Take the Boredom Out of the Back Seat!

Nowadays, everyone's looking to save money any way they can. Instead of taking that expensive cruise, why not save some cash and take a family road trip? Road trips can be fun, convenient and certainly cost-effective. But chances are, if you've got kids, you're wondering how they're going to pass those hours in the car.

Here are some fun and simple games you and your child can do together on your next road trip. She'll have fun while she learns, keeping her mind active throughout those long hours, and you'll stave off that dreaded question, "Are we there yet?"

Find the States:

1. See how many different states your child can find on license plates.

The Adding Game:

1. Make equations out of the numbers on road signs. You can make equations with the numbers from more than one road sign or you can make equations out of the numbers from one road sign.
2. For instance, a sign with a speed limit of 35 could be 3 + 5 and so the answer would be 8. Or if you see a sign that says "Rest Stop 2 Miles" and then another sign that says "Highway 5," your equation could be 2 x 5 = 10.
3. Try to challenge your child by making some tricky problems!

Make a New Tune:

1. Everyone in the car picks a familiar tune and works together to create a new song with it by changing the words. Be creative!

How Many:

1. One person names the subject. For example, trees.
2. Another person must then come up with as many types of that subject as they can think of. For example, aspen, birch, sequoia etc.
3. Take turns picking subjects. Get creative with your topics and try to make them challenging!

My Color Car:

1. Each person picks a color. The first person who finds 10 cars in their color wins.

These activities work great for children from the first grade up through the fourth grade, but really anyone can give them a try!