Three More Road Trip Word Games

The miles go faster and familes are happier when the kids are having fun (besides, word games are free and they don't have little plastic pieces to lose)

When you're spending more than a few hours in the car, your kids are bound to get tired of the activity books you've packed for them. A road atlas of their own helps, but when it gets dark, those activities are out of the question. Word games help kids' eyes grow droopy, and that's good news for parents. There are hundreds of word games to play; here is another installment of this series.

7. Incognito
Player one thinks of a famous person, or "mystery figure." She gives the other players a two-word description about the figure using that person's first and last initials. For example, player one might say, "fabulous singer." Players must think of well-known people with the initials "FS" who fit the bill. In this case, the answer is Frank Sinatra. If each player has guessed once and the identity of the mystery figure has not been revealed, players are allowed to ask one "yes" or "no" question before the next guess. For example, "Is this person alive?" or "Was he or she a politician?" or "Is the mystery figure over the age of sixty?" and so on. The first player to guess correctly chooses the next mystery figure.

8. Mirror
What happens when you look in the mirror? You see a reverse image...you're actually looking at yourself "backwards." Take that concept and apply it to words...and you've got a great game that's loads of fun. Take turns thinking of words that have a meaning when they are spelled both forwards and backwards. Give one point for each letter in the word. Three-letter words are worth three points; four letter words are worth four points, etc. The person with the most points at the end of the round wins the game. Some examples to get you going: rat/tar (3 points); stab/bats (4 points); stool/loots (5 points). Score an extra two points (8 points total) for words that have six letters.

9. Impressions
Someone is chosen as the Director. The Director has all the players do an impersonation of someone famous or someone everyone in the group knows personally. The best impression wins an award. The actor who puts on a winning performance gets an Academy Award. The player with the most awards at the end of the game wins.10. Ghost The first person picks a letter with a word in mind. Each successive person adds a letter, trying to make a word without finishing the word with his/her letter.