| These games are free, make no mess, and need | | | | skills, creativity and memory. |
| no equipment. Whether you're planning an RV | | | | 3) I-Spy |
| vacation, a long car trip, or just likely to get stuck | | | | To play I-Spy, the first player looks around for |
| in traffic, remember these games and they can | | | | something that everyone would be able to see |
| save you having to think of something on the | | | | for a reasonable length of time. They say 'I Spy, |
| spot. | | | | with my little eye, something beginning with...' and |
| They're also educational: don't tell the kids, but | | | | then the first letter or sound of the name for the |
| they'll be exercising their language skills, speaking | | | | thing they have chosen, e.g. 'T' for tree, or |
| skills, memory, creativity, imagination and | | | | maybe 'ch' for church. The other players try to |
| observation. | | | | guess what it is, and when someone guesses the |
| 1) Twenty Questions | | | | right answer, it is their turn to choose the next |
| To play Twenty Questions, first choose a | | | | thing to 'spy'. This game develops observational |
| category, such as famous people, animals, | | | | skills, as well as phonics for younger players. |
| superheroes, or whatever your children are | | | | 4) Making up Stories |
| interested in. One player chooses something that | | | | Start off by telling the very beginning of a story. |
| would belong in this category (e.g. Batman, if you | | | | Players take turns to tell each sentence, or even |
| are doing superheroes) without telling anyone else | | | | each word, using their imagination, creativity and |
| who or what has been chosen. The other players | | | | language skills to develop the rest of the story. If |
| take turns to ask questions that can be answered | | | | they enjoy this, you could try recording the |
| with Yes or No, to try and guess who or what it | | | | stories, or making them into books with pictures |
| is. Good questions might be 'Are they male / | | | | later. |
| female?', or 'Can they fly?'. The winner is the | | | | 5) Rhyme Time |
| person who guesses the correct answer. If | | | | This is a very simple word game that everyone |
| nobody guesses, the player who chose the secret | | | | joins in with together. Say the beginning of a |
| answer wins. This is a good game for encouraging | | | | sentence, and the other players have to finish it |
| children to develop logical thinking, as well as | | | | with a rhyming word, for example, 'There was a |
| exercising their memory and imagination. | | | | bee, who sat in a...tree.' They can then begin the |
| 2) Just a Minute | | | | next line to make a longer poem. |
| In this scaled down version of the game played | | | | 6) Travel Bingo |
| on radio shows, players are asked to talk about a | | | | This game requires some preparation ahead of |
| topic for one minute, without hesitating or going | | | | time. Look at your route and make each player a |
| off topic. If children are old enough, try adding in | | | | list of placenames, landmarks, or other unusual |
| the rule that they can't repeat any nouns or | | | | sights you expect to see along the way (unusual |
| adjectives. If the player breaks one of the rules, | | | | animals, trees, rock formations etc). Players call |
| the other players can challenge and take over | | | | out when they see one of them, and cross it off |
| talking about the same topic, until the person who | | | | their list, until the winner is the first one to see |
| is talking at the end of the minute wins. This is a | | | | everything on their list. |
| great game for developing language skills, speaking | | | | |