When you’re a kid, nothing is worse than a long agonizing car ride. Your parent’s music is boring, highways are never ending and you get that claustrophobic feeling every minute that the buckle is around your waist. Luckily Batman is here to save the day with five themed games.
Instead of listening to your children complain or bicker the whole car ride, engage them in a set of games involving Batman and the world of Gotham that so many children grew up on and love. The games involve many different aspects of the DC superhero including comic books, action figures, songs and villains like The Joker and Catwoman.
Buckle Up, Batman
Put your collection Batman action figures to good use in the car. In Buckle Up, Batman, each child selects a Batman action figures and sets them to a seating position. Then the person sits them on the edge of a seat without holding it or using anything to brace the toy up.
Whatever Batman figure stays seated the longest without falling over or tipping over is the winner. This game is great for drives on back roads or hilly roads. As an alternative, you can set up a collection of figures and each person can guess which one will stay up the longest.
Batman Smells
The Christmas spoof song “Batman Smells” is a popular rhyme for children, but what other Batman songs can they come up with? Using radio songs, MP3 players or even commercial jungles, let each child make up their own verses including Batman characters and themes.
For example, in Justin Bieber’s song “Boyfriend,” the lyrics could be changed from “If I was your Boyfriend/I’d never let you go” to “If I was your Batman/I’d beat up bad guys.” Children will love making up silly songs and using their imagination.
Comic Book Look & Find
A stack of Batman comic books can be used for more than just reading. Give each child a comic and have them flip through the pages until they can pick an object to find. Then the children trade comics and have to find the object within the panels.
Batman comic books feature so much detail and drawings that this game could be a great challenge for children and take up a lot of time on long trips.
Villain Lookout
Batman villains like The Joker, Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy can be found through everyday objects, especially when driving in a car. In Villain Lookout, children have to find representations of as many villains as possible.
Examples include a clown billboard for The Joker, an ice cream truck for Mr. Freeze, a bank for Two-Face, a pet store or wild cat for Catwoman and so on. Write down a full list of villains before heading out so you can complete as many as possible.
Robin’s Game
Batman’s sidekick Robin is known for his catchphrases including the phrase “Holy” before some obnoxious occurrence. Help expand your children’s vocabulary by using this game on road trips.
To start the game, start with a two word “Holy” phrase, add a word each time and end with “Batman.” The phrases must increase by one word each time and focus on something you just passed. Examples include “Holy Clouds, Batman,” “Holy Toll Booth, Batman,” “Holy Traffic Jam Bam, Batman,” “Holy McDonalds’ Highway Rest Stop Indoor Playscape, Batman.” The examples can be silly things that expand every time and get more obnoxious like Robin often does.
