Question:

games

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

To play, one person is chosen to be the traffic cop.
All the players stand on the starting line and the traffic cop has his back to the rest of the players.
When he says "green light," players try to run to the finish line.
When the traffic cop says "red light," he turns around and players have to stop in their tracks.
If the traffic cop catches a player moving, he sends them back to the starting line.
First person to cross the finish line wins and becomes the new traffic cop.

HIDE AND SEEK

First you pick someone to be it (the person to seek) then he/she turns around and counts with their eyes closed at the "base" while the rest of the people hide. Then "It" says "Ready or Not, Here I Come" and rushes to find everyone. Then the people try to get to base without getting tagged or else they are "It".
If the person who is "It" doesn't get someone in three tries he gets to pick a kid to be it!

JUMP JIM JOE

This game can be played either with the whole group doing actions of the song or begin with one child in the center, s/he chooses a partner, then those children will each choose a new partner; continuing until all the children are in the circle.
Jump, Jump, Jump Jim Joe
Jump, Jump, Jump Jim Joe
Now nod your head and shake head and tap, tap, tap your toe.
Turn around and around and around you go
And now you Jump Jim Joe!

GAMES INTRODUCTION

There are games for everybody, games to suit our every mood. Silly games, thinking games, games of chance, games of skill, word games, memory games, matching games, trivia games, group games and solitary games...and each has its own merits.

Good games help to impart the skills of co-operation, competition, strategy and sportsmanship. They are useful as a pleasurable activity to exercise matching colors and shapes, counting spaces, memory, reasoning and planning ahead, as well as attention to detail. They also help a child understand that rules are necessary and helpful. Many games encourage group play and provide experience in winning and losing.

A growing number of co-operative games are available on the market. Parents may wish to consider these games for variety or as an alternative especially suitable for young players just learning to enjoy game play. You can adapt the rules of many games for preschoolers to a co-operative approach.

When selecting a game for a child or group of children, remember that it should be fun to play, yet challenging enough to be intriguing for the intended age group. Rules should be clear and easy to follow. Don't be afraid to establish house rules to accommodate younger or less skilled players, or shorter playing time. The game board should be durable and uncluttered, and the playing pieces should be of a suitable size and weight. Fad games based on the latest popular licensed characters rarely have any lasting interest. On the other hand, a well-conceived game may become a classic and be enjoyed for years to come.

RING TOSS

Recommended for ages 5 to 10.
Game can be made easier or more difficult for different age groups.

Props:
Plastic Embroidery hoops
Large plastic lids - (cut out the center, leaving just the outside ring)
Number of small items (small enough to fit easily in the circle hoop). (You could even use small wrapped or unwrapped prizes (box of crayons, small Lego kit, candy or treats).

Directions:
Find a starting point for the children to stand. (Distance will depend on the age of the children). Items can either be scattered or in a straight line.
Give each child 2-3 rings to toss.

MEMORY

Recommended for ages 8 and up. (although younger children, ages 4 - 6 can play with only 5 - 10 items).
Have the children test their memory skills on this game.
Give each child a piece of paper and a pencil.
Bring out a large covered (use a towel) tray with 15-20 items on it.
Remove the cover, and let the children view the items on the tray for 1 minute.
Then take the tray out of the room.
Give everyone 5 minutes to write as much as they can remember from the tray.
The child with the most correct items on their list wins.

Ideas of items to use: candle, bow, ribbon, dice, spoon, invitation, pencil, ruler, Band-Aid, pen, balloon, marker, paper clip, rubber band, stapler, TV remote, calculator, monopoly piece, paper airplane, any small toys ...
You can use items from the theme of the party:
Summer - sunglasses, lotion, goggles.
Beanie Baby Party - different beanie baby toys.
Sports - different sports cards with well-known players.

DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

In this game, kids sit down in a circle facing each other. One person is "it" and walks around the circle. As they walk around, they tap people's heads and say whether they are a "duck" or a "goose".
Once someone is the "goose" they get up and try to chase "it" around the circle. The goal is to tap that person before they are able sit down in the "goose's" spot. If the goose is not able to do this, they become "it" for the next round and play continues. If they do tap the "it" person, the person tagged has to sit in the center of the circle. Then the goose become it for the next round. The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Props:
Chairs (try small chair pads, hand towels, place mats, or paper bags).
Tape player or radio.

