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Family Travel Tool

Road trip games for kids:
printable bingo & the license plate game

The road trip games that work best need no screens and no supplies: I Spy, 20 Questions, the alphabet game and the license plate game. Add road trip bingo below: enter your kids' ages, the drive length and the scenery, and print a different card for every kid, with picture cards for kids who can't read yet.

By Tots & Trips · Updated

Who's playing?
  • 3×3 picture card
  • 4×4 picture + word card
How long is the drive?
What will you drive through? (pick any)

4 unique cards: 2 per kid for a 2 to 4 hours drive, one per page. No two cards are the same. Runs in your browser; names stay on this device.

Player 1's road trip bingo

Card 1 of 2
Tractor
Truck
River
Speed limit sign
Tree
Bridge
Cloud
Flag
Exit sign

Mark a square when you spot it. A full row, column or diagonal wins. totsandtrips.com/road-trips/games

Player 1's road trip bingo

Card 2 of 2
Stop sign
Big rig
Hay bale
Motorcycle
Tractor
Gas station
Horse
River
Flag

Mark a square when you spot it. A full row, column or diagonal wins. totsandtrips.com/road-trips/games

Player 2's road trip bingo

Card 1 of 2
Truck
Cloud
Motorcycle
Tree
Mailbox
Stop sign
Dog
River
Bridge
Gas station
Cow
Rest area
Bird
Farmhouse
Exit sign
Big rig

Mark a square when you spot it. A full row, column or diagonal wins. totsandtrips.com/road-trips/games

Player 2's road trip bingo

Card 2 of 2
Truck
Bus
Stop sign
Cloud
Bird
Gas station
Farmhouse
Big rig
Rest area
Motorcycle
Speed limit sign
Tree
Dog
Flag
Exit sign
Tunnel

Mark a square when you spot it. A full row, column or diagonal wins. totsandtrips.com/road-trips/games

No-screen games your youngest (4) can join

License plate game tracker

Tap a state when someone spots its plate. Saved on this device, so it survives a closed tab.

0 / 51

West · 0/13

Midwest · 0/12

South · 0/17

Northeast · 0/9

15 no-screen road trip games and how to play them

Ordered by the youngest age that can usually join. Most need nothing but the view out the window.

  1. Color Hunt

    Ages 2+ · 1+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. Name a color.
    2. Your toddler finds something that color out the window or in the car.
    3. Clap, then switch colors. Let them pick the color for you sometimes.

  2. I Spy

    Ages 3+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. The spotter quietly picks something everyone can see and says "I spy with my little eye something…" plus a clue: a color for little kids, a starting letter for readers.
    2. Everyone else takes turns guessing. The spotter answers only yes or no.
    3. Whoever guesses right becomes the next spotter.

    Make it work: With toddlers, pick things inside the car, so the answer isn't gone by the time they look.

  3. Road Trip Bingo

    Ages 3+ · 1+ players · Needs: A bingo card per kid (make them above)

    1. Give each player a different card.
    2. Mark a square when you spot that thing out the window. Say it out loud so others can look too.
    3. First to fill a row, column or diagonal wins. On long drives, keep going for a full card.

    Make it work: Pre-readers can play on a picture card and point instead of reading.

  4. Count It

    Ages 3+ · 1+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. Pick one thing to count: cows, bridges, red cars, motorcycles.
    2. Set a target together (10 for little ones, 50 for older kids).
    3. Count out loud as a team. Hitting the target means a new thing to count.

  5. The Quiet Game

    Ages 3+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. On "go", everyone stays silent.
    2. The first person to talk, laugh or make a sound is out.
    3. Last one quiet wins and starts the next round.

    Make it work: Grown-ups are allowed to love this one.

  6. Name That Tune

    Ages 4+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing (or a playlist)

    1. One player hums the start of a song everyone knows. No words.
    2. First to name the song gets a point and hums the next one.

    Make it work: Movie soundtracks and TV theme songs keep it even between kids and grown-ups.

  7. The License Plate Game

    Ages 5+ · 1+ players · Needs: The tracker on this page, or a printed sheet

    1. Look for plates from as many of the 50 states and DC as you can.
    2. The first person to call a new state gets it. Tick it off so nobody claims it twice.
    3. Decide up front whether parked cars count. The family with the most states by the end of the trip wins, or the whole car works toward all 51.

    Make it work: Older kids can name the state capital, or guess how far away it is, for a bonus point.

  8. Would You Rather

    Ages 5+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. One person asks a choice between two silly options: "Would you rather have spaghetti hair or marshmallow feet?"
    2. Everyone answers and gives one reason.
    3. The next person asks a new one.

