Games for Young Children

I wanted to share a range of games that I play with my children. I find I forget games if I haven't played them for a while, so this is a way of documenting a range of games for me to remember, as well as sharing games with others to learn and to play.  Sharing is caring!  There is a range of games that can be played at mat time, and there are also games to play outside.  Some of the mat time games are musical games, and there is a range of physical games, listening games, quiet, sit-down games and co-operative games listed here. Some I have made up to play with the children, and some I may think I have made up but have probably come from a memory of games played years before as a child (or at some point in my life); some I have learnt from other teachers whom I have had the pleasure of working with; while many are well known games. You can find other musical games and physical action songs suitable for mat time here. You can find a range of counting songs here (many of which are also physical, depending on how you decide to present them).
I have also created my own board games and dice games ideal for small groups of children. Click on the link for a range of easy to make Christmas themed games, and you can use the inspirations to adapt to any kind of theme.  When the children were into Superheroes, they helped me to make an awesome Super-hero board game.
Finally, when you want to send children off to wash their hands for lunch, click on the link for a variety of songs for transition times.

Mat Time Games

Good Morning Mr Brown

This is a listening game that my 6 year old nephew taught me.  One child is chosen to be "Mr Brown".  Mr Brown stands in a corner facing away from everybody.  One child is chosen to say "Good morning Mr Brown".  That child might try to disguise their voice.  "Mr Brown" then tries to guess who the speaker was.  The speaker then gets to be "Mr Brown".

On, Off, Over

Draw a line across the floor (I use chalk on carpet, but you could lay down a long rope) and get children to stand behind it.  The teacher calls out either 'On', 'Off', or 'Over'.

On - children jump on the line.

Off - children jump back behind the line.

Over - children jump forward, over the line.

This is good for listening to instructions.

How Many?

This is a simple listening and counting game. You need a tin or jar (I like using the baby formula tins) and some marbles (or anything to drop into the jar that will make a sound). It is a quick and easy game to play, and is an ideal game to play if you have some children ready and waiting on the mat but others are finishing tidying up etc. Children need to count quietly in their head and put their quiet hands up, to let other children concentrate and think. Drop marbles into a tin/jar, one by one. When you are done, children put up their hand to say how many marbles they counted. I don't say "Right" or "Wrong", I just simply ask "how many do you think there was?"and I ask a number of children for their answer. Then I tip the marbles out and we count together to check how many, and we compare our guesses with the final amount. Then we do it again.

Memory Game

I made up this game to help children develop their memory skills and processing information. It is really interesting to see who can do it, who struggles, who does it backwards, and who does something completely different to the instructions. This is best played with a small group of children.

You can play this game in various ways. I first started playing this game using peg boards and coloured pegs. Everyone had a peg board and a range of coloured pegs in front of them. I call out 3 colours, eg, Red, Yellow, Blue. I only say it once and do not repeat it. The idea is for children to put the right coloured pegs on the board in the right order. 

I find that children will watch each other and copy each other, so I give them a piece of felt fabric each to cover up their work so no one can copy them. Then we reveal our boards when we are all ready.

I have made blank cards with 3 segments on them, and I also use these to play other variations, such as with coloured shapes, and I might call out "red square, blue triangle, yellow circle", and children place these on their cards. I do one as well, so children can see what it was supposed to look like.

This is an intense brain game, and children can only play this for a short period of time.

I went to the Supermarket and I bought...

This is a memory and language game that encourages children to use full sentences. You may like to use pictures if you have a Shopping Game in your room when you first teach this game, to support children with thinking of items and remembering past items, especially as the shopping list gets longer and longer. I play this with children who are nearly 4, and older.

Sit in a circle. First person says "I went to the supermarket and I bought..." And they say something they might buy at a supermarket, eg. An Apple. (If you are using pictures, turn the pictures face down. Child picks up a picture when it is his turn, and uses this as their item. They keep the picture).
The person next to them has to then say something that they would buy, (eg. Chocolate) and adds on the first person's item: "I went to the supermarket and I bought Chocolate and an apple."
The next person adds on their item, eg. "I went to the supermarket and I bought milk, chocolate, and an apple".
Play continues around the circle, with children adding on a new item and trying to remember everyone else's.