Directions:
Put out enough chairs for all the players less one. The children dance and move about as the music plays, and when it stops they scramble for a chair. After each round, the player that did not find a chair must sit out.
A chair is removed until finally there is just one left.

BUCKET TOSS

Recommended for ages 6 and up.

Props:
5 Buckets/bowls (can become smaller and the prize more valuable as they get farther away).
Bean bag (A small sock, partially filled with dry beans and tied with a rubber band can be used for the bean bag).

Directions:
Set up 5 buckets in a straight line, one behind the other, about 2-ft. apart.
Put different candies or other small treats in each of the buckets.
Start the line about two feet in front of the first bucket and have a player toss a beanbag into the first bucket.
If he/she misses they go to the end of the line.
If they make the bucket, they select a prize from the bucket and try for the next one and so on.

SPOON RACE

Recommended for ages 6 and up.

Props:
Table spoons
Hard-boiled or plastic Easter Eggs (fill with a treat for after the game). You could use cotton balls.

Directions:
The goal here is to run from a starting point to a finishing line with an egg on a spoon
The distance will depend on the age of the children, and the space available.
If the egg is dropped, the child has to start again from the beginning.
You can make this game either a competition between teams, an individual timed race on an obstacle course, or just see who can make it the farthest without dropping their egg.

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

In this game, one person plays the "stop light" and the rest try to touch him/her.

At the start, all the children form a line about 15 feet away from the stop light.

The stop light faces away from the line of kids and says "green light". At this point the kids are allowed to move towards the stoplight.

At any point, the stop light may say "red light!" and turn around. If any of the kids are caught moving after this has occurred, they are out.

Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and says "green light".

The stop light wins if all the kids are out before anyone is able to touch him/her.

Otherwise, the first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be "stop light" for the next game.

THE WORM SQUIRM

The Worm Squirm... Great for a pajama or bug theme party! This is just an obstacle course made of pillows, boxes etc, the trick is this... you have to squirm like a worm on your belly to complete the obstacle course.

GUESSING GAMES

A favorite in school fairs!

Props:
Using the party's theme, select items to put in a jar. (jelly beans erasers, macaroni)
Count the items ahead of time so you know how many are in the jar.

Directions:
Let the children guess how many items are in the jar. The closest guess wins.

Sample themes:
Pirate - Guess the gold coins in the chest.
Princess - Guess the pearls in the jewel box.
Dinosaur - Guess the eggs (jelly beans) in the jar.
Sports - Guess the baseball cards in the box.
Birthday - Guess the candles in the jar.

HALLOWEEN RING TOSS

In a Halloween version of ring toss, kids stand on a line and try to toss a hula hoop around pumpkins painted with numbers (the higher numbers are further away from the starting line). Three tries for each child. The highest score wins.

MARBLES

A relatively smooth playing field is required, usually on dirt. A small hole is made in the center of the playing
area.

Each player antes up a marble, and they are randomly scattered around the playing field.

Each player uses a large marble (called a shooter) to try to knock the other marbles into the hole (much like
pool)

Players take turns shooting, and if a player knocks a marble into the hole with his/her shot, they get to keep the
marble they knocked in and shoot again.

One variation is called "agate up" in which all the marbles donated must be agates. Agates a rarer and thus
more valuable type of marble.

SCARECROW CONTEST

Divide the kids into three or four groups. Have six or eight different old shirts, jeans, hats, bandannas and other accessories in a pile. Give groups 15 minutes to assemble their own scarecrow. Stuff with old newspapers or hay. Make the face from a blank pillowcase and markers. Prizes for the scariest, funniest, most authentic and the most likely to scare away crows.

WATER DOGGIE RACING

(For youngsters that can swim the dog paddle)
Line up the kids on the edge of the pool. On go they jump in and all dog paddle to the other side, get out and bark 3 times. First one to finish wins.

CUPCAKE WALK

You will need a cupcake for each child.
Numbers taped to the floor
Basket to hold number call cards
Music
How To Play: When the music starts the children begin to walk around the room stepping on each of the numbers as they go. When the music stops the children should step on the number closest to them. A number is pulled from the bag and the child standing on that number gets to choose a cupcake and sits out to eat their cupcake. That number is then removed from the floor and the bag. Continue until every child has a cupcake.

