Between your career, housework, and everything else you have on your schedule, it can be hard to find time to engage in educational activities with your child.

But, if you drive your kiddos to school or spend lots of time driving here and there on weekends, this is one uninterrupted block of time you have together. Why not take advantage of that with some fun, educational car games and activities?

Not only will it get your child’s mind warmed up, but the association between games and education will help her think of learning as fun. That’s not to mention the benefits you’ll get from bonding and taking your mind off the traffic.

Car ride activities are great for road trips but certainly don’t have to be reserved for long car rides. Sure you can bring an activity book or the iPad along for the ride to keep your child busy, but when coloring books and crayons are no longer doing the trick, there are other options to explore. When it comes to fun activities that are short, educational, and can be played from the comfort of a car seat, your imagination’s the limit.

Try a few of the ideas listed below, test out your own DIY variations, and ask your child to help you come up with new fun travel games you can play.

Rhymes and Homophones

In this simple language and vocabulary game, you and your child take turns coming up with a random word. The other person has to come up with as many rhyming words as she can. Or, you could take turns thinking of homophones — words that sound the same but are spelled differently, like to, too, and two — and defining the differences among them.  This is something that even a preschooler can participate in.

School Trip Math

Tell your child how many miles you’re driving to school, and how fast you’re driving. Then, ask her to calculate how long it will take you to arrive. Or, ask how fast you would need to drive to get to school in 15 or 30 minutes.