Kid Games to Play on a Bus

Telephone

• Start with the left-hand front seat on the bus. The player in the first seat comes up with a sentence or phrase and whispers it into the person's ear that sits behind him. The message is passed along through whispers until it circles the bus and reaches the person in the right-hand front seat. That person says the phrase she has heard told and says it aloud to see how close it matches the original.

Who said it?

• One player is assigned as the "It" person. He must close his eyes and slouch slightly in his seat. A random person on the bus then says, "I did it." The "It" person must guess who said this phrase. If he is correct, the person who said "I did it" becomes the new guesser. If wrong, the "It" person must restart the round and try again.

Street Sign ABCs

• Players must find every letter in the alphabet on street signs. License plates do not count, and the letters must be found in alphabetical order. Only one letter can be used per sign. For example, on a sign reading "Ballpark," players can use the "A" but not the "B." The "B" must be found on another sign. The first player to find all 26 letters is the winner.

The State Game

• For bus trips on highways or out of state, the State Game is an easy and fast-paced activity. Players try to find as many different state license plates as possible. If there are more than four players, you can keep track of state-variant license plates. For example, the state of the Connecticut has a plain blue plate, a pet plate and a lighthouse plate.

Guessing Game

• A player chooses a random celebrity and acts like this person, giving out as few clues as possible. Players have to guess which celebrity the player is portraying. The one who guesses correctly takes the next turn acting. To keep the game more controlled, make a list of popular celebrities and put them into a hat. This method may be also be more challenging for players to act out.