Hobbies And Interests
"I Spy"
"I Spy" is a classic educational game used on lengthy car trips and bus rides to keep children from getting bored. Depending on the age and educational level of the child, the game can be played with variations. In the traditional version, one player says "I spy with my little eye something..." and then provides the letter that the item begins with, while the other participants try to figure out what he is thinking about. This variation helps children to become familiar with the alphabet and increases their vocabulary. In a different version that teaches descriptive terms, the players will replace the mentioning of the letter with adjectives. For example, "I spy with my little eye something that is soft."
License Plate Games
License plates on cars passing by the bus can offer the opportunity of a variety of games. Try to discover license plates for all the states of the U.S. in the course of your ride, or find consecutive numbers, starting from one and counting upwards. You can also look out for unusual license plate, including diplomatic, family of fallen officers, antique or foreign signs. Whoever points out a special plate gets a point and the person with the most at the end of the trip wins. You can also build sentences with the letters found on the plates, or make up names by adding a few consonants or vowels. If you want to advance your child's math skills, you can play a game where you spot exclusively prime, even or uneven numbers.
Tell a Story
You and your child can make up a story based on the bus ride, your co-travelers and incidents happening outside the window. All participants contribute with one sentence that relates to either a person or circumstance. The story can start with "Once upon a time a man and a girl left home to go to the dentist," with the next person giving details about the walk to the bus stop. The game can continue until you have reached your destination and encourages your child not only to be perceptive about her surroundings, but also helps develop verbal and descriptive skills. The game can also be played in a larger group of children on a school bus.
Scavenger Hunt
Finding and counting predetermined objects can be a fun activity for both short and long bus rides. For short bus rides, charge your child with discovering and counting certain objects in cars passing by, including animals, hats or bags. For long bus trips you might want to write a list of things your child has to find. Objects can include cars with trailers, monuments, specific car brands or foreign license plates. The game can also be adapted to busloads of kids on a school trip or on their way to summer camp by distributing copies of the list to all children.