Traveling Family Car Games

     I look at ads for new cars today and most all of them boast about tv's in the back to keep the younger children quiet.  The commercial shows young children happily sitting in the back, with ear phones plugged into their ears, as they sit and stare at a screen that is built into the back of the front seat of the car, each watching a show of their own.  Mom and dad are in the front seat listening to music from their own generation.  On the commercial it all looks great and quiet but one thing is lacking.  Quality family time. 

     While the children's brain's are turning into a pool of mushy goo by over watching SpongeBob SquarePants and another Justin Bieber music video, they are missing out on the opportunities of what is around them outside of the car.  A city kid may miss out on seeing a deer or a cow as they drive through the rural areas.  A country kid may miss out on seeing the lights and sounds of a big city that they are traveling through.  Perhaps there is some rich history that the parents could tell the children about the area.  This is all part of taking a car ride, to be with one another and to enjoy each other's company. 

     In long car rides my sister, brother, and I would find ways to occupy our time.  We didn't have tv's in our car.  We only had each other for entertainment.  Below I am going to list some of the things we did to help entertain ourselves in the car.  Some are widely known and other's we made up.  Perhaps you have a game that you remember playing in the car with your family when you were little.  Remember how much fun it was to pass the time?  Why not pass those fun moments onto your family?

1. Mad Libs:  Every child loves adding words to create a funny story.  These can be printable right off the computer or bought at a variety of stores.  Not only is the outcome of the story funny but it helps a child learn their parts of speech when they have to think of a noun, verb, adverb, or adjective.  Have mom think of a word, then a sibiling, then dad.  When you get different people thinking of different words the story could get very creative.  
2. Letter Game:  Have a person pick a letter from the alphabet.  Have another person be a writer or have a really good memory.  In a circular motion everyone has to say a word that starts with that letter and see how many words you can think of.  For instance, if the letter is "C" mom might start off saying "Carrot".  One child might say "Cake" and another child might say "California" and dad might say "Carborator".  The writer would have to write down every word so no one repeats a word.  If someone does repeat they get a strike.  If you cannot think of a word you also get a strike.  Setting a timer is optional for how long it should take someone to guess a word.  After 3 strikes a person is out.  At the end it is fun to see how many words can be known with a certain letter.  This game helps a child build up vocabulary.  Some words they may not know and want to know the defination of it.  It can also help with spelling.  If the letter is "T" and a child says "Pterodactyl" a parent can explain about silent letters and "Pterodactyl" actually starts with a P.  
3. Billboard Alphabet Game:  The object is, as a family, to get through the entire alphabet by looking at the billboards or license plates of other cars.  If there is a billboard of McDonald's then you shout out "A" for McDonAlds.  Then perhaps passing you is a car with the license plate QBX 620 a person would shout out "B".  "C" could be from a sign that says "Bridge May Be ICy".  See if you can get through the whole alphabet before reaching your destination.  Those traveling through a city will do the alphabet much quicker than those out in the rural areas.  You can add some excitment to it by seeing how many miles it takes to get through the entire alphabet.  Just remember the mile marker you are passing when you start and subtract it from the mile marker from when you are finished or set the odometer.  Play the game again and see if you can do the whole alphabet in less milage.  WARNING:  The driver can particpate but make sure the driver doesn't get too distracted looking around.  It may cause an accident. 
4. Roadside Tally:  See how many things you find along your trip.  This was a game my sister and I made up.  Some of the things we would put on our list is "Tire Monster" which is huge broken piece of tire, "smooshed unknowns"  which is a dead animal that cannot be indentified.  Each dead animal that could be indentified had its own category.  Live animal's also had their own category.  Sometimes Adopt-A-Highway would leave their garbage bags on the side of the highway waiting for someone to pick up the bags.  We would call it "Trash Monsters".  "Cars on the side of the road" would have it's own category.  "Hitchhiker" would be another category.  Everytime we passed something in the category we would make a slash mark under it.  We would often go from Saginaw, Michigan to Houghton Lake, Michigan and we would find around 4 "smooshed unknown's", maybe 2 "Cars on the side of the road" and maybe a few "Out of State" plates.  The fun part is that you create your own categories.  You can just do types of cars or different semi trucks you see along the route.  This game helps a child to look around the world around them.  They may catch a deer coming out of the woods or something they may not have noticed while staring at a tv screen.  It may also help them be conscience of the world around them and not to pollute if there is too much trash or debris around.  