You can adapt this game according to your children's interest:
Animals - "I went to the zoo and I saw ..." OR "I went on Safari and I saw..." OR "I went to the farm and I saw..."
Transport/Countries - "I am going to Fiji and I'm going to take..." (Items you might take on holiday such as sunglasses, shorts, towel, sunblock, etc)

Statue Game

This is a simple movement game I made up to help get the wriggles out of children and allow them to move, especially if they have been sitting for some time.
Call out a variety of movements, eg
Jump, jump, jump,
Hop, hop, hop,
Turn, turn, turn,
Shake, shake, shake,
Ballerina - Freeze! (Children have to freeze like a ballerina).
Repeat by calling out more movements then freeze like a ...
Other ideas for statues: Giraffe; Elephant; Palm Tree; Banana; Mouse; Tiger; Lion; Monkey; Gorilla; Rainbow; Spider-Man: Superman; Batman; Ninja Turtle; Octopus; Teacher; Big Bad Wolf; Fireman; Policeman; Baby; Spider; Chair; Teapot; Clock. The children will have lots of fun ideas too.

Destination Game

Choose 4 destinations. You might choose NZ cities, or countries that represent where your children are from, eg. China, Australia, Fiji, South Africa. I print off pictures that represent each country to give children an easy visual reference. Put each picture on a different wall. Call out a destination, eg. "Fiji", and children have to run to that destination. Once this becomes easy, you might give out clues instead, such as "Where do pandas live?", or "Where is the Sydney Opera House?".

There is a version of this game that eliminates players. I tend not to play elimination games as I want children to get the full benefits of playing games, and I find that children who are eliminated, get bored and fidgety and can require behaviour management, and I don't think that sitting down and waiting is teaching them anything positive.
But if you do want to eliminate players (you could use this as a way of sending children to wash their hands before mealtimes), have one person in the middle, with their eyes shut or blindfolded. Children go to a destination of their choosing. The person in the middle calls out a destination, and everyone standing at that destination is out and they can go wash their hands. The remaining children run to another destination (or stay where they are if they wish), and the person in the middle calls out another destination. All children at that destination are now out and can go wash their hands. Repeat until everyone or nearly everyone is out.

You can adapt this game to a Space theme and have planets up on the wall for children to run to, if your children are interested in Space.

Going on a Bear Hunt

I made up this game when the children were showing lots of interest in the book 'We're going on a bear hunt'. I have also got a NZ version of this book, called 'We're going on a Moa Hunt'. I printed off a picture of a bear and a moa, and laminated them. The children face a wall and count to 30 while I hide the bear (or moa, depending on which game the children choose). Then they go off and look for the bear. The first child to find it then hides it while everyone else counts to 30. 

My Lovely Lycra / Ball bounce game

You will need a large piece of stretchy fabric and a ball for this game. Children stand in a circle and all take hold of the fabric.
This song helps to guide and direct children's movements: (Tune - The wheels on the bus)
My lovely Lycra goes up and down.        (raise the Lycra up high and down low)
Up and down
Up and down
My lovely Lycra goes up and down
Up and down

My lovely Lycra goes in and out.      (Walk in towards the middle of the circle and back out again)
In and out
In and out
My lovely Lycra goes in and out
In and out

My lovely Lycra goes side to side.    (move arms from one side to the other)
Side to side
Side to side
My lovely Lycra goes side to side
Side to side

My lovely Lycra goes wobble wobble wobble
Wobble wobble wobble
Wobble wobble wobble
My lovely Lycra goes wobble wobble wobble
Wobble wobble wobble

Add other movements to make up more verses, such as Shake, shake, shake; slow, slow, slow; round and round (walk around in a circle)

Put a ball into the fabric and move the fabric up and down to bounce the ball. Try not to let the ball roll off. You could try this with balloons, lots of little balls, or 1 or more bigger balls.

Number Swat

You will need two fly swats, and numbers along the wall.  Two children have a turn at a time, while the other children sit on the mat (you might like to separate the children into two teams). Mark out a starting line for children to stand behind (or you might use a small mat for children to stand on). Call out a number. The two children race each other to the wall and try to hit the correct number with the fly swat. They run back to their starting point, and then it's two other children's turn. For children who are really good with number identification, you could challenge them by saying "The number after...", or "The number before..." Or "The number in between...".
You can do this game with anything... Shapes, colours, letters of the alphabet, animals, forms of transport, etc.
Children love using the fly swat to hit the numbers (or whatever you are using) with.
You could slow children down by putting a large stretchy hair-band around their ankles  - helps develop strength in their legs; or put children in two teams of two and they do a three legged race to the wall (use the stretchy hairbands to connect the two children's legs together).

