Here are some of our favourite children’s games that you can play with your family!
Freeze Tag
Anonymous
This is a variation of Tag (see description below) where if the person who is “it” tags someone, they have to freeze where they are. Another participant can tag them to unfreeze them.
Hide and Seek
Anonymous
This is a popular children’s game in which one player closes his or her eyes for a brief period (often counting to 10 or 100) while the other players hide. The seeker then opens his/her eyes and tries to find the hiders; the first one found is the next seeker.
A variation is that one person goes to hide while all the young children close their eyes, face a corner, and count to 10 with the help of an adult. The seekers then look for the hider. The child who finds the hidden child becomes the next hider.
Hopscotch
Anonymous
Hopscotch is a fun playground or indoor game in which players toss a rock, bean bag or other small object into numbered rectangles outlined with chalk or tape on the ground. They then hop or jump through the spaces with one foot on the single rectangles or two on the rectangles that are side by side, skipping the rectangle the rock landed on. At the top, they turn around, hop onto the rectangles, and retrieve the object on the way back.
Older children can be challenged by throwing their own object sequentially through the numbers on their turns and skipping not only their own, but the other’s objects on other rectangles. If they land on someone else’s rectangle or don’t get their object on the next sequential number, they lose that turn and start again.
I Have a Little Pony
Anonymous
I have a little pony
I feed her (him) oats and hay
I open up the stable door
And let her (him) out to play
S/he gallops here, s/he gallops there
Gallops, gallops everywhere
Never stopping until I say “Whoa” my pony “Whoa”
(Hold out hands to simulate riding on a pony or pretend to hold a basket of “hay” to feed the child acting as the pony)
Parachute Games
Anonymous
This game involves a large round parachute, preferably with handles, with children/adults holding the parachute all around the edges. Players can just ruffle the parachute up and down a little bit, they can go all the way up and all the way down, or all the way up and then run underneath. After throwing up the parachute altogether, they can sit on the edge of the parachute or hold the edges down, which can create a bubble of air underneath. Players can also place light objects such as balls or beanbags on top of the parachute, and make them jump by ruffling the parachute. It’s a challenge to keep the ball on the parachute as it moves toward the edges where it may fall down an edge that’s not supported enough. An adult can call a child to run underneath as everyone else quickly raises the parachute. Older children can be called in pairs to run underneath and switch places around the parachute.
Red Light, Green Light
Anonymous
This is a fun and active children’s game with many variations once the children get familiar with it.
To play, choose a traffic officer and have the rest of the children go to a starting point/line. When the officer yells, “Green light,” the kids will run forward. When the officer yells, “Red light,” the kids must immediately freeze. Anyone found moving on “red light” will be sent back to the starting point. This will continue until the first child reaches the officer.
Variations:
-Have the officer face away from the other players
-Have the officer face the other players
-Add a “Yellow light” for the children to move slowly
-Choose varying forms of movement such as skipping, hopping, crawling, crab walking, or walking backwards
-For older children, have multiple “red lights” in a row
Red Rover
Anonymous
Two teams with an equal number of players line up opposite each other, no more than 30 feet apart. The first team agrees to call one player from the opposite team, and chants, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send (player’s name) on over!” The person called runs to the other line and attempts to break the chain (formed by the linking of hands). If the person called fails to break the chain, this player joins the team that called Red Rover. But, if the player successfully breaks the chain, s/he may capture either of the two players whose link was broken by the dash, and bring them back to his/her original team. Teams take turns calling out Red Rover and challenging a player on the opposing team.
The objective of the game is to end with the most players on one team by maintaining the integrity of the chain. The game ends when all the players end up on one side.
Caution:
Players holding on too tightly might cause injury to players in the chain-links or to the runner, so be careful!
Shadow Tag
Anonymous
In this fun version of Tag (see description below), the children tag each other’s shadow with their feet instead of tagging their body. It should be played on a sunny day when shadows can be seen. The closer to noon, the greater the difficulty.
Simon Says
Anonymous
This is a great game for getting a preschool or older child to listen carefully before they respond. When they know the rules, it will be fun to play it with other children, perhaps at a party.
1. Get your child or children to stand facing you.
2. Tell them that they should carry out your orders only if you first say the words“Simon Says”.
3. Tell them that they are not to follow an order that doesn’t begin with “Simon says,” and they should do what Simon says they should do each time.
4. Begin by saying something like “Simon says, put your finger on your nose.”
5. Then check to see if everyone has put their finger on their nose.
6. Give another order such as, “Simon says, stand on one foot.” Check again.
7. Continue giving orders. Mix it up and say something like “Raise your right hand,” without saying “Simon says” first.
8. If someone puts up their right hand when Simon didn’t say, then they step away from the game.
9. Play until one person is left.
10. Let that person give the Simon commands for the next round.
Tag
Anonymous
A group of children decides who will start out as being “it.” That person chases the other people around, trying to tag one of them with their hand. The newly tagged person is now “it.” There is often the rule of “no tag-backs” where you can’t tag the person who just tagged you. The game ends when everyone is tired of playing. Children may need to be reminded to only touch the other person, and to be careful to not knock anyone over.
What time is it Mr Wolf?
Anonymous
One child is chosen to be Mr (Ms) Wolf, who then stands at one end of the playing area.
The other players stand in a line at the other end.
Mr Wolf turns his back to commence play.
The players call out, “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” and Mr Wolf turns and answers with a time (i.e. 3 o’clock).
S/he then turns his/her back again while the children advance again chanting “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” To which Mr Wolf will continue to respond until the players come very close.
Once the line of players is close to Mr Wolf, s/he can respond to the chant with “It’s dinner time!” at which point, s/he will chase the players back to the starting line with the aim to catch one of them, who will then become Mr Wolf for the next round of the game.