5. Going On A Picnic:  This is another alphabet game.  One person starts off saying, "I am going to a picnic and I am going to bring an Apple."  The next person would say, "I am going to a picnic and I am going to bring an Apple and a Ball."  The third person will have to say, "I am going to a picnic and I am going to bring and Apple, a Ball and a Cat."  Go through the whole alphebet, repeating the long list as you go.  See how much you can remember and see if you can do this.  This game helps spark creativity in what to bring to a picnic.  It also helps with memory recognition as they recall all the things that are being brought to the picnic.  You can expand the game from here with doing just foods, book or movie titles, colors, people's names, etc.  
6. A Pad Of Paper and A Pen:   Many things can be done between a few people, a pad of paper and a pen.  Instead of listing them seperately I decided to list them together.  You can play Tic Tac Toe, Dots, Hangman, or Pictionary (Draw a picture and have the other person guess what it is).  Another game is a story game.  It is good with 3 or more players.  The first player writes down a sentence.  The next player, after reading that sentence, writes a sentence of their own.  Before passing the paper to the third person the second person folds over what the first person wrote.  The third person can only read what the second person wrote.  They have to write a sentence.  It goes on and on until someone ends the story.  Each time it is passed to the next person the paper gets folded down more and more.  The person after the last person wrote, when the story is done, unfolds the paper and reads the whole story.  It can get wacky and crazy so prepare for some laughs.  Another game with paper and a pen is for one person to say 5 animals names.  The next person has to draw a crazy creature using the 5 animal names.  Take turns and see what unique creatures you can create. 
7. Who Can Say 20 First:   The goal is to get your opponet to say 20 first.  A person can only say one or two numbers at a time.  It helps a person strategize a game in how to make the other person say 20 first.  It greatly develops their thinking skills and for younger children their counting skills.  
8. Books:   A book is not a game but it can be turned into one.  If two people have the same book, let's say a Bible, see who can find Psalms 90 first or who can find the book of Jeremiah first.  Maybe someone reads a paragraph out of a book or a full page.  Then the other person has to make up the rest of the story.  Again, this uses the imagination and creativity in their thinking.  It lets children know that there can be different options to ending a book.  
9. The Other Car:   Look into a car that is passing you or you are passing.  Talk about that car.  Where do you think they are going?  Are they on vacation or running errands?  Are there pets in the car?  What kind of pet would this person in the other car own?  Are they talking on the phone or singing to music?  If you wave hi at them would they wave back?  In playing this game remember to be polite.  Don't make silly faces or give them the bird.  Keeps the comments positive and up beat.  It shows the children to think positively about other people and it helps them wonder.  
10. Trivia Games:   You can buy packs of trivia cards for all ages at any big box store like Meijer's, WalMart or KMart.  I am sure some truck stops may even sell small packs of trivia cards.  If dad is driving then mom can read off the cards.  She can ask a question to see who knows it or direct it to certain people.  You can keep points and see who reaches 20 first or just have fun and pass the time.  Everyone can learn from bits of trivia they hear and sometimes kids can suprise themselves with things they remember from school.  Just don't make it too hard for the children's age group.   

     Those long car trips do not have to be torture for you and everyone in the car.  Use this time for conversation and getting to know each other better.  Getting there is half the fun of the whole trip and it is with these memories that the children will remember.               

Useful Driving Tips

     Being in a trucking family we have learned a few tips and tricks of the road that most people don't think about or forgot from driver's training long ago.  Some of the tips may sound so simple but there are a lot of people who don't follow the basic rules of the road and that can lead to road rage. 

HOW TO CHECK YOUR FUEL MILAGE:  Fill up your gas tank and either write down your odometer milage or reset your trip odometer.  Drive around normally and fill back up when your tank gets to be about half full.  Divide the number of miles driven to the number of gallons you put in your tank.  This will give you your fuel milage.  Do this several times and you will know the average of miles per gallon you get. 

102 miles / 7.842 gallons = 13 miles per gallon

Using different octane's can change your fuel milage.  Try different octane's to see which one gives you the best fuel milage. Perhaps the higher octane can increase your fuel milage enough to save money.  Driving a lot in the city will have a different outcome or going on a long trip and you do a lot of highway driving.  You will also use more fuel if hauling a boat or camper.  Weather can also play games on your fuel milage.  If the wind is blowing against you, you will have a lower fuel milage than if the wind is blowing with you.

