A family car game
Why My Energetic, Bilingual Seven-Year-Old Loves Counting from 100 Back to Zero
“One potato, two potato…” It sounds almost too simple to keep a car entertained. But this little turn-taking game has become a favourite with our energetic, bilingual seven-year-old. Everyone takes a number, the count climbs to 100, and then the whole car works its way back down to zero.
How to play “One Potato” in the car
There is no setup and no winner to keep track of. The passengers simply take turns saying the next number with the potato phrase:
- Player 1: “One potato.”
- Player 2: “Two potato.”
- Player 3: “Three potato.”
- Player 1: “Four potatoes.”
- Player 2: “Five potatoes.”
Keep passing the next number around the passengers, adding “potato” or “potatoes” as you go, until the group reaches 100. Then reverse direction and count down together, one turn at a time, all the way to zero. The fun is in keeping the shared count moving; if someone loses track, the others can help and the game carries on.
With fewer passengers, turns simply come around more often. With a full car, the longer wait between turns can make it feel like a team challenge. Agree who starts and which way the turns travel before you begin.
Why might a simple counting game stick?
I can’t know exactly what makes this game so appealing to my son, and I wouldn’t want to claim that one game works the same way for every child with ADHD. I can only describe what I notice when we play.
There is a steady pattern, but he still has to listen for his turn. The count gives everyone a small, clear job, and the number keeps changing. Reaching 100 feels like a shared milestone; turning around and counting back adds a fresh twist without needing a new set of rules.
It also gives the journey something to do. Nobody needs to find a toy or look at a screen. The passengers make the game together, one voice and one number at a time. For a child with lots of energy, being part of a lively group rhythm may be more inviting than waiting quietly for the next stop. That is my impression of our family game, not a claim that it treats ADHD.
Counting in a bilingual family
Our son is bilingual, so number words are part of the language he moves between every day. The game can be played in whichever language feels natural to the passengers, or the group could choose to switch languages for a round if everyone enjoys it. There is no need to correct or test anyone; the point is to play together.
Research on early number learning in bilingual children looks at how number knowledge and number words develop across language contexts. It doesn’t explain why our son loves this particular game, but it is a useful reminder that counting is language as well as numbers. Read a study of early number acquisition in bilingual children.
Try it on your next drive
Start with the passengers who want to join, pick a starting player, and send the count around the car. Let children say the number in their own voice, keep the pace comfortable, and help one another if the sequence gets muddled. If 100 feels too far away, choose a smaller turning point for that trip; if everyone is still enjoying it, count back to zero too.
And the important road rule is simple: this is a game for passengers. The driver stays focused on driving.
For more ideas, browse our screen-free road-trip games for kids, explore road-trip activities, or pick a free Road Trip Adventure Pack for a stop along the way.