The next person says all the names before them and adds their own. Each person says their name and an animal that starts with the same letter (Sue the salamander).

Who am I? This is a guessing game where players use yes and no questions to guess the identity of a famous person.

My boys have added elements too, like ‘punch buggy, no punch backs” then “security safe in a shell,’ whatever that means. No matter what you call it, this road trip game is all about spotting Volkswagen Bug cars. When I was little my brother and I called it Beetle. To play this game, have one person start the story and then the next has to pick up where they left off. It involved an elephant that laid cheesecake eggs. One of my favorite memories with my kids was telling a progressive story around the campfire. Pound your fist three times than come up with a fist for rock, index and middle finger for scissors and a flat hand for paper. It’s an oldie but a goodie, and my kids can play forever. Can you guess this tune in 10 notes? 5? The person who can name that tune in the fewest notes wins.

For the musically inclined family, hum a little tune. Pass a cemetery, lose all your cows and start over. So, “Spiderman, Batman, Robin, Bird, parakeet, pet…” If someone takes longer than three seconds, or the word they say doesn’t make sense, they are out. The first person says something and the next person has three seconds to associate the word with something else. This game is a progressive story with a catch – each person adds a sentence to the story, but must start that sentence with fortunately or unfortunately, alternating as you go. “I spy with my little eye something blue and round and smooth.” Remember, you can only ask yes or no questions! You can also get I-Spy books. Give the kids clues until they figure it out. Find something and have them guess what it is you found. Is it an animal, vegetable or mineral? Is it furry, green, or hard? Start broad and get more specific as you go. You have 20 questions to figure out what somebody else in the car is thinking. Would you rather…jump off a cliff or eat a spider? Come up with your own questions, or purchase a deck of cards that will do it for you. If you’re the fourth person in the game, you might have to say, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing an apple, a bronco, a candle and a dog.”

The next person repeats all the previous letters, and then adds an item that corresponds to the next letter. Here’s the gist: you can go on a picnic and take something that begins with the first letter of of the alphabet. BEST ROAD TRIP GAMES USING ONLY YOUR IMAGINATION

Thought games to pass the time