LOOK FOR ANIMALS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD:  At night keep panning yours eyes to both shoulders of the road.  Animals eyes will give a glowing look when the headlights shine upon them.  When you see something glow slow down.  You know an animal is the area and you never know what they are going to do.  A few weeks ago I was driving down the highway late at night.  I caught a glimpse of a raccoon on the side of the road.  I tried to slow down in hopes that it would scurry off the opposite direction.  As I got closer the raccoon turned around and went right for my tire.  Thump!  Thump!  There went the raccoon.  NEVER! NEVER! NEVER SWERVE FOR AN ANIMAL!  There were no other cars around when I hit the raccoon but I knew if I were to try to swerve I could of flipped the van causing more damage than what the raccoon did.  If you can safely come to a stop before you hit the animal than do so. 

SEEING ANIMALS IN THE ROAD AT NIGHT:  If there is a car in front of you at night pay attention to the headlights or taillights (depending on the direction of the vehicle is traveling).  If the lights "blink" then that is a good indicator that something passed on the road between you and the other car.  Proceed with extra caution.  Some animals, like deer, travel in packs and there may be more deer that follow.  Again I stress NEVER SWERVE FOR AN ANIMAL!  If you do hit an animal pull off to the side of the road.  Check the animal carefully.  If the animal is dead please pull it off to the side of the road.  Also check your car for damages and your insurance company may need a police report for damages the animal may have done to your car.  Know your location so you can tell police (or tow truck if need be) where you are located. 

IS THE ROAD ICY OR WET:  Winter driving can be tricky.  The sun could be shinning down and the heat of the cars can melt the snow.   However, depending on the temperatures and wind chills that wet look can easily turn to ice.  If you are in doubt look at the car in front of you.  If there is spray coming from the tires the road is just wet.  However if there isn't a spray coming off from the back of the tires of the car in front of you than the road is icy and proceed with caution.  If you don't see a spray do not panic and hit your breaks hard.  That will only cause your car to start spinning and it could be the start of an accident.  Slowly lift your foot off the accelerator and slow down gradually.  As a reminder, in the spring, frost in the underground layers starts to melt.  It gives the road a wet look during a sunny, spring day.  At night, as the temperatures drop, that melted frost freezes back up again causing icy roads.  Be very cautious.

IS IT WORTH IT TO PASS THE SEMI:  You are driving down the highway and it is snowing out.  You come upon a semi truck blowing the snow around making the road hard to see.  Should you fall back or pass the semi?  Most people will pass but here is something to think about next time you debate on whether to pass or not.  Semi trucks have CB's.  They radio back to let other drivers know where the slick spots are on the road and other hazzards they come across.  Also semi trucks can be up to 80 tons.  That heaviness can help give a truck traction and manuever easier on the road that a car cannot do. Now say you pass the semi.  You now have 80 tons driving behind you.  If you start to spin out due to a patch of black ice that truck that you just passed isn't going to stop quickly and will run over you.   Look back in your rearview mirror and look at that precious cargo you have in the backseat, your children.  Again, is it worth it to take that chance?  I am not saying to never pass a semi truck but if the roads are bad think twice about it.  It is easier for you to stop behind a semi than a semi to stop behind you.  If you don't like the snow blinding you as you drive than slow down and pull back from the flurries the truck makes in it's wind path.  

HIGHWAY MERGING FROM THE ONRAMP:   Driving law has it when a car enters the highway it has to merge with the traffic already traveling on the highway.  Everyone get's a little stressed coming on the highway and having to merge with traffic.  Here are a few pointers to make the transition smoother for all.  It is polite if the car (red car) in the right lane can move over to the left lane if possible.  The car (green car) who just merged to the right lane should either speed up so the car (red car) can get back into the right lane again or slow down, let the car (red car) get back into the right lane and then pass the car (red car) on the left.  In most states it is the law for trucks to stay in the right lane (or designated lanes) expect when passing.  Many times, especially in the city, a semi will be polite and move over to the left lane to let a car onto the highway.  The car will not speed up or slow down leaving the semi out in the left lane (hammer lane).  If you get into the semi's blind spot it makes it that much harder to have the semi get back into the right lane safely.  Cars will also fill in the gap left from the semi making it impossible for the semi to get back over.  If you cannot speed up in time then slow down.  Let the semi pass you on the left and let the semi merge back over into the right lane and you can speed up and pass on the left.  To let a semi know it's okay to get back over to the lane flash the lights on and off.  DO NOT BRIGHT THEM!  The truck driver wants to make sure there is clearence and brighting them distorts their vision.  While driving down the on-ramp look to see if there is a gap in traffic and aim for that spot.  Look for cars to pull back to let you in or speed up to put more room behind them.  It's a hard dance to learn but when everyone knows the steps it can be done gracefully. 

