Survey reveals what games children love to play in the car '“ and it's not on their iPads!

As thousands of families hit the road for Easter getaways, a new survey has found the nation's top 10 games to play in the car, as voted for by children.
What games will you be playing during your Easter car journey?What games will you be playing during your Easter car journey?
What games will you be playing during your Easter car journey?

Classic games such as I Spy and First One to See outranked tablets and smartphones in the fun stakes amongst the five to ten year olds questioned, suggesting that quality time spent with mum or dad in the car playing ‘traditional’ family games is very important to them.

Top of the list was I Spy, the time-honoured visual guessing game, proving that classics are always best, even with today’s tablet-generation.

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First One to See came in at number two and in third place was The Name Game, where participants name as many celebrities as possible, starting with the first letter of the surname of the previous answer.

The full list of the UK’s top ten favourite in-car games is:

1) I Spy

2) First One to See

3) The Name Game

4) Little Lie Detectors

5) In-car Tennis

6) Story by Committee

7) Who can Scream the Loudest

8) Backseat Bingo

9) Travel Treasure Hunt

10) Magic Markers

Carfinance247 who conducted the survey also 'road tested’ the games on a group of 25 children (aged between 5 and 10) and found the majority (92%) scored these games on a par with, or better than, playing video games or watching a portable DVD player in the car.

Amy Smith of Carfinance247 said: "The car is the perfect time for parents to put technology in the boot and spend some family time playing games. The route to our holiday destination should form part of the excitement and build up - helping to create memories that last a lifetime. Most of the favoured games are really simple – reinforcing lo-tech fun can be had by all.

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“Our survey shows that kids love traditional games and it's also fun for parents to think back to their own childhoods.

Here is a handy reminder of how to play the top 10 games.

How to Play:

1) I-Spy

Pick an object or person and give fellow players the first letter - then it's up to them to use their powers of deduction to find the answer.

2) First One to See / The Eddie Stobart Game

Apparent under many guises but the principal remains the same - the first one to spot a pre-defined object wins.

3) The Name Game

Name as many celebrities as possible. The next person’s answer must always start with the first letter of the surname of the previous player’s answer. For example Lewis Hamilton could be followed by Harry Styles, Harry Styles by Scott Mills and so on.

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This game can be adapted according to a child’s age and interests – try naming Premier League footballers, pop stars, cartoon or Disney characters.

4) Little Lie Detectors

Tell a true story and tell a lie – the rest of your companions must guess which is genuine.

5) In-Car Tennis

Each player picks a colour– every time you overtake a car of that colour you score points as you would in a game of tennis. Game, set and match.

6) Story by Committee

This game tells a cumulative tale with everyone’s input. The first player starts with, ‘Once upon a time’, then each person in turn adds a new line to the story. It can be as silly, wacky and imaginative as you like.

7) Who Can Scream the Loudest

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An ear piercing and window shattering contest where volume is the only winning factor (well it was a survey for kids!) - perhaps best saved for when the car is stationary such as in heavy traffic or service station stop offs (if your ears can take it).

8) Backseat Bingo

Give youngsters a ‘bingo’ card containing pictures of items they could see en-route: road signs, types of car, animals and landmarks. Arm them with a ‘dauber’ or a bag of pennies to cover the pictures when they spot them. Just as with traditional bingo, the first to cover all the images in a straight line wins a prize, and a full house wins a bigger prize. Creative parentscould make their own, but there are lots of online resources that offer free printables.

9) Travel Treasure Hunt

Where this takes a little time and preparation, parents will reap the rewards of their efforts on this in car voyage of discovery. Ahead of the trip, research landmarks along the way and create a quiz themed around them. Kids can solve clues and riddles, answer general knowledge questions and could even win mystery prizes along the way.

10) Magic Markers

Unleash your kids’ creativity by handing them a chalk pen and letting them go wild on the back windows Non-toxic, odour free and most importantly wipe clean from non-porous surfaces, these magical markers are the perfect partner for a long ride, allowing little Picasso’s to create mini (and temporary) masterpieces as you drive.

There are just two rules: never colour in the full window and always wipe the windows clean straight away to save the decorative designs from impairing the driver’s vision.