Car Games
I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…’b’. Yes, that’s right - boredom!
The car journey doesn’t need to be that long until you feel the need to intervene with an activity to prevent the escalating bickering. In our 5 seater car, every seat is well and truly taken. Mum and Dad in the front (plus dog), and in the back we have Baby in the huge car seat, Girl squeezed in the middle and Boy in his( less bulky, yet) hugely imposing stage ‘whatever’ seat.
I feel most sorry for the girl who has pulled the short straw of being the eldest and therefore technically without the need of a car seat, but left with the smallest slot to cram her shoulders into. I understand her frustration when her ignorant brother moans about her “pushing into” him as we veer round corners and roundabouts. Yes, I would want to give him a firm nudge round the bends too.
So, as peace gradually shifts to chaos, and their proximity to one another rapidly seems unbearable, my husband and I have to quickly intervene with a round of “name my favourite part of a monkey”. Initially, I was impressed when my husband introduced this “house always wins” game until I learned it was something he ‘borrowed’ from cult game show, Shooting Stars. For those of you just as naive as me, this is how it goes. You choose any animal and say “name my favourite part of (e.g.) a monkey”. The kids sit there and ponder all the admirable/interesting parts of a monkey whilst we sit there and say “no”, “unlucky” or “good guess but try again”. This can go on for a while until your partner/ally steps in and suggests any part of said animal that has not been mentioned yet, and lo and behold, you’re right!
I am genuinely shocked our children have not cracked the format of this game yet but they are weirdly obsessed with it and always ask to play it in the car. As soon as your partner guesses correctly, you can guarantee one child (in our case, the Boy), will say, “I was just about to say that”.
And if you’re kids aren’t suckers for that game in the same way ours are, here are a few of other favourites:
An oldie, but a goodie - I Spy
Spot the car - endless opportunities with various makes, models, colours etc
Count the (e.g.) red front doors
Spot the number plate with an (e.g.) ‘X’ in it
Spot the foreign number plates
How many strangers in cars can you get to wave back to you?
What’s the speed limit? (careful sign observation necessary here)
General Highway Code lessons about all the various signs (yes - the Boy is obsessed with recalling the meaning of all the different road signs)