  9. Fortunately, Unfortunately

    Ages 5+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. Someone starts a story with one sentence.
    2. The next player adds a sentence starting with "Fortunately…", then the next with "Unfortunately…", and so on, alternating.
    3. Keep going until the story finds an ending, or the car is laughing too hard.

    Make it work: Simpler version for preschoolers: each person just adds the next sentence.

  10. 20 Questions

    Ages 6+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. One player thinks of a person, animal, place or thing and keeps it secret.
    2. The others ask yes-or-no questions, one at a time, and count them out loud.
    3. A correct guess within 20 questions wins the next turn. If nobody gets it by 20, the thinker reveals it and picks again.

    Make it work: For younger kids, name the category first ("It's an animal") and allow 30 questions.

  11. The Alphabet Game

    Ages 6+ · 1+ players · Needs: Signs outside

    1. Find the letters A to Z, in order, on road signs, store signs, trucks and billboards.
    2. Call out the letter and where you saw it ("B on the Burger sign!"). The next letter can't come from the same word.
    3. Play together as one team, or race: first to Z wins.

    Make it work: Q, X and Z are the hard ones. Agree before you start whether they can come from anywhere in a word, or from a license plate.

  12. Categories

    Ages 7+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. Pick a category: pizza toppings, animals, cartoon characters, sports.
    2. Go around the car, each naming one thing in the category.
    3. Repeat something or take longer than about five seconds and you're out for the round. Last one in picks the next category.

  13. Geography (Last Letter)

    Ages 8+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. Name any place: a city, state, country, river or mountain.
    2. The next player names a place that starts with the last letter of the one before (Texas, then Seattle, then Egypt).
    3. No repeats. Stuck for too long and you're out for the round.

  14. Two Truths and a Lie

    Ages 8+ · 3+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. One player says three things about themselves. Two are true, one is made up.
    2. Everyone else votes on the lie.
    3. Reveal the answer, then pass it on.

  15. Ghost

    Ages 9+ · 2+ players · Needs: Nothing

    1. Players take turns saying one letter, building toward a real word without finishing it.
    2. If your letter completes a word (of four letters or more), you earn a letter of G-H-O-S-T.
    3. You can challenge a player you think has no real word in mind. Spell out GHOST and you're out.

Want more, sorted by age group? 25 road trip games for kids, toddlers to tweens.

Every road trip bingo square

All 75 squares the maker draws from, by scenery and how easy they are to spot. Write your own card from this list if you'd rather not print.

SceneryEasy to spotTakes some lookingLucky find
Almost any driveRed car, Truck, Bus, Tree, Bird, Flag, Gas station, Bridge, Cloud, Motorcycle, Stop sign, DogPolice car, Airplane, School bus, Bicycle, Fire truck, Orange coneRainbow, Cloud shaped like an animal
HighwayBig rig, Exit sign, Speed limit sign, Rest areaRV or camper, Car with a bike rack, Truck carrying cars, Out-of-state plate"Welcome to" state sign, Car towing a boat, Tow truck
CityTaxi, Tall building, Traffic light, Crosswalk, Pizza place, Coffee shopHotel, Hospital sign, Ice cream shop, Statue, Train or streetcarFountain, Ambulance
Farm & countryCow, Horse, Tractor, Hay bale, Farmhouse, MailboxCorn field, Sheep, Duck or pond, Sunflowers, Farm stand, TrainGoat, Pig, Chicken, Deer
Desert & mountainsMountain, Pine tree, Cactus, Giant rock, River, Bright sunSnowy peak, Tunnel, Tent or campground, Sand dunes or red rocks, Scenic viewpoint signCowboy hat, Lizard, Eagle or hawk, Snow on the ground

How the bingo maker works

  • › Age sets the card. 5 and under: a 3×3 picture card using only easy-to-spot sights. 6 to 8: a 4×4 card with a picture and a word in each square. 9 and up: a classic 5×5 word card with a free center and harder finds mixed in.
  • › Drive length sets the number of cards and the difficulty. Under 2 hours: 1 card per kid; 2 to 4 hours: 2 cards per kid; All-day drive: 3 cards per kid; Multi-day trip: 4 cards per kid. “Lucky find” squares only appear on all-day and multi-day drives.
  • › Scenery sets the squares. Every card draws from the “almost any drive” list plus the scenery you pick, weighted toward easy finds so a card is winnable.
  • › Every card is different. Each card is shuffled from its own seed and checked against every other card in the set, so siblings never get the same squares. Shuffle for a fresh set.

Everything runs in your browser. Names, settings and the license plate tally are saved only on this device.

