Word games to keep kids entertained

Ever been stuck in traffic with kids in tow? On a long train or plane journey, or just in a queue? What if the batteries on the kids devices run out, or, even crazier, you didn't bring a screen to plug your child into?

What can you do if boredom begins to set in and you face the prospect of actually engaging with your offspring? The sure fire solution is... word games!

Here are three that we've just played this afternoon at my parents-in-law to calm the kids down as they descended into inter-sibling violence:

1) The Cheese Game - go around the circle. Each person says a sentence of a story, but each sentence needs to contain the name of a cheese: I know how to stay safe, I'll build a roquefort. At that moment Ementalle came around the corner.

2) Alphabet story: go around the circle. Each person says a sentence to make a story. In the sentence, each word must begin with a consecutive letter of the Alphabet. E.g. a brave cat died eating fresh grapes. It really gets you thinking about what constitutes a sentence.

3) The name game. Go around the circle. Each person says a famous name. The first name must start with the same letter of the previous surname. So for example if the person before me chose Boris Johnson, then my name would need to start with a J  e.g. James Cameron. If the somebody says a name where first and surname begin with the same letter, e.g. Peppa Pig or Marilyn Monroe, then the direction around the circle is reversed.

What word games do you play to keep things fun and entertaining with the children?