GAMES

1. Duck, Duck, Goose 

This kid-favorite is an excellent game for teaching strategic thinking. Participants sit in a circle, and one
child walks around the outside tapping each head in turn and saying “duck.” Eventually they pick one
child to be the “goose” and run around the circle to try to take that child’s place before the “goose”
catches them. If they reach the end without getting tagged, the “goose” returns to their own seat and the
original player continues around the circle.

As kids play this game more, they start thinking about how to pick a “goose” (such as someone who isn’t
paying attention) who will give them a better chance of getting back to their seats without getting tagged.
Duck, Duck, Goose teaches children to plan ahead and gives them immediate feedback on the quality of
their decisions.

2. Musical Chairs

This game helps teach kids to resolve arguments peacefully, deal with disappointment and practice
patience. Set chairs in a circle, one fewer than the number of children in the game, and then play music as
kids walk around the circle. Every time the music stops, children must try to sit on a chair. Kids who
don’t get a chair are out. Then remove a chair and begin again.

As a game of Musical Chairs progresses, children must learn to deal with the frustration of being out of
the game, therefore practicing patience and waiting graciously. They must also learn to use their words to
work out arguments about whose chair is whose or who got there “first." Be sure to have an adult on hand
specifically to ensure conflicts are settled peacefully and to help kids who are no longer in the game stay
cheerful.

3. Simon Says

Simon Says is an excellent game for helping kids learn to pay close attention to instructions, while also
giving them a taste of leadership. In Simon Says, one kid asks their peers to do silly actions by saying
“Simon says tap your head” or “Simon Says jump like monkeys.” Then the other kids will do the action—
but only as long as the leader adds “Simon says” to their instructions.

Kids who don’t pay attention quickly discover that if they don’t listen, they’ll be the only one doing the
silly action. That gives them extra motivation to listen closely to the entire set of instructions before
getting started.

4. Row Your Boat

Self-awareness is an important skill for children to develop as part of the learning process. That’s one of
the reasons we ask children to assess their own learning at Whitby. When children are small, this can start
with physical self-awareness. Knowing how to moderate one's body is a very useful skill that prepares
kids for later life. The game here is simple: pair children up facing one another with knees bent up in front
of them and holding hands. Instruct them to rock back and forth in time to the song “Row, Row, Row
Your Boat.” They’ll need to work together and keep an eye on their own movements at all times. It works
best to play this game with a CD or a song on YouTube, so you can incorporate a "freeze" element by
stopping music abruptly. This helps children focus on auditory cues and match their physical movements
to them.
5. Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek is a great game for teaching problem solving. In order to stay hidden for the longest
possible amount of time, children have to assess their options so they can pick the best possible hiding
spot. This builds spatial awareness, because kids must consider factors such as which hiding places will
offer the most cover from the most vantage points. As they gain experience with the game, kids will take
an even more in-depth assessment approach, thinking about which spots are frequently used during free
play and therefore most likely to be checked first.

6. Parachute Games

Playing with a parachute is a fun way for kids to learn teamwork. Kids stand around a circle, holding a
parachute (or large sheet) between them. When a ball or other object is placed on the parachute, kids toss
the ball up and down. Kids must move in sync or the ball will fall off the side of the parachute. If playing
with a big parachute, kids have to work together to keep multiple balls in play at the same time, or learn
how to throw the parachute up so one child can run underneath before the parachute falls.

7. Hopscotch

This classic sidewalk game is perfect for developing critical thinking skills. Kids draw the hopscotch
shape on the sidewalk, then take turns tossing a rock underhand at the hopscotch shape. They then must
navigate the hopscotch course while avoiding the square the rock landed on. Since it’s often difficult to
avoid the square with the rock while hopping on one foot, kids will need to plan ahead to find the best
“route” through the course.

8. Red Light, Green Light

Red Light, Green Light is great for teaching patience. After all, children don’t love to stand still. To play,
one kid stands facing away at the other side of the field. The goal is to be the first to touch that person,
without getting caught moving. When the person is facing away, that’s a green light and kids can move
toward them. When the leader turns around to face the group, that’s a red light, and kids must stop
moving. Anyone the leader catches still in motion has to go back to the starting line. To win at Red Light,
Green Light, kids need to rein in their impulse to run forward, instead choosing a pace where they can
stop instantly if the leader starts to turn. As they near the leader, they’ll also have to learn how to wait for
the exact right moment to rush forward. If they misjudge and go too soon, they’ll have to start over from
the beginning.

9. Sleeping Lions

It’s important for kids to learn how to stay focused despite distractions. Sleeping Lions is a fun way for
kids to learn this important life skill. During this preschool game, all the children lie down and pretend to
be asleep. Then one person walks among the group (without touching anyone, trying to convince kids into
reacting and opening their eyes. The last kid to still look like they’re “sleeping” is the winner.

