Road Tripping!

By: Lisa Peterson, MS, CCC-SLP

Planning a road trip this summer? Use those long hours in the car wisely! Road trips are the perfect opportunity to work on your child’s language skills. Try these easy games on the way to your fun summer vacation with the whole family!

  • 20 Questions: To begin, one person thinks of a person, place, or thing. The other players ask yes/no questions in order to guess the mystery word. When someone guesses correctly, then he/she is the next designated person to think of the new mystery word. This game works on deductive reasoning, auditory memory, categories, vocabulary, word retrieval, answering questions, and formulating questions.
  • Going on a Camping Trip: This game begins by one person saying, “I’m going camping, and I’m bringing ___.” The next person must add another item to the list and repeat the previous person’s item. As the game continues, the list of items gets longer and longer. This activity works on auditory memory and word retrieval.
  • Categories: Take turns naming as many things in a given category as able. Try to do it as quickly as possible by naming as many items in 20 seconds. For example, “Name as many ice cream flavors as possible.” This activity works on word retrieval, categorization, and vocabulary.
  • Creating Stories: Pick a story theme and come up with a first line. Create a story together making sure to adhere to the theme. Using a small dry erase board, the child can even draw pictures and retell the story in his/her words. This activity targets storytelling, story grammar, and sequencing.
  • Alphabet Game: Start the game by saying, “I’m going to the store, and I’m going to buy (something with the letter A).” Take turns adding to the list and naming something with the following letter. To increase the difficulty, during each turn, the person must remember the previously mentioned items. This game works on auditory memory, phonological awareness, and sequencing.

These games can help to keep your children occupied and strengthen language skills as you travel down the road! Safe travels!