Screen-Free Games To Play In The Car On Long UK Road Trips

Tablets are the obvious answer and often the wrong one: looking down at a screen is what makes most children car sick, and it never ends well on a slow road.

These are the games that work with eyes up, plus the one book worth keeping in the seat pocket.

Games that need nothing at all

• I spy. Still undefeated. Use colours with the under-fives.
• Yellow car. One point per yellow car spotted, no arguing with the driver.
• The alphabet game: find A to Z on road signs, in order.
• Twenty questions, taking turns to be the thinker.
• The story game - one sentence each, round the car, until it collapses.
• Would you rather. Free, endless, and occasionally revealing.
• Counting bridges, tractors, caravans or dogs in other cars.

Things worth having in the seat pocket

• A joke book. It's the best backseat item there is: they read aloud rather than look down for long stretches, everyone hears it, and it weighs nothing.
• A pack of cards for the services stop.
• A clipboard with a spotting list: red lorry, horse box, motorbike, service station sign.
• An audiobook or a story podcast for the stretch after everyone has gone quiet.
• A magnetic travel game that won't end up in the footwell.

Surviving an actual traffic jam

• Switch to something read aloud the moment the traffic stops - stationary plus screens is when car sickness arrives.
• Open a window. Fresh air fixes more than anything in the glovebox.
• Announce the delay honestly. 'Another hour' is easier than repeated 'nearly there'.
• Snacks that aren't sweet. Sugar in a jam is a bad trade.
• Take the exit and find a park for twenty minutes. You rarely lose the time you think you will.

Shop kids' birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• Pack the seat pocket the night before, not at the door.
• One new thing kept back for the second half of the journey.
• Agree the yellow-car rules before you set off. Trust us.

Where to shop next

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Frequently asked questions

What games can kids play in the car?

I spy, yellow car, the alphabet road-sign game, twenty questions, the one-sentence story game and would you rather. Add a joke book for the stretches when nobody wants to talk.

How do you keep kids entertained in the car without screens?

Keep their eyes up: spoken games, spotting lists, audiobooks and something to read aloud. A joke book works because one child reads and everyone else listens.

How do you stop a child getting car sick?

Avoid looking down at screens or books for long periods, keep them looking out of the front, open a window, keep snacks light and stop every couple of hours.

How often should you stop on a long drive with kids?

Every two hours, or every ninety minutes with under-fives. A fifteen-minute stop usually buys you more than it costs.

Do you sell books or toys?

No. We design and print cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations, all posted from the UK. Any book or toy mentioned here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.