Sleeping lions encourages kids to be silly as they try to wake up their peers. To stay “asleep,” kids have to
keep themselves focused on not moving a muscle—no matter how their peers try to distract them. That’s
extremely hard for young children to do, and the focusing they practice during Sleeping Lions will help a
child later on when they’re trying to learn in boisterous environments.

10. Freeze Dance

A classic game that’s not only fun, but helps kids develop self-regulation skills. Play a favorite song, the
kids have to “freeze” when the music is paused. Use a variety of musical styles and tempos to encourage
different types of dance and movement. Use your smartphone and a bluetooth speaker so you can pause
the music without tipping off the kids. Everybody loves playing freeze dance!
11. I Spy
I Spy and its variations are wonderful sensory games for young kids to get to know the world around
them. For a child who has never played, you can start by picking out a secret object within plain view and
saying, “I Spy something blue.” If there is only one child, then she can keep guessing until she gets it
right. If there are multiple children then they can take turns looking around and guessing. The first child
correct gets to spy something next. It is so versatile, you can take it anywhere.
12. Treasure Hunt with Clues
This indoor game usually gets all ages in our family involved. The younger ones often request their older
siblings to design a treasure hunt that will lead them around the house in search of some token prize
(usually fruit snacks). The challenging part is writing the clever clues that will lead the seekers from point
to point until the treasure is located. Adults can be involved and make this as simple as necessary for
younger kids to play if they cannot yet read. For instance, using picture clues instead of written clues.
13. The sleeping song
Here are the short lyrics "Sleeping, sleeping, all the children are sleeping. And when they woke up, they
were all ---." Fill in the blank with various animals, insects, or even inanimate objects and lets their
imaginations run wild. Kids love acting like cats, snakes and even robots or babies!

As soon as one thing has run its course, begin the song again in a quiet voice as the children stop and
pretend to sleep until the next thing is called. Keep cue cards for yourself, or let the kids be the "caller."
They can even help make the flashcards (ex. write "snake" on one side, and on the other draw a picture of
a snake). Keep the cards handy; they’ll want to play again and again.
14. Scavenger hunt
Take any theme, such as patterns, letters or colors and hunt around the house. Make it official with a
clipboard and check off items as you go. Crawl around, reach up high and get down low!
15. Four Corners
This classic game is still popular in today’s classrooms. It’s quite simple to play and even easier to teach.
All students have to do is walk to a corner and hope their number is not called. Here’s a simple
explanation of the rules.
Number the four corners in your room.
Choose one student to stand in the middle of the classroom and be “It.” They must close their eyes and
count down from ten loudly.
The person in the middle then chooses a number from 1-4, and whoever is the corner of the room that
they called must sit down in their seats.
16. Doggy Doggy, Where’s Your Bone?
This is a simple game of “Where is it?” One student is the “guesser” and goes outside of the classroom
while another student hides a fake dog bone under their “bottom” while they are sitting on the floor.
When the student re-enters the classroom, the students chant “Doggy, doggy, where’s your bone,
somebody took it from your home, guess who.” Then the student guesses which student is hiding it. Older
students can do this as the hot/cold game and just hide the bone somewhere in the classroom instead of
chanting the doggy song. Then the other students tell them if they are getting close (hot) or not (cold).
17. Musical Spaces
This is a twist on the game musical chairs. Push all of the classroom desks to the side and place large
circular stickers (ones that can easily be placed and re-placed on the floor) down onto the ground. Space
them out like you would a chair. Start the music and have students walk around the circles just like they
would if there was a chair there. But when the music stops they don’t sit on a chair, instead they stand on
a circle. The last person standing that is not on a circle sticker is out. Each time a person loses, a sticker is
removed from the ground. The game continues until only one person is left standing.
88. Art Day
If you notice that the forecast for tomorrow calls for frigid temperatures, then instruct students to bring in
a smock the following day. Take all of the art supplies that you can get your hands on, and let students’
imaginations run wild. Encourage them to make anything that their heart desires.
19. Mum Is the Word
Mum ball is a great game if you want students to have fun but in a quiet kind of manner. Have all students
sit on the top of their desks and give one student a soft ball. That student must point to another student to
throw the ball to. If the student misses the catch, they are out. If they catch it, it is now their turn to point
to a student and throw the ball. If the person throwing the ball doesn’t throw it well, they are out. The last
person sitting on the desk is the winner.
20. Yoga Poses
Yoga is the best, most relaxing way for your students to get their energy out while staying Zen. It’s
engaging but at the same time helps increase students’ energy and focus. Try GoNoodles version of it, or
try teaching students a few poses on your own. Many teachers swear by the benefits of it.