The best things in life aren’t things.

A similar truth applies to activities, events, and games. The ones that stand the test of time happen without much prep or many pieces, relying primarily on imagination. A good example is the License Plate Game – keeping track of which license plates you see during a multi-day road trip, hoping to spot all 50 before your trip is through. The only things you need for this game are something to write with and something to write on. An old envelope. An empty fast food bag. A gas station receipt. If your car is anything like mine, look under your seat and you’ll find several writing surfaces from which to choose.

In the days before our most recent road trip, I had to resist starting a new craft project. Not that I could have found a square inch of space free to work on it – thanks to all the suitcases, loads of laundry (dirty and clean) and the piles of things waiting to be packed – but the urge was there nonetheless. So, I satisfied my desire to make something by creating a printable checklist for the License Plate Game.

Like pulling a slip cover over an old sofa, suddenly this car game was fresh and new again! Our boys, whose eyes are typically glued to their Kindle screens when we travel, stayed focused on the passing cars and found more than 35 different license plates on our trip to Kansas and back again.

Plus, I think it’ll make a fun addition to one of our family scrapbooks, as a reminder of our various road trips and a glimpse of our 9-year-old’s handwriting, in the “traveling from” and “traveling to” section.