MERGING FOR A CONSTRUCTION ZONE:  This is a pet peeve that I have.  It is when cars fly down one lane of the road before it ends because of construstion and then try to merge over.  It happens all the time.  By right the car can use the lane up until the point of merging.  People start merging to one lane way before that point and a few cars just think they can beat the wait by zooming up to the front.  That is rude. When cars start moving to a certain lane it is polite to get in that lane as soon as you can.  In doing so it makes traffic run smoother even though it is still slow.  It is when the one lane has to stop to let in other cars that creates the slinky effect where cars have to stop and go before the construction zone begins.  I have noticed cars and semi's huddle over both lanes to stop cars from zooming up too far.  I guess these people who cannot wait their turn get upset by cars and semi's who are forcing them to wait.  This is a good brew for road rage so be careful around these areas.  Mind the road workers, slow down and give them space.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE SEMI'S IN TRAFFIC JAMS:  Sadly accidents happen all the time on the highways.  Traffic jams can be miles long and tiresome.  Remember that semi trucks can communicate with the use of the CB.  Pay attention if you see a lot semi's moving to the left lane or the far right lane.  It is a good indicator of what lane to be in.  Start to move to that lane as soon as you can.  This will reduce a lot of the stop and go traffic that the police try to control before the scene of the accident.  Also, don't stop and stare at the accident.  People are hurting.  Let the medical crew, police and tow trucks do their job.  Keep traffic going at a steady pace, say a small prayer and move on. 

DO NOT OVERUSE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS:  Brights can help you see better in the dark, especially in the country.  Be courteous to other drivers around you.  If you see lights from the car in front of you, dim your lights.  Do not wait until the last quarter mile to dim them.  You never know what kind of vision the other driver has.  That bright light will make them unable to see the road properly.  If that other driver does not dim the lights after giving a quick "bright light flash" then look to the white line or roads edge on the far right side of the road and focus on that until the other car passes.  If you are coming up behind a car double check to see if you have your brights on.  The bright lights reflect on the mirrors and makes it harder for them to see the road in front.  Try tapping on your breaks to let the driver behind know about the brights.  If that doesn't work then adjust your mirrors slightly so the glare from the bright lights isn't fully in your eyes.  Slow down and let them pass.  DO NOT BRIGHT THEM BACK!  Some people do forget and this can cause road rage.  Just let them be on their way.  When traveling on the highway and you can see the opposite side of the highway TURN OFF YOUR BRIGHTS!  There isn't some light force field in the median of the road that stops the bright lights from one side of the highway.  It still can impare the vision of the driver.  Rule of thumb, if you can see lights from another car, shut the bright lights off.

DON'T BE CAUGHT WITHOUT BLINKER FLUID:   Okay,  I do know there isn't such a thing but there is a small bar that protrudes from the left side of the steering wheel.  This is called your turn signal.  It is easy to use.  Lift it up to signal right; pull it down to signal left.  USE IT!  Until we are all telepathic the driver behind you has no clue on your intensions.  This is another part of being polite while driving. 

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TRAVELING DOWN DIRT ROADS:  You are not Bo and Luke Duke.  Do not speed down them causing dust and leaves to fly up and around when there is another car heading in your direction.  Slow down enough to cause the dust to settle and pass by slowly.  If there are people walking do not dust them as well.  Slow down.  No one wants to be coughing on the dust long after you leave the area.   

REMINDERS:  DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE

                         DO NOT DRIVE WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS

                         DO NOT LEAVE CHILDREN & PETS IN CARS (especially in the heat)

                         DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE 

                         DO NOT TALK ON THE CELL AND DRIVE

                         WEAR YOUR SEATBELT

                         BE ALERT WHILE DRIVING