Playing games with your children is as necessary for their development as it is fun because play is how children learn. You can start with a sentence like, “Once upon a time there was a frog.” The child might add, “The frog followed me to school.” Take turns saying sentences until your story has a beginning, middle, and end. Take turns saying a sentence or two that forwards the action of your story. Create a StoryĬreate a short story while riding in the car. Take turns being the one to start the game. For example, if the adult says, “Jen,” the child could say, “Nancy.” Play until one of you cannot think of a name that starts with the last letter of the previous name. Kids need to say a name that begins with the last letter of the name the adult said. The Name GameĪdults can start this game by saying a person’s name, e.g.

To make the game more challenging, tell your child the letter you’re looking for must occur at the beginning of a word. Once you find an “A,” look for a “B” on another sign. Look out the window and find the letter “A” anywhere on a sign. Your child might ask: Can the animal fly? Can the animal swim? Can the animal live in a house? Once your child guesses correctly, it’s their turn to think of a person, place, or thing and your turn to ask them yes/no questions to figure out what they have in mind. Let you child ask you yes/no questions to see if they can figure out which animal you’re thinking about.

Let’s say you’re thinking of a certain animal. Think of a person, place, or thing, but don’t tell your child what you’re thinking of. Play this fun guessing game with your child on short or long car rides. Try to make the longest list you can without repeating any words. Then list all the items that fall under your chosen group. How many items in a given category can you think of? Pick a category such as desserts, colors, farm animals, or things to wear. When you get to your destination see how many objects from the list you and your child remembered. Your picnic list doesn’t need to be in alphabetical order, just think of as many items as you can. As you add to the list, see how many items you and your child can remember. You and your child can take turns saying what you’re going to bring, such as a blanket, plates, food, etc. Pretend you and your child are planning a picnic. I’m Going on a Picnic and I’m Going to Bring… Check out our tips for traveling with a baby! 1.

What games can you play in the car