Give Us A Clue

You can use anything for this game - a box of simple pictures, a basket of items such as a pencil, food from the family corner, toy animals, trucks, etc. If your children have a particular interest, you might like to use relevant pictures, such as African animals if children are interested in animals, or a variety of vehicles if children are into transport.
I give out clues - eg, it has 4 wheels; it has a siren; it drives on the road; it helps in an emergency; it takes people to hospital - yes, it is an ambulance!
Children need to use quiet hands (not shouting out) to give other children a chance to think.

Who Is Hiding?

This is similar to the musical freeze game. Children dance around to music. When the music stops, children drop to the floor and curl up into a 'Turtle'. Cover one child with a blanket. You might like to sing "Who is hiding? Who is hiding? Who can it be? Who can it be? I wonder who it is, I wonder who it is, who can it be?" (Tune - Frere Jacques). Children get up and try to guess who is under the blanket.

Kim's Game (Memory Game)

Choose a variety of objects, eg scissors, pencil, a toy tiger, a toy car, a cup, pretend food from the family corner, etc. Lay them out on the floor and get the children to say what they are. Then cover them up. Get children to remember as many as they can. I write down their answers so we can see what has been mentioned.  Take one item away and uncover the objects - which one is missing? Repeat with a different item missing.

I Spy

I play this game to encourage creative thinking.  I might say "I spy... something with four sides - GO!" and children go off and look for something with 4 sides and bring it back to the mat. It is good to compare and see all the different things that have been found with 4 sides (and yes, there will always be someone holding up a round plate!).

Some things you might say:

"I Spy... something green"

"I Spy... something round"

"I Spy... something long"

"I Spy... something made from trees"

Guess Who?

Children sit down in on the mat (in a circle is best). One child is put in the middle, blindfolded, and they find a child and sit down on their lap.  Second child says "Oink! Oink!" Blindfolded child has to guess who they are sitting on.

Traffic Light Game

This is a movement game that requires listening.
Green Light = you can move freely around the room
Orange Light = you have to do the movement on the spot
Red Light = Freeze.
Decide on a movement, and call out the colour Traffic Light, eg "Green Light, stomping".
I generally choose the first movement and get the children to offer suggestions for other movement ideas - eg walking, hopping, jumping, marching, skipping, rolling, swinging arms, star jumps, crawling, creeping, stamping, tip toe, ballet, galloping, criss-cross.

Circle Games

Fruit Salad

Everyone sits on a chair in a circle, facing inwards.  Children are allocated a fruit/number/item (you might choose to have 3-4 different items, depending on the number of children). The teacher calls out a fruit/number/item, and all those children jump up and switch places.  You can increase the intensity by calling out 2 items at the same time, or by yelling out "Fruit Bowl!" in which everyone jumps up and has to switch places.

You could take one chair away, which leaves one person out, who I then make the caller.  However, I have noticed that children want to be the caller, and they will stand in the middle and refuse to sit down because they want to be the last, so I have stopped doing this.

This game is easy to adapt for Christmas - I allocate children to be either Santa, Elf, or Reindeer, and if I call out "Christmas Eve", everyone jumps up and switches.

Another variation I do to help support alphabet recognition, is using children's names, and I call out 3 letters of the alphabet.  If a child has one of those letters in their name, they have to run and switch places. To help support children with this, I give them their name in writing, so they can see the letters in their name.

Beanbag Rush

I made this game up one afternoon when energy in the class felt low and I wanted to get everyone moving (This is one of the games I think I have made up but I probably knew it from years ago).  Everyone stands in a circle.  Allocate numbers 1,2,3 to children.  Put some beanbags in the middle of the circle. Call out a number (eg. 1).  All the number 1's run into the middle and try to get a beanbag.  Some will get a beanbag, some might miss out.  Chuck the beanbags back into the middle and call out another number (or the same number, just to be tricky and see who is listening!). It is awesome when a child who has previously missed out on getting a beanbag, manages to get a beanbag! They feel very pleased with themselves when they get it.

Variations: If you have beanbags with the letters of the alphabet on them, you could put them in the middle and call out a letter.  If a child's name starts with that letter, they rush in and try to get that beanbag.  If you don't have beanbags with letters on, you could probably use cards with letters of the alphabet written on them instead.

If you have different coloured beanbags, you could call out a colour and all children wearing that colour could run in and try to get that colour beanbag. (Coloured balls would work as well).

Poison Alphabet

I don't know how this game got it's name, but children really enjoy it. Children line up along a line.  The caller calls out a letter of the alphabet.  If a child has that letter in their name, they take a step forward.  If that letter occurs twice in their name, they take 2 steps (and if it occurs 3 times, they take 3 steps).  The first to reach the other end of the room wins.

