaining, help develop cognitive skills, and keep boredom at bay. Here are some travel game ideas that are perfect for kindergarten-aged children: 

1. I Spy: A classic game that encourages observation and language skills. One person says, "I spy with my little eye, something that is..." and gives a clue about an object they see. Others take turns guessing the object based on the clue.

2. License Plate Game: Challenge kids to spot license plates from different states or countries. Keep a tally of how many they find throughout the journey. This game promotes geography awareness and counting skills.

3. Travel Bingo: Create simple bingo cards with pictures of common things seen during the journey (e.g., trees, cars, cows). Kids can mark off the items as they spot them, aiming to complete a row or column.

4. 20 Questions: Think of an object, animal, or person, and let the kids take turns asking yes-or-no questions to guess what it is. They have 20 questions to figure it out.

5. Alphabet Game: Starting with the letter "A," kids take turns finding objects outside the vehicle that begin with each alphabet letter in order.

6. Story Chain: Start a story with a sentence and have each person in the car contribute one sentence to continue the story. The result can be surprisingly creative and entertaining.

7. Animal Name Game: Take turns naming animals in alphabetical order. For example, "Alligator, Bear, Cat..." and so on.

8. Memory Tray: Place a selection of small objects on a tray and show it to the kids for a minute. Then, cover the tray and ask them to remember as many objects as possible. They can take turns naming the items they recall.

9. Counting Cars: Choose a colour (e.g., red, blue) and count how many cars of that colour you see on the road. This helps with colour recognition and counting.

10. Rhyme Time: Pick a word and take turns saying words that rhyme with it. This game promotes phonemic awareness and creativity.

11. Rock, Paper, Scissors Variations: Play variations of rock-paper-scissors like "rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock" or make up your gestures and rules.

12. Travel Songs: Sing along to favourite children's songs or create travel-themed songs together. This is a great way to keep spirits high and pass the time.

Remember to adapt these games to the specific preferences and attention spans of the kindergarten kids you're traveling with. Keeping the atmosphere light, interactive, and full of laughter will make the journey enjoyable for everyone involved.