No-Mess Car Games for Thanksgiving Day

Your ride to grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner may not be “over the river and through the woods” as pictured in the old favorite song, but it’s an exciting trip for the kids in the back seat. Here are a few ways to keep younger family members busy as you travel.

Thanksgiving is a family holiday, so the best car games engage everyone — and they don’t have game pieces to lose all over the floor.  If kids are old enough to spell, try seeing how many words everyone can come up with that begin with the letters of “turkey.” All the T words everyone can think of will likely take up much of the trip.

For younger kids not quite up to spelling, games involving looking out the window are best, as they encourage kids to be more observant. Pick an object common enough for people to score, but not too frequently spotted. If your route is through countryside, barns or fences are good choices and easy to spot. In urban areas, look for houses of a particular color. If you’re in a place with a lot of traffic, older kids can have fun checking license plates to see how many states they can spot.

Give the memory game a seasonal twist by starting it with “For Thanksgiving dinner I ate…” with each person adding a food, while repeating all the previous ones. With a little imagination, the menu can get quite long.

Or, if you’re at all musical, add an old-fashioned touch by singing “Over the River and through the Woods to Grandmother’s House We Go” — you’ll find the words here.