Cat and Mouse

This is a game I learnt at school in England.  One child is chosen to be Mouse, another child is chosen to be Cat.   The rest of the children stand in a circle, making sure there is space between each child for someone to pass through.  Children hold hands and lift their arms, making arches.

The Cat has to try to catch the Mouse. The cat and mouse chase each other around the outside of the circle.  The mouse is allowed to go through the arches in the circle, but the cat is not.  If the cat tries to get through the arch, the children bring their hands down to stop him. Cat has to use speed and cunning (switching directions) to try and get the mouse.

Little Johnny All Alone

Children sit in a circle. One person is in the middle.

Everyone sings, "Little Johnny (use child's name) sitting all alone, he's crying, crying, because he's on his own.  Stand up Johnny, wipe your tears away, point to the one you love the most and then dance away".

Johnny points to a child, who then gets up and joins Johnny in the circle. They dance around in the middle while everyone sings, "La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la, la, la".

Johnny then joins the circle while the next person sits down in the middle.

Get The Keys to the Castle

This is a quiet game that develops listening and body control.

Everyone sits in a large circle.  The Taniwha (or Dragon) sits in the middle, either blindfolded or crouching down on hands and knees, with eyes closed.  The taniwha is guarding a set of keys (I use my car-keys) which are on the floor next to him.
One child is chosen to get the keys.  The child has to creep as quietly as possible to get to the keys without being heard.  The Taniwha has to listen carefully and point to the direction he thinks the sound is coming from.  If the Taniwha points at the child, the child has been turned to stone and the game starts over with a new child trying to steal the keys.  If the child manages to get to the keys without the Taniwha pointing at him, he then becomes the Taniwha and the game starts over.

Charlie Over The Ocean

This is a musical game, similar to Duck, Duck, Goose.  Everyone stands in a circle.  Make sure there is space around the outside for running.  One person is Charlie, who skips around the outside of the circle as they sing.  This is an echo song, so Charlie sings the first line and everyone else repeats.
"Charlie over the ocean (Charlie over the ocean)
Charlie over the sea (Charlie over the sea)
Charlie caught a big fish (Charlie caught a big fish)
You can't catch me!" (You can't catch me!)"
At this point, Charlie stops, tags the person he is standing behind, and runs off around the circle to try to get back to the child's spot without being caught.  The person tagged has to chase Charlie around the circle and try to catch him.

Who Stole The Cookie From The Cookie Jar

Everyone sits in a circle.  This is a rhythmic clapping game. Clap hands and then pat knees in time with the words.
Everyone: "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"
First caller: "David stole the cookie from the cookie jar!"
David: "Who, me?"
Everyone: "Yes, you!"
David: "Couldn't have been!"
Everyone: "Then who?"
David: "Jane stole the cookie from the cookie jar"
Each person chooses a new person who they accuse of stealing the cookie.

 

Marbles

I love playing this game at the end of the day.  Children sit in a large circle, spread out.  I give them 3 marbles each. Put one marble in the middle.  Children take turns to go round the circle and roll their marble into the middle to try to hit another marble.  If they hit a marble, they get both their marble and the marble they hit, back.  If they hit 2 marbles, they get their own marble and the 2 that they hit.

 

If children run out of marbles, they sit and wait and can't go.  If a child rolls their marble and it isn't their turn, then they have just lost that marble and they will run out of marbles quicker than the rest.  We keep going until it has gone on long enough, and then we count out our marbles, see who has the most/same/least, put them all in the middle, and get 3 each again. 

Marbles is great for developing eye-tracking (which is needed for reading), learning about control and force, as wells as turn-taking, patience, and counting.

The Hoppy Birds

I learnt this game at the Rudolf Steiner school in Tauranga, when I was on placement there. I have played this with 3 1/2 year olds up to 6 year olds, and they love it.  Children will need to take their shoes off to play.

Set-up: Children stand in a large circle (try and make it as large as possible).  Give each children a small mat or something for their 'nest'.  On a mat in the middle of the circle, put a pile of marbles.

The children are a special type of bird called a 'Hoppy Bird'. These birds can only hop on one leg. A wicked witch has stolen all of the hoppy birds eggs, and the hoppy birds have to try and get them back while the witch has gone out.  The hoppy birds have to hop on one leg, from their nest to the witches nest in the middle of the room, pick up an 'egg' (marble) with their toes, and hop back to their nest where they put it down in their nest.  Then they hop back and do it all again.
Children can only take 1 marble at a time.
If lots of children want to play, you could give them partners for easier management of the game. One partner at a time only is allowed to go and get a marble while the other guards the nest.  When the first partner has come back to the nest, the other one can go and get a marble.  I police this by picking up all the marbles of unguarded nests and putting them back into the middle.
When all the marbles have gone, children count how many marbles they have got.

