On the Road Again! Back Seat Activities

Keeping your middle schooler challenged and entertained can be a difficult undertaking. Keeping your middle schooler challenged and entertained (and not to mention happy) during a 9-hour road trip, can seem practically impossible. Have no fear! Here are some great ways to keep your child's mind active and learning while he passes the time on the road. These ideas are wonderfully simple but make for loads of good times! The whole family can join in!

State Capitals:

1. Try to name the state capital for every different state license plate you see. For example, if you see a Hawaiian state license plate, you would yell out, "Honolulu!"
2. See who can name the most state capitals.

Twenty Questions:

1. One person thinks of a subject. For example, the movie Finding Nemo.
2. Everyone else in the car (or whoever wants to play) tries to guess what subject that person is is thinking of by asking no more than twenty questions.
3. The hardest part is that the questions can only be "yes" or "no" questions! See how few questions it takes for you to guess the topic.

Backwards Spelling Bee:

1. One person says a word. For example: California
2. Then someone else in the car has to spell that word backwards. It's a lot harder than you may think!
3. A-I-N-R-O-F-I-L-A-C! This is a great way to stretch your mind and get some spelling practice!

License Plate Phrases:

1. Pick a license plate that you see while you're on the road. Call out the letters (in order) that appear on that license plate.
2. The first person to think of a phrase using the letters (in order) on the license plate wins! For example, you see a license plate with the letters O-U-D on it. Someone might say, "one ugly duckling!"

These activites are great for children in the 5th or higher, but really anyone can give them a try!