Below are original games that were made up by Allen Bernstein for entertainment on car rides and outings. Most can be played together by people of all ages. The Wise Old Owl endorses these fun, family-friendly mental games!

Some of them can be constructed to have a score and a winner. But many of them are simply enjoyable ways to pass time and sharpen minds, without being competitive in nature. People can play them any way they choose.

Note that the last six games all involve naming things in a category. Those can be done by players taking turns providing an answer.  If you want to play them as competitive games where someone wins, there is a simple way to do that. A player would be “out" if they are unable to think of an answer when it’s their turn. The last person who is still “in” once all other players are "out" would be the winner.

All of these games give people some "mental exercise." They require logical thinking, creative thinking, and/or practice pulling things up from memory. You can consider them exercises for the brain which is why the wise old owl endorses them! And of course, in addition to those listed below, readers are encouraged to make up some of their own games.

In addition to mental exercise, another benefit of playing games—whether they are scored or not-- is that children get used to not doing well, or if it’s played as a competitive game, they get used to losing.  In games with winners and losers, there is typically only one winner. So for example, in a family of four or five, each individual knows they are likely to lose most of the time.  It’s helpful to experience that playing a game and losing can still be fun. Learning to enjoy the process, without feeling bad about a loss helps buoy people for the ups and downs of life!

1. Make a Word

One player mentions three letters and the other players think of a word that contain those three letters. The first person to say a word out loud that contains the three letters gets one point. The first player to get ten points is the winner of the game. To play this non-competitively, people just shout out words with those letters as they think of them, without keeping any score.

Note:
If one child is too young to read and spell words, but old enough to know the alphabet, that child can select the three letters. Otherwise, players can take turns selecting the letters.

Variations:
a. The word can be required to have the three letters in an order that is different from the order in which they were originally stated.
b. The game can be played with someone selecting four (or even five) letters instead of three.
c. On road trips, you can play this game with license plates. Many states have license plates with three letters in them. So a suitable license plate can be found on the road and those letters can be used for this game.

2. Memory Game

At home or at a restaurant, put a few items on a placemat. Ask the players to look carefully at the items, and after one minute, close their eyes. One person removes an item while the players’ eyes are closed. Players have to identify what object is missing. They can take turns saying what they think was removed and if someone gets it wrong, the next person in line then guesses.

Variations:
Two or three items can be removed instead of one.

3.  “Yes & No”

This game is played by simply having a conversation among the players, without using the words “yes" or “no.”  You would be surprised how hard it is not to say those words!! And aggressive players may try to ask questions or otherwise entice other players to say the forbidden words!

Variation:
Change the word or words that are forbidden.

5. Guess My Meaning

One player says a number and everyone has to guess what that number signifies to the player who chose it. For example if one player says “13," someone might guess that this is an unlucky number. Another person might guess that it signifies a baker's dozen. Whoever guesses what is in the mind of the person who chose the number gets the point. Examples of numbers one can choose are: 9 (9 planets), the number of people in the family, the date of a historical event, etc.

6.  Dad Court

This isn’t exactly a game, but it is similar…  When the children in a family have disputes, someone can be designated as the judge, who decides how the matter should be resolved. In the Bernstein family, Allen was always the judge. If the kids were in conflict, they would walk back into Allen’s study and air their complaints. The judge asked one of the boys to summarize his position first. The other boy would then have a chance to rebut the argument and state his case. Then the first to speak got to respond to the second child’s comments. Finally, the judge made a determination of how the case should be resolved, and set down the terms of a punishment that was needed.

This process didn’t feel quite like a game as the kids were mad, but it taught them to be quiet while their opponent stated their case, knowing they’d get a turn to speak afterwards. It also gave them practice expressing their points logically and clearly even in the “heat of the moment.”

7. Build a House

Sometimes at a restaurant if our family was waiting for our order, if there was a container of sugar packets, Allen would construct a “house of cards” out of them. Playing cards or business cards can also be used as a “building materials.” They are light weight, easy to carry, and can provide a lot of entertainment for kids.

8. Finish the Word

Someone thinks of a multi-word phrase or a hyphenated word or phrase. That person says the first portion of this word or phrase and everyone has to guess the rest. For example, one player can say “mini” and everyone would guess until they got “mini-skirt” if that is the hyphenated word the initial player was thinking of.

Variation: The initial player says only the first or a couple of the first couple of syllables of a single word, and everyone has to guess the complete word.

9. How Much Elapsed Time?

In this game someone has a watch with a second hand. That person says “Ding” to start the game. Then after some amount of time generally between 15 seconds and 4 minutes, the person says “Stop.” All the players have to guess how much time elapsed between Ding and Stop, and the one whose guess is closest wins.

10.  Various Naming Games

a. Naming People

List all the male names you can think of comprised of exactly 4 letters. Whoever can write down the most in a 3-minute period wins.

Variations:
Use male names that start with a given letter—such as B or S etc.
Use male names that are exactly one syllable—or two syllables, or three syllables, etc.
Use female names.
Use names that are exactly 5 letters.
Use names that are exactly 6 letters.
Use names that are exactly 10 letters—etc.
Say two names that rhyme (such as Phil and Bill) Bonus points for saying three rhyming names!

b.  Naming Colors

Players take turns saying one word that is sometimes or always used to represent a color. For example, you can say “green or red or blue” which always refer to a color. But you can also say “steel, rust, raspberry, ivory” which can refer to a color but also have another meaning. Note that powder blue or navy blue would not qualify because they are not one word.

c.  Naming Spherical Things

Players take turns naming things that are spherical or almost spherical. For example, you can say meatballs, ping pong balls, cherries, etc.

d. Naming Things That Are Red

Players take turns naming things that are the color red. Examples are stop sign, tomato sauce, sore throat, mosquito bite, coke cans, etc.

e.  Naming Things That Are Sharp

Players take turns naming things that are sharp in any sense of the word. Examples would be: scissors, knives, broken glass, porcupines, a dentist's drill, sharp curves, sharp cheese, a sharp outfit, sharp vision, porcupines, a sharp shooter, a broken screen, etc.

f. Naming Things in a Hotel Room

Players take turns naming things typically found in a hotel room. You could say things such as telephones, beds, televisions, sheets, blankets, pictures, mirrors, towels, curtains, etc. More creative answers would be: no smoking signs, sugar packets for coffee, bugs, dust particles, air, oxygen, etc.

g.  Naming Things In Someone’s House

Players take turns naming something that is in another house but not the home where the players live. For example, our family visited relatives who had only daughters. Our family had only sons. So there were things like hair products in their house that weren’t in ours. It was funny to review all the different items that another family had which we didn’t (such as a grand piano, ceiling fans, and even the people who live there)—it underscored the different cultures of the two houses!

Variation:
This can be played in reverse, mentioning the items the players have in their own house that aren’t in a house the players visited.

h. Naming Popular Board Games or Other Games

Players take turns saying the names of games such as Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly, Twister, etc. (Tip for players: Try to picture the aisles of a well-stocked toy store!)

i. Thinking of Creative Uses for Common Objects

Someone names a common household item and players take turns listing different ways it can be used. For example, if “nail file” is the item, players may say: use as a butter knife to cut cake, use as an implement to write in the sand, or use as a back-scratcher.

j. Name Things People Wear

Players take turns naming things people wear. In addition to conventional items of clothing, some creative answers would include “braces, bandages, a smile, baseball gloves, a hair weave, etc.