"ARE WE THERE YET?"

Not looking forward to your next long trip in the car with bored kids?
Try some of these "car games" to help pass the time, and maybe you won't be hearing,
"Are we there yet??"

1. I'M THINKING OF A PERSON - The first player, always the youngest in the car, starts by deciding on a person and then saying, "I'm thinking of a person." Each person in the car takes turns asking questions about the person. The questions must all be ones that can be answered with a "Yes" or a "No", such as "Is it a boy?" "Is it someone I know?" The person who guesses correctly takes the next turn. Works well with a theme, also, like "cartoon characters" or "people on television".

2. THE ONE-WORD STORY - The oldest person in the car starts with a word, for example "once"; the next oldest person says the next word, maybe "a". The next might choose "boy", and then you get to a younger one who will probably say something rude. The only rule is that you can't stop to think - just say the first word that comes into your head.

3. SWEET AND SOUR GAME - Wave at all the cars that go by. If they wave back, they're "sweet". If they don't, they're "sour". Keep track and figure out which are the sweetest highways.

4. GEOGRAPHY GAME - The youngest person in the car starts by naming a country, for example, China; the next youngest has to think of a country that starts with the last letter of the first country. Argentina could follow China, and you keep going until you get there.
Animals or names of people work good too.

5. COUNTING COWS - Each cow is worth one point. Each horse is worth two points. You call them as you see them and you keep score on a piece of paper. When you pass a police car, you go back to zero. It is always helpful to your parents if you notice the police cars.

6. THE ALPHABET GAME - The Alphabet Game can be played three ways, but the goal is always the same: Each player has to find all the letters of the alphabet, from beginning to end, on billboards, bumper-stickers, anywhere you find letters. If the kids in the car are young, then the letter need only appear in a word. For older kids it has to start the word
or the letters can be found only in license plates.

7. I'M PACKING A SUITCASE - The oldest person says, "I'm packing a suitcase, and in my suitcase I put a .........", maybe a "toothbrush"; and then the next person says, "I'm packing a suitcase and in my suitcase I put a toothbrush and .........", adding an item, maybe a "monkey". You keep going, adding an item while remembering all the others; if you forget an item, you are out of the game.

8. THE CAR NEXT DOOR - Make up a story about the people in the car next to you. Where are they from? Where are they going? Why? What do they eat? What is their biggest secret? Do they snore? Look for clues such as luggage, license plates and bumper stickers.

9. THE PADIDDLE GAME - A "Padiddle", as any trucker will tell you, is a car with one light out. The first person to see one, calls out "Padiddle"; the person who spots the most wins.

Car Padiddle - 1 point
Semi-truck Padiddle - 2 points
VW Bug Padiddle - 3 points
Taxi Padiddle - 5 points
Farm Equipment Padiddle - 5 points
Boat Padiddle - 5 points
Train Padiddle - 10 points
Helicopter Padiddle - 15 points
School Bus Padiddle - 20 points
Police Padiddle - 25 points
Airplane Padiddle - 100 points

Now, add some munchies, a few "pit stops", and maybe a little snooze,
and you might hear from the back seat
"Are we there already?"

Have a nice trip, and drive safely!

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