Summer is here and many families may decide to kick off the season with a family vacation. Road trips (and plane rides) are a great time to boost your child’s language skills! Here is a list of fun games that will keep your children from asking the dreaded question, “Are we there yet?”
I Spy: Most people are already familiar with this game in which one player announces the color of something they see and the others players try to guess what it is by asking questions. A fun twist to this game is to only find things that start with a specific sound, or that belong to a specific category, etc. Have fun and be creative!
I’m Going on a Picnic: This classic game is great for building literacy and memory skills. The first player starts off by saying “I’m going on a picnic and I am going to bring…” then adds a food that begins with A. The next player repeats what the first player said and adds on something that begins with B, this continues in sequential order through the alphabet until you have reached the letter Z.
Story-Telling: One passenger starts a story with a single sentence. Then the next person adds a sentence. Continue until you build a complete story.
The Category Game: Take turns choosing topics to list items from, for example, zoo animals, types of candy bars, or occupations. Each person then names something from the given topic until someone can’t think of an item, and then they are “out.” Continue playing until there is only one person left.
The Rhyme Game: Similar to the category game except players think of words that rhyme.
Radio Game: While the radio is off, each player chooses a word. Turn the radio on. The winner is the person whose word is spoken or sung first