The Alphabet Game (aka ABC Game), is a fun way to stay connected when you’re on the road. It’s easy to have a long road trip devolve into everyone on their own phone with earbuds in with nearly no conversation. This game seeks to break up the monotony and create a bit of connection.
So let’s get into the Alphabet Game:
PREP TIME– None
ITEMS NEEDED– Just The Open Road (I wanted to say that so badly!)
GAME TIME– 15-30 Minutes
PARTICIPANTS– Everyone in the Vehicle (if it’s a bus, you can play with a smaller group)
INSTRUCTIONS
This game is about as easy as it comes. Your only goal is to work together as a team to find each letter of the alphabet as you travel to your destination. I recommend playing in areas where there are plenty of signs and businesses on the roadside. It’s not that you can’t play in super rural areas, it’s just that the game can drag on.
As for the rules, we generally play that you can only use one letter off of each sign. So a “Dairy Queen” sign can’t be used for “d” & “e”. You don’t have to use this rule, but it makes it a bit more challenging. We also allow our group to use license plates as well (some groups use only license plates- that’s hard!).
Other than that, the only other rule is that nothing they use for a letter can come from inside the vehicle. It’s really a pretty simple and fun game to help pass some of the time as you drive along.
ALTERNATIVE VERSION
You can play this anywhere with any topic as well. Just throw out a category (animals, sports mascots, breakfast foods, etc) and run through the alphabet one by one or do it together as a team and time how long it takes you.
BONUS TIP
1. While many of the games we share are competitive in nature, this one is more team oriented. That said, you can compete with yourself. Time how long it takes your group to come up with all 26 letters, then repeat the game, trying to best your previous time.
2. If you really want to involve everyone, have each person in the vehicle take turns finding letters. I don’t normally use this method, but if you do, allow the other students to help them find their letter.
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