We spend a lot of time together these days. One way we love to pass the time is to play games. Games are great for learning and laughs.
When traveling, we have to bring games that do not take up too much space in our suitcase. Luckily there are several games that have a small footprint.
Here are some of our favorite games to play when traveling and why we like them.
1. The Mind
This card game does not seem like it would be fun, but it is. The goal of the game is to count to 100 together and lay all the cards that are dealt down in order. The hard part is that you do not know what cards the other people have and you are counting silently in your head.
There are 12 levels and you only have a certain number of lives. You also get a few mulligan cards in case you mess up.
It is a challenging game and it provides for some quiet time while everyone is counting.
2. Yatzee
The big box that Yatzee comes in is not necessary. Five dice are all that you need and those are easy to travel with. We are not sure what it is about this game that makes it so exciting, but we get rowdy playing it.
3. Chess
We have a mini magnetic chess board that also doubles as a checkers board for traveling. We have also been able to borrow a chess board in most places we have gone. Michael downloaded a chess timer to add some pressure to the game. Lucas and Henry both enjoy learning about the strategy of the game.
4. Rush Hour Logic Game
Michael and I even love playing this one. The goal is to get the red car out of the traffic jam. There are three different levels of difficulty. The one downside is that there are a lot of pieces. I am surprised we still have all of the pieces.
5. Playing Cards
Our playing cards are the most versatile thing we took with us. We play spades, hearts, black jack, poker, canasta, golf, trash. The possibilities are almost endless. With cards, the kids learn logic, counting, sorting and odds.
Also, when we travel, we do a lot of waiting. Waiting in security lines at the airport, waiting for buses and airplanes, waiting to arrive at our destination on road trips. We have several games we play to pass the time that do not involve pulling an actual game out of our bags.
5 Things – Pick a category for your friend and that person has to name 5 things in that category. For example – Name 5 new names for a car: 1. people mover; 2. road warrior; 3. transportation box; 4. speedymobile; 5. butt teleporter.
The goal is to say the first 5 things that pop into your head as quickly as you can. The answers do not have to make sense. This simple game can keep kids distracted for a while.
One Word Stories– In this game you tell a story, but each person can only say one word to move that story forward. It is not as easy as it sounds. This game garners a lot of giggles.
Other games such as 20 questions and I spy are great games to pass the time as well.
We will continue to try out new games as we travel, but these favorties will also stay with us for a while.
