Science Activities for Car Rides and Waiting Rooms (No Equipment)

Long car rides, bus trips, queues and waiting rooms are perfect for science, because science starts with looking and wondering. You don’t need materials, a screen or any preparation. Here are games you can play with your voice and your eyes.

A safety rule for car rides

When you are driving, your attention belongs on the road. A simple rule for the car:

Passengers play. The driver only listens. The driver doesn’t need to look at anything, answer in detail or judge answers. A short “mm-hm” is enough.
If the driver needs quiet, the game pauses. Children should agree to this before you set off.
No one in the car reaches for objects or unbuckles. Seat belts stay on for the whole trip.
Never hold up a notebook for the driver to look at. Keep the games spoken or silent.

On public transport or in a waiting room, the same games work, with an adult keeping an eye on the child as usual.

Observing games

Colour and shape hunt. Everyone looks out of the window for something round, something red or something with a straight line. Take turns calling things out. It trains close looking.

Count and compare. “Are there more cars or lorries? More people or dogs?” Choose a category and keep a count in your heads, or on fingers. Compare at the end.

Sound hunt. Passengers close their eyes for one minute (never the driver). How many different sounds can you pick out? Take turns saying what you heard, and guess where each came from.

Cloud shapes. Look for the lowest and highest clouds. Do they look the same speed? Which way are they moving? Do they look the same colour? You can talk about weather and what clouds might bring.

Moving land. Notice how near things seem to move quickly past the window and far things move slowly. Ask why. It’s a neat bit of observation, and the explanation is about perspective and distance.

Guessing games

Predict and check. Guess how many minutes until the next town, or how many bridges you’ll pass. Check on arrival. Over a few trips, children get better at estimating.

Which is bigger? “Is that tree taller than that house? Is that lorry longer than a bus?” Guess and say how you decided.

Twenty questions with nature. One person thinks of a plant, animal, weather feature or object they can see. Others ask yes or no questions to guess it. It teaches classifying: “Is it alive? Does it have leaves?”

Why do you think? Pick something nearby, such as a puddle, a wet road or a lit window, and ask, “Why do you think that’s happening?” Keep it as a chat, not a quiz.

Mind games (no looking needed)

Guess the material. “I’m thinking of something made of metal and found in a kitchen.” Take turns.
Habitat game. “I’m an animal that lives in a pond. What could I eat?”
Invent a machine. Describe a machine to solve a problem, such as keeping a drink cold. Others suggest how it would work.
Food chain chain. Start with a plant and add who eats it, who eats that, and so on.
The Why game. One person says a fact, such as “Ice floats.” Everyone takes a turn adding one reason or guess.

In a waiting room or queue

Hand and finger games: hold your hands still and notice your heartbeat in your wrist. Then jiggle your leg for 20 seconds and check again.
Shadow play with a lamp or window light.
People-watching for patterns: how many people are wearing a coat? What does it say about the weather?
Draw something you can see in a small notebook, if you have one with you.
A “what’s changed?” game. Look around the room for a minute, close your eyes and have someone change one thing.

Keep it light

No winning or losing. These games are about noticing.
Stop when interest fades.
Write down good questions to follow up at home, then try one as an experiment. See our post on science lessons that need no materials.

What to try at home next

Take a favourite question from the road and try it at the kitchen table. For example, if the children wondered why shadows change, try Why Is My Shadow Long in the Morning?. You can also read our parents page.