Guessing Games when Travelling with Kids

"Are we there yet?" 

These travel games are meant to keep you guessing with some room for silliness. These games are great because you get the toddlers who are just starting to build their vocabulary involved and having fun.

• 20 Questions (Ages 2+)
• Treasure in a Bottle (Ages 2-4)
• Name that Tune (Ages 3+)
• Mother Goose's Mixed Up Words (Ages 3-6)
  
• How Far Away is That? (Ages 4+)
• True or False (Ages 4-7)
  

For more games, check out Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids.

1.    20 Questions (Ages 2+)

This classic game is always fun for kids of any age. One person thinks of something and the rest of the group gets to ask 20 questions to try and guess the word. The first question is typically "Animal, plant or mineral?" aka "Is it a living thing, a vegetable or a non-living thing". Other questions can be "does it have fur?" or "does it require batteries?" The only answers that can be given are "yes" or "no", so ask the questions accordingly. If the group guesses the word in 20 questions or less, they win. If they can't figure it out after 20 questions, then they lose and the answer is "revealed."

Want to try stumping a toy? Get the 20Q handheld toy. It's really amazing and 95% of the time guesses the word that I'm thinking. Really crazy.

2.    Treasure in a Bottle (Ages 3+)

Got an empty clear plastic bottle?  Fill it with random small objects like - a penny, a paper clip, a piece of straw.  Next fill it with sand, dirt, or rice leaving just enough space so that you can shake the bottle and move the sand around.  Have the child shake the bottle to search for all the objects.  You can reuse the treasure bottle and time each child to see who can find all the objects in the shortest amount of time.

3.    Name that Tune (Ages 3+)

If your kids like music, this is a fun game to play. Each person gets a turn to hum a tune and everyone else has to guess what the tune is.  For younger children, stick with kid tunes, with older children you can try other familiar songs that they might be listening to on the radio.  This is something that even the youngest can participate in by guessing and sometimes by singing if they can get the idea of humming in place of singing the words.

4.   Mother Goose's Mixed Up Words (Ages 3-6)

Play Mother Goose and help your kid's work on their rhyming skills. Pick a word and provide a clue that rhymes with the word that you're thinking of. For example, if you're thinking of the word "road", give a clue " I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with toad." For younger kids, you might want to give an additional clue like "It's something that cars drive on."  This is a great one for older kids to take the lead on with their younger siblings.

5.   How Far Away is That? (Ages 4+)

Pick an object further in the distance that everyone can see and have everyone guess how far away it is. Be sure to check the odometer and remember what your guess is. Once you reach the spot, declare the winner based on the closest guess. It's a fun way and quick way to pass the time.

6.    True or False (Ages 4-7)

Does your child know the difference between a truth and an exaggeration? This is a fun way to get silly and get young kids to practive what's true and false. Give them two sentences like "We're flying a plane to California to meet grandma and grandpa." and "We're flying a bird to California to meet Elmo and Cookie Monster." The older the kids, the more subtle the differences can be (great way to teach kids new vocabulary too). You can also simplify the game and just give kids one sentence that they have to fix to make it true.  

For more games, check out Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids.

Related articles:

• Best Travel Trays for Kids
• Toys on the Fly
• Preparing Kids to Travel

Visit Trekaroo’s Travel Store for more of our favorite travel gear, toys, and books for babies to teens!