Parents often find themselves in one place more than they ever imagined possible - the car! Running errands and taxiing children is not usually everyone’s favorite activity, but it’s widely known that car conversations with kids and teens can make for very meaningful times of connection. Why not take advantage of that connection time to build in some fun and learning?

Below are some fun games you can play in the car by age and stage. There is no rule about what language these games should be played in - these work for any and all languages!

Infants to Toddlers

Talk, Talk, Talk

Talk about what you see, what you hear, where you are going, who you will see, and what you will do there. Listening to you talk is an amazing way to build your little one’s vocabulary! This is true at all ages - even once they are older and highly verbal, themselves.

As they begin talking (or even babbling), model how a conversation goes back and forth.

Baby: Goo Goo

Parent: Oh really? Tell me more!

Baby: Gahhhhhhh phsdfkjsd

Parent: No way! And then what?!

You will entertain yourself this way too!

Preschoolers

Sound Games

At this age, you can begin to help your child recognize the sounds that make up words!

Take turns with your child saying words that start with certain sounds.

Parent: Let’s take turns saying words that start with /s/

Child: Snake!

Parent: Great job! I’ll say, Steak. Hey, that rhymes! Your turn.

Child: Seal

There are so many variations of this game and it’s even more fun if you accept made-up words like “sone” or “sunkamunk”! Remember to keep it fun. Lean into the silliness and your child will love doing this with you.
You might notice your child finds it easier to name words if you give them a category - “Tell me an animal that starts with an /l/” or “Whose name starts with a /j/?”

Play Rhythm Games! Make a simple drum beat on the steering wheel or with your mouth and ask your child to repeat it back to you!

Rhyming Games

Another fun skill to practice in the car is rhyming! This will go best if your child has already heard rhymes in books that you’ve read together.

Parent: Let’s play a rhyming game! I’ll say a word and you see if you can come up with a word that rhymes. Remember, rhyming means it sounds the same at the end. So if I said, “cat,” you could say… “bat” or “hat” or “sat!” Ready to try? Okay, can you come up with a rhyme for “Star?”

Child: Hmm…

Parent: I’ll give you a hint, it’s what we’re in right now.

Child: Car!

Parent: Yes! Star rhymes with Car because they both end like /ar/! How about “dog?”

Child: Hog! Log!

Early Elementary

Letter and Sound Games

Just like the Sound Games in preschool, you can play the same games at this age using alphabet letters! It is great to switch up playing letter and sound games, so your child practices both. Here are some other variations:

License plate game - find the letters A-Z in license plates as you drive
Come up with words that END with a certain letter/sound
Play “I Spy something that starts with…” If you’re in a moving car, maybe you go through the alphabet and shout out when you “spy” something that starts with a, then b, and so on.
Practice blending sounds together and/or taking them apart!

“What word do you get when you put together /p/ /o/ /t/?” (saying sounds separately). “Pot!”
What is the first sound you hear in “wheel?”
Tell me all the sounds in “mop” → /m/ /o/ /p/

The key to keeping this fun is to celebrate - your child will love if you’re excited about any sounds they pull out!!

Stories

Stories are wonderfully entertaining, but also amazing for your child’s cognitive development! You have so many options here!

Tell a story you already know

True or not, fact or fiction - it doesn’t matter!

Make up a story!

Have your child give you a character and a setting to get you started. Take turns!
Take turns adding a sentence or two to make a story together. (This can go off the rails quickly at this age, so again, lean into the silliness!)

Listen to a story together - audiobooks and podcasts are great for this

Free podcast ideas (note: these are in English): Story Pirates, Stories Podcast, Lamplighter Kids Stories, Silly Stories for Kids

Mid-Upper Elementary and Beyond

Audiobooks

You can begin listening to really fun audiobooks together that will make everyone look forward to car time!

Download the Libby or Hoopla app and simply enter your library card number. You can get free access to thousands of audiobooks in 15+ languages!
Ask questions to check for understanding (Why do you think he/she said that? What did they mean when they did that? Do you know what that word means? What do you think will happen next?)

Category Games

One person names a category (such as animals, movies, etc.) and you go around the car naming something in that category - extra challenge if you do it in alphabetical order!
20 questions - choose a category (movie characters, foods, etc.) and you get 20 yes/no questions to guess what the other person is thinking of
Memory game - start with, “I went to the grocery store and bought an ___.” Take turns and add something to the grocery list for each letter of the alphabet. (eg, “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple, a banana, and a cantaloupe.” “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple, a banana, a cantaloupe, and detergent.” The next person adds an e word to the list!)

Talk, Talk, Talk and… listen.

We end where we began - talking to and with your child is a meaningful point of connection in so many ways. Consider making your car a phone-free zone (except for maps and music, of course!) to foster that connection and conversation time.

Take turns picking and sharing songs; play games where you go through the alphabet to choose the artist or song title (eg, Adele, Bad Bunny, Chappell Roan, etc.).
High Point/Low point - Asking everyone in the car to share their high point and low point of the day adds a less pressured, more structured opportunity to talk and share.

Literacy Car Games