Appropriate age group(s):
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School

In which category would you classify this game?
Puzzles, Crosswords, and Word Games

Can kids play this game on their own or do they need adult supervision?
Needs adult supervision

Estimated time needed to play:
car trips, most any length

Materials needed (if applicable):
Windows, a notebook and pencil would be optional.

Description of reading game:
It's taking the Alphabet game farther, in new directions, as kids often begin reading signs before they read books. Here are several ways to encourage this stage and beyond.

First, determine whether you will use actual signs on buildings, billboards and street corners, or parts of scenery such as trees, vehicles, construction equipment, etc.

At first, children can have a letter of the day or week, looking out for D words or S words each time they must ride in the car.

Later, select a blend or dipthong such as ch, th or st, and look for things that begin or end with that sound, or look for anything that has a blend in it. Or choose a familar rhyming pattern and search for that. Search in alphabetical order as much as possible or not, depending on skill level of children and time available. Full reading skills are not needed; it's important to stress both aural and visual skills in beginning reading, so just saying names of objects and listening for certain sounds is very helpful, early on. Matching these sounds to printed letters and letter patterns can follow.

Try variations for older children; decide whether the objects they look for must have a certain number of syllables, be Proper or commons nouns, or look for various parts of speech.

Allow a free-for-all as you drive, by selecting a beginning, middle or ending sound and seeing how many different items kids can come up with. They need not be found outside the car. Older children can be encouraged to create a rhyme or rhythmic phrase with some of the items.

On longer trips, play a memory game, seeing how many of the items each person can say in the order in which they were discovered. Have children list what they find in a notebook, if they're able to do so while riding in the back of a car; not everyone feels good while doing that! Later, the list can be used to write a story or poem about the trip.

What reading skill(s) does this game use or develop in children?
Combining aural and visual skills, observation, concentration, cooperation, spelling.

Other comments or suggestions:
If your children are beginning to study another language, encourage them to name objects in that language, using the correct article (a, an, the, etc., in their various forms.) If children are able to read while riding, they can use a travel dictionary to look up words, and they can teach you what they know if you have not studied the language yourself!