Roll The Ball

You will need a ball to play this game - preferably a big one or at least football sized. Children sit in a circle. Start by calling out a name of a child and rolling the ball to them. They then call someone else's name and roll the ball to them. Continue calling names and rolling the ball to each other.

Musical Balls

You will need 2-3-4 balls (or beanbags), depending on how many children are in the circle. Children sit in a large circle.  While the music is playing, children pass the balls around to their neighbours in a circle. When the music stops, the children holding the balls must run and swap places with each other.

Other games that we play (which are so well known that I don't need to describe them) are:
Musical Chairs
Musical statues
Duck duck goose
Doggy doggy where's your bone

Small Group Games

Card Games

The children in my class have become very interested in playing card games. They are great for number recognition, sequencing, and ordination.  Below are a few of the games that we have been enjoying.

War

There is a card game called War (I call it Knights and Dragons), which the children love.  I have got a pack of cards with pictures of knights and dragons on but you can use a normal deck of playing cards and take out the picture cards.

This game is really only for 2 people, but you can play with more - it just then makes the game longer,

Deal out the pack of cards between players.  

Keep the cards face down in front of you.

On "1,2,3,Go!", players turn over one card.

The person with the highest number wins and takes both cards.

If the cards are the same number, then 'War' begins:  

Players turn over another card and place on top of the one already turned over.  Whoever has the highest number wins all the cards.
Players keep turning over cards until someone has a higher card than their opponent. The player with the highest number wins all the cards.

Sevens

We used to play this game as a family, around the table on Sunday evenings.  It is a great game for reinforcing before/after numbers.  

Deal out 7 cards to each player.

The remainder of the cards is put on the table as the 'pick-up pack'.

Players check their cards. Anyone who has a number 7 can put it down on the table, face up.

Players are to put down subsequent numbered cards to make a suit from Ace to King. Depending on the ages of the players, you might set rules such as red-black-red-black. 

If a player can't go, they pick up.  

First person to finish their cards, wins.  

Memory

Lay out the whole pack of cards (you can include jokers too, as long as you have both of them) face down over the table or floor.  Players take turns turning over two cards at a time.  If the cards match, the player keeps the pair and has another turn.  If the cards do not match, turn the cards back over face down and the next player has a turn.  The player with the most matching pairs wins.

Outside Games

Jack Frost (or Frozen)

I made up this game of tag in winter last year.  We had Jack Frost and the Sun, but you could adapt this and use Elsa and the Sun.  I made a blue crown and a yellow crown out of felt - Jack Frost wore the pale blue crown, and the Sun wore the yellow crown.

How to play:

Number of players: 5+ (the more, the better!)

Jack Frost runs around and tries to tag players and says "Freeze!" when he gets someone.

When tagged, a player turns to a frozen statue, with arms outstretched.

The sun runs around and untags players, saying "Defrosted!"

The defrosted player is then able to run around again.

This game allowed me to include a child with Cerebral Palsy, as he was the Sun - it did not matter that he could not run, because he didn't have to chase anyone. He could walk at his own pace to the frozen statues. It was a really lovely way of including children with a disability and allowing them to be an important part of the game.

Ninja Tag

This has to be one of my most brilliant ideas ever - SILENT tag! LMAO!!!  I came up with this idea during our Superheroes theme and the children were playing tag outside while the young children were trying to sleep. After numerous reminders of using quiet voices, I suggested being Ninjas, and ninjas are SILENT - they don't make any noise!  So this game is just like Tag, but silent!

The only problem is identifying who the tagger is - so you might like to give them a balaclava or a black beanie to wear, which gets given to whoever is the tagger.

Steal The Giant's Treasure

Number of people: 4+

How to play:

One person is the Giant, and stands with his back to everyone else (usually by a wall).

The giant has a beanbag (or whatever) on the ground behind him, as his treasure.

The starting line is marked where the children wait before starting.  Then they creep up to where the Giant is.

The Giant can turn around whenever he wants to.

When the Giant turns around, everyone has to freeze completely still.  If the Giant spots someone moving, he calls their name and they go back to the beginning.

The first person to get the beanbag becomes the next Giant.

I have adapted this many times to fit our current interest - it could be a Dragons Treasure, Dinosaur Egg, Super-heroes on their way to save the day (the baddie is the one who stands with his back to everyone), Tuatara and the flies, etc etc.

Click on the link for more of my teaching resources