If you are making a road trip this summer it's fun to play games to pass the time in the car. You’ve got to try the License Plate Bingo Game, Blackout or License Plate Search with the kids!
Cars Passing By....
Kids and adults enjoy watching the cars and trucks go by and seeing where they came from. These games work better for older grands that are able to read and write.
The License Plate Bingo Game can be played two different ways.
License Plate Bingo Game
License Plate Bingo is played like traditional Bingo with a couple adaptations. Print out a few copies of the Bingo cards (found by clicking here). It’s great if they can be copied onto heavier paper like card stock.
Let the grands/kids write the names of 24 states randomly on the squares of the cards. If children are younger you may want to help with this or do this yourself. There is a list of the 50 states provided but you could try to do it from memory first as a challenge if you want. No repeats of course.
As you travel, everyone can call out the state names found on the license plates of the cars that pass you (or you pass…hey, are you speeding??). You can also check the plates of the cars in the parking lots of places where you stop.
Bingo!
When someone gets five in a row they call out “Bingo” and can win a small prize or treat if you want to do so.
You can continue the game to get a “Blackout” where all of the license plates on the card have been found. There may be a prize or treat for that winner as well!!
License Plate Search
Another game our family loved to play together as a team on longer vacations was License Plate Search. Our goal was to find a vehicle from every state in the United States. We worked as a family and wrote down the name of every state we found.
The parking lots at national parks were an A-1 place to find the hard to find license plates. I don’t think we ever found them all before we got home. If I remember right we were down to one or two after a longer vacation. That elusive New Jersey never showed up! Maybe they like staying home in New Jersey! Surprisingly, we usually found both Hawaii and Alaska tags on our trips!
50 States List
I’ve provided a list of the 50 states and you can cross them off as you find them if you choose to play this game as a team or as individuals.
There are so many other games to play in the car as you go. I wanted to avoid each person putting on the headphones and disappearing into their own separate worlds. The desire was to be interacting as a family and use the technology distractions for the occasional needed down time, especially when traveling at night.
Here are a few other car games and activities you may enjoy.
Alphabet Search Game
Find each letter of the alphabet on road signs. The alphabet letters must be found in order, “A”to“Z”. To shake it up for older kids you could start with “Z” and go backwards. There is an alphabet list on the bottom of the game cards if you want to use it.
Car Color Game
Each person chooses a car color. Start counting the cars that pass you or you pass (hey, are you speeding?) until you get to 50 or 100. If you pass a graveyard on your side of the car you have to start over!
Read Out Loud
Read a book out loud. Yes, people still do this!! 😉 This was always a favorite. We tried to read an entertaining book like “Cheaper By the Dozen” or “Hank the Cow Dog”! Ha- highly educational, not, but funny- and we lived on a farm.
Here is the link for the free License Plate Bingo Game, Blackout or License Plate Search once again. Let me know who wins!
Supplies for License Plate Bingo Game:
- Copies of the License Bingo Cards and U.S. State Lists for each person playing
- Clipboards
- Pencils
- Small prizes or treats for “bingos” and “blackouts” winners if you want
Enjoy!
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