Games and Group Activities for Children of All Ages
What are some things that games provide valuable lessons about?
What types of development does playing games promote in children?
How can games be used as transitions from one activity to another?
What are some examples of other times that games can be used to keep the children’s attentions?
What does F-U-N stand for?
Get cooperative and competitive games: http://www.seanet.com/~eldrbarry/mous/gamedex.htm
This site has indoor and outdoor games: http://www.icomm.ca/daycare/cardsb05.html#CIB0598
Here are even more games: http://preschool.topcities.com/games.htm
☺ Ready: Gather beanbags (purchased or homemade), cardboard box, or hula-hoops, balls, and buckets.
☺ Set and Go: Cut holes in the box for children to toss bags into. A simple animal shape or clown shape with a BIG mouth is great. For older children, make a point system for different holes in graduated sizes.
☺ More “Beanie Baggies” Fun: Use hula-hoops instead of a box – especially for younger children who need a bigger target to hit. Hang hula-hoops from trees outside, or the ceiling inside for a higher target. Hang a beach ball and call a color for children to try to hit. Hang a bucket for children to land the beanies in.
How
to Make Homemade or School-made Beanies
☺ Plain and Simple Version: Gather old socks, dried beans, needle, and thread. Cut the toe off the sock, leaving about five inches of fabric attached. Fill the end with dried beans. Stitch the open end shut.
☺ Fancy Pants Version: Same as above, but use pretty colored socks or felt pieces and a pretty pattern – frog, bear, shape, etc. Children ages 4 and up usually enjoy making their own. Why not add a nametag and a poem and name the little critters like the competition?
☺ Ready: Grab a large, soft ball or beach ball; Nerf™ balls work great, too.
☺ Set: No advance preparation is needed.
☺ Go: Have a group stand in a circle or spread out at least arm’s-width apart. Toss the ball high in the air and have children try to keep it up! Count the number of hits the group makes to keep the ball in the air. Set a goal and have the group try to meet it; or have them try to break their last record. Give “gold medals” to the whole group when they break their record.
☺ More “Keep it Up” Fun: Have the children add kicks and “heads” to keep the ball in the air. Make certain there is a lot of space so injuries won’t happen.
☺ Ages: 2 – 8, playing along, in pairs, or in teams
☺ Ready: Gather small brooms or plastic rakes, a cardboard box with one side open, or a laundry basket, and a small plastic ball, such as a tennis ball, Nerf™ ball, or plastic ball.
☺ Set: Place the laundry basket or box on its side with the open end facing the “field of play.” (This becomes the goal. Use two for older children who want to “keep score.”)
☺ Go: Let the children use the brooms or rakes to hit the balls into the box. Many will have fun with individual play, but older children will probably want team play. School-age children will enjoy adding a second goal and dividing into two teams for more competitive play.
☺ More “Field Hockey” Fun: Forget the balls and rake the leaves into the box in the fall. It’s great fun and helps the groundskeeper!
☺ Ready: No materials are required for this game.
☺ Set: Have the children number off in numbers from 1 to 3.
☺ Go: All the number ones and twos should partner together and hold hands to make a “barrel.” All the number threes should stand inside the barrel as the fish. There should be at least one extra player; there can be two. The teacher says “Go!” or uses a whistle, and all the fishes leave their barrel to find another. The “extras” also scramble for a barrel. The new extras move to the center and the round starts again. Play several times until the “barrels” tire of their role and re-number so there are new “fish.”
☺ More “Fish in a Barrel” Fun: Change the identity of the game with the season; play “Turkey in the Straw,” “Elves in the Snow,” “Shamrocks in the Meadow,” etc.
☺ Ages: 4 – 12
☺
Ready: Gather materials for
children to find and hide them around the classroom.
☺ Set: Prepare clue cards and a list of things to be found. For younger children, use picture cards with the word written on it also.
☺ Go: Divide into teams of 4 to 6 children and give each a list to find. Let the winning team share their success story.
☺ More “Scavenger Hunt” Fun: Have a Polaroid™ Scavenger Hunt. Send each team out with a Polaroid™ camera to bring back a picture of what their list had. This one is fun outside. The teacher can control one camera, and each team can borrow it as they locate an object. Items like birds’ nests, anthills, dandelions, earthworms, etc. become fun items for this game.
☺ Ages: 2 – 8
☺ Ready: Gather plastic soda or water bottles (ten makes a good set) and a rubber ball (soft for inside play, soccer for outside play).
☺ Set: Label the bottles with points for older children who will want to “keep” score.
☺ Go: Have children set up bottles in bowling pin formation and roll the ball; let them bowl against themselves for less competition.
☺ More “Bottle Bowling”
Fun: Spray paint the bottles with
colors and graph the colors that are knocked down on each roll. Add water to the bottles for outside play;
these bottles will require a STRONG roll of a soccer ball to knock them
over. It’s also fun to see how far back
the children can stand and still knock the bottle over.
“Ms. Holly’s Kickball” (Preschool Version)
☺ Ages: 3 to 5
☺ Ready: Gather a large kickball, base markers, and find an open area to play.
☺ Set: No advance preparation is required.
☺ Go: Mark four bases like a baseball diamond. Position yourself as the “pitcher” and give each child a turn kicking the ball and running the bases. There are no outs, fouls, wins, etc, just practice kicking and running the bases. Have the players treat this like a relay race – they line up, kick the ball that you toss, and run the bases. Practice having the entire group cheer as the ball is kicked and the runner comes back “home.”
☺ More “Ms. Holly’s
Kickball” Fun: As children develop
kicking and running skills, gradually add back the traditional rules of
kickball and try having teams play.
Some children won’t be ready for this competitive play until school age,
but some will need the challenge to keep playing.
☺
Ready: Divide the group into
teams of 5 to 10 players.
☺ Set: Players should line up single file and run in the designated fashion from starting point to tag line and back. They should touch the next person in line so they can start running.
☺ Go: On “Go!” players proceed. The first team to have all players back is the winner. For younger players, you may want to clock the team time and encourage them to beat it the next time.
☺ More “Relay Races” Fun: “Run” on knees (for indoors); push a peanut with toes; hold an egg in a spoon while running; hop; kick a soccer ball; hop on one foot, change for the journey back; hold a ball balanced in an outstretched hand; walk with a book on head.
☺ Ages: 2 – 12
☺ Ready: Gather paper (stiff paper is nice) and markers.
☺ Set: Make a set of “cards” with words and pictures that describe an exercise – sit-ups, jumping jacks, lunges, jogs, etc. Have at least 10 exercise cards. Make another set of cards that say 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. Have at least two of each numeral.
☺ Go: Have all the children who want to play gather in a circle at least arm’s-width apart. Have one child draw an exercise card and another draw a number card. Have the two children lead the group in the exercise for the number of times printed on the numeral card. Have two more children come forward to draw the next cards. Continue until children tire.
☺ More
“Exercise Poker Fun: Use dice instead! Make dice out of a foam square or a square
box. Write exercises on one die and the
numerals 5 to 10 on the other.