License plate game checklist: 50 states + DC

All 51 plates to find, grouped by Census Bureau region, with each state's USPS abbreviation. Use the tracker above, or tick the printable sheet.

West (13)

Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Montana (MT), Nevada (NV), New Mexico (NM), Oregon (OR), Utah (UT), Washington (WA), Wyoming (WY)

Midwest (12)

Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Nebraska (NE), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), South Dakota (SD), Wisconsin (WI)

South (17)

Alabama (AL), Arkansas (AR), Delaware (DE), District of Columbia (DC), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maryland (MD), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), Oklahoma (OK), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV)

Northeast (9)

Connecticut (CT), Maine (ME), Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), Vermont (VT)

Back-seat activity gear for the drive

From our family travel gear list, with current prices and ratings.

Lusso Gear Kids Travel Tray - Car Seat & Airplane Lap Desk

Lusso Gear Kids Travel Tray - Car Seat & Airplane Lap Desk

★4.3·18,276 reviews

A lap desk made for car seats: a flat surface for the bingo card, crayons and snacks in the back seat.

~$29.99Buy on Amazon
Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Wow! Reusable Water-Reveal Activity Pad - Animals

Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Wow! Reusable Water-Reveal Activity Pad - Animals

Best Seller
★4.8·5,709 reviews

Water-reveal pad with no markers or crayons to drop: refill the pen with water and the pictures dry back to blank.

~$7.99Buy on Amazon
AiTuiTui Mini Magnetic Drawing Board - Travel Doodle Pad

AiTuiTui Mini Magnetic Drawing Board - Travel Doodle Pad

★4.3·6,532 reviews

A small magnetic doodle board for drawing games between bingo rounds; the pen is attached.

~$10.99Buy on Amazon
Melissa & Doug Take-Along Magnetic Jigsaw Puzzle Set - On the Farm (2 x 15 Pieces)

Melissa & Doug Take-Along Magnetic Jigsaw Puzzle Set - On the Farm (2 x 15 Pieces)

★4.6·1,232 reviews

Magnetic jigsaw pieces in a take-along case, for kids who want a quiet stretch on their own.

~$11.99Buy on Amazon
PlayMonster Take 'N' Play Anywhere Hangman Travel Game

PlayMonster Take 'N' Play Anywhere Hangman Travel Game

★4.6·1,788 reviews

A self-contained hangman game for readers, a good next step once the alphabet game runs out.

~$9.99Buy on Amazon
Crayola Color Wonder Mess-Free Coloring Activity Set with Carrying Case

Crayola Color Wonder Mess-Free Coloring Activity Set with Carrying Case

★4.8·18,301 reviews

Color Wonder markers only show up on their own paper, so the car seat and upholstery stay clean.

~$20.99Buy on Amazon

Prices and ratings are approximate and may vary. As an Amazon Associate, Tots & Trips earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. More in travel gear.

Sources

Last checked: . State names and abbreviations and the regional grouping come from the pages below, each opened and read. The games are traditional car games with no official rulebook; the rules here are a common way to play, in our words.

Road trip games: what parents ask

What are good road trip games for kids?
The ones that need nothing: I Spy and Color Hunt for toddlers and preschoolers, the alphabet game and the license plate game once kids read, and 20 Questions, Categories or Geography for older kids. Road trip bingo works across ages because each kid can have a card at their own level.
How do you play the license plate game?
Everyone watches for plates from different states. The first person to call a new state claims it, and you tick it off so nobody counts it twice. Agree before you start whether parked cars count, then play until the end of the trip or until you have all 50 states and DC.
How do you play road trip bingo?
Give each player a different card of things you might pass, like cows, bridges, big rigs or a cactus. Mark a square when you spot it and say it out loud. The first to complete a row, column or diagonal wins; on long drives, keep going until someone fills the whole card.
Is there road trip bingo for kids who can't read yet?
Yes. For ages 5 and under this maker prints a 3×3 picture card with big pictures and the word underneath, using only common sights. Kids can point at what they see and a grown-up or sibling can check the square for them.
How do you play the alphabet game in the car?
Find the letters A to Z in order on signs, trucks and billboards outside the car, calling out each letter and where you saw it. Play as one team or race to Z. Agree up front how to handle the hard letters (Q, X and Z), for example by allowing them anywhere in a word.
Are these road trip bingo cards free to print?
Yes. Make as many as you like, print them on US Letter or A4, and shuffle for a fresh set. The cards are generated in your browser and nothing you type is uploaded.

Packing the car? Road trip snacks and activities that keep kids happy, then the vacation packing list generator for the rest of the bags.