We have all had to utilise a hire car for a long journey with the family. And for those of you that haven’t consider it somewhat of a blessing, travelling with young children, whether in a hire car, a train or even a coach can be mind numbingly boring for both parent and child. Before the advent of personal gaming devices, iPods and portable DVD players those travelling have had severe restrictions on what entertainment they can enjoy. The following article will set out how those using a hire car for a long journey can entertain the entire family without the need to spend large amounts of money on hi tech devices.
Car games are a fond memory of my childhood where everyone one in the car had to participate for it to be enjoyable. Of these car games I spy is certainly a classic. Whether participants choose items from inside the hire car or choose an object that was passed in an instant makes the game that much more enjoyable. For those who have never played “I spy with my little eye something beginning with (any letter)” is the way to start. One of my favourites to keep children entertained is to select an item such as a light on the dashboard. By being clever the game can last for ages and will be enjoyed by all.
A great game for all the family whilst on you hire car journey is a scavenger hunt. This is not like a regular scavenger hunt where participants must collect items on the list but instead works with viewings. For example, a parent may make a list including items such as a bridge, a yellow car, a VW beetle or a particular restaurant chain. When these items are driven past, the children must tick that off of their list; the first to complete their list wins the game. It is even possible to give children different lists so that the game has added longevity.
Car bingo is a fun game that can include the entire family when on a hire car trip. It breaks up the monotony by giving each child a grid containing various items that they are likely to see on the trip. These items could be a cow, a sheep, and trucks, whatever is usually visible when on a journey. As each child has a different grid, it will not be long before someone shouts bingo. For added fun, laminating the cards so that they can be reused will add lifespan to the game, perhaps enabling it to be played more than once in one journey.
Animalia is a great game that will make a trip in a hire car a little more enjoyable. Like many parlour games of old it requires participants to think of an animal, for example a CAT, then the person who is next must think of an animal that’s name begins with the last letter of the previous animal, for example TURTLE, understandably the next animal could be either ELEPHANT or EAGLE. With some patience it is possible to go on for hours and it can be adapted to cartoon characters, footballers or even TV stars.
With a little imagination boredom on hire car journeys does not have to occur, there are plenty of games that can be played in order to make trips fun and entertaining.