August typically is the month that our family takes a vacation. While my husband and I look forward to these exciting once-a-year getaways, we also know that when the ride gets to be a little long, the kids will quickly let us know. This year we planned ahead with some activities to pass the time while looking out of the window. Here are a five fun kid-tested games that we came up with to play in the car, bus, train or plane. Have fun!

• Where Are We Going? -- Write the name of the place that you are going on a piece of paper (i.e. Grandma's, Disneyland, Orlando, etc.). Try to make as many words from that word as you can. The winner picks the next word.
  
  
• Twenty Questions -- Have one person think of a person, place, or object and keep it a secret. Have others take turns asking yes/no questions (up to 20) until someone is able to guess what the secret person, place or object is.
  
  
• I Am Going On A Trip -- Following the letters of the alphabet, have one person start with A and say for instance, "My name is Annie and I am going on a trip to Alabama. In my suitcase I have an alligato." The next person would begin by saying, "My name is Bob and I am going on a trip to Boston. In my suitcase I have a bug and a baseball." On to the letter C. Keep adding to the number of items in that suitcase. This can get really silly, and it really helps to devleop memory!
  
  
• If I Were... -- If I Were an ..., I Would Be a .... Because ...'. This is a game that can really stretch creativity. One person picks a subject. If, for example, you began with the subject animal, the first person would begin by saying,"If I were an ... animal, I would be a ... cow, because ...I would like to enjoy long sunny afternoons in green pastures." Others follow with their answer to what type of animal they would be. Another person picks a subject (i.e., cars) and would begin by saying, "'If I were a ...car, I would be ...an older Model A car, because ... my family would take me out only on special occasions." Try subjects like food, birds, famous persons, etc.
  
  
• Opposites -- Mom and Dad give a word and the kids give the opposite. Simple, but it can really make you think! We started with hot/cold, dry/wet, laugh/cry and worked our way into some pretty tough words! This was the kids' favorite!

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