DRESS - UP RELAY RACE

Recommended for ages 6 and up.

Props:
Any old clothes (2 sets) - men's button shirt, pants & belt, hard hat, tool belt, T-shirt, gown or dress, hat, heels make sure the 2 sets are the same. (As in the same # of pieces).

Directions:
Divide the group into two teams.
Have a child from each team run from one point to another, and put on a set of clothes.
When dressed they run back and take it all off so the next child can put it on.
The team to finish first wins.

DETECTIVE- A GAME OF IMAGINATION

Hide an object somewhere in your home so that your child does not know where it is. The object can be anything, but it would be fun to use play money or a container of costume jewelry to make it seem like something valuable. Then make your child the detective in charge of finding the stolen money or jewels or whatever. Leave clues around the house for the child to find, if your child can read, or give oral clues if your he/she can't. A variation on this game is to make it a "treasure hunt" where the child has to hunt for missing treasure that you've hidden somewhere in the house or the yard.
Contributed by Jennifer Spieler

A TRIP TO THE SUPERMARKET- A GAME OF IMAGINATION

No need to buy those grocery store sets! To get ready for this game, save empty boxes and cans from your own groceries, i.e. cereal boxes, canned goods, jars, cracker boxes, etc. You can even save empty laundry detergent containers and shampoo bottles. Make sure all the empties are clean and those items, like cans, have no sharp edges. In order to prevent boxes from getting squished and misshapen, try stuffing them with newspaper. Save paper or plastic bags from your regular shopping trips to "bag" the groceries after your child on his/her shopping trip.
Contributed by Jennifer Spieler

WATER BALLOON VOLLEY BALL

This is a great on a hot summer day! You will need a flat bed sheet or tablecloth per team, lots of water balloons and a net or rope.
Run the rope between trees if you do not have a net. Instruct each team member to hold onto his or her sheet. The balloon is put onto the sheet and the team tries to flip it over the net to the other team, who must catch it in their sheet and flip it back. If one team drops or misses, the other team gets the point.
Do not overfill the balloons or they will be too heavy to toss. You can also use foam balls or ping pong balls for this activity.

HOT POTATO

Everybody stands in a circle.
Pass a beanbag around circle to music.
When music stops person holding beanbag is out.
Pretend the beanbag is a very, very, very, HOT POTATO and pass it quickly so it doesn't burn your hands!

A DAY AT THE ZOO- A GAME OF IMAGINATION

This game assumes that your child has at least some stuffed animals. The stuffed animals become the zoo animals, and you set them up in their "cages." You can use the furniture for the different areas of the zoo--i.e., a couch could be the primate house, a chair could hold reptiles, etc. When I looked at my son's stuffed animals I found quite a few that would work for a zoo: giraffe, elephant, monkey, bear, panda, koala, seal, snake, rabbit, horse. With your child, you can either play "A Visit to the Zoo" or "Zookeeper." For "A Visit to the Zoo," you can take turns pretending to observe the animals in their "cages" while the other makes the animal move around or perform. If your child has already been to a real zoo, you can make this game a re-enactment of their visit there, with your child talking about what he/she saw. If your child has not been to a real zoo, you can use this game to talk about what a zoo is, what it is like, and perhaps plan a visit to one for a future date. For the "Zookeeper" game, you and your child can pretend to be the zookeepers and/or trainers who care for the animals. Once you play this game once with your child, he/she will be able to play it alone or with siblings/friends the next time around.
Contributed by Jennifer Spieler

MANCALA GAME

Mancala is a game that has been around for centuries. Forms of this game were played in ancient Africa and Asia. There are many different names, boards and rules of play for Mancala. . . but most are played on wooden boards with beads, stones or glass game pieces. Children in Africa would play by scooping holes in the dirt to create a game board.

This version is one that you can make with a Styrofoam egg carton, two applesauce (or pudding cups) and dried beans. Of course, you can use anything for game pieces, beads, pennies, or anything small and easy to scoop!

You will need 48 dried beans to start the game - 4 in each cup. Two people play at a time.

Set up:

Place the board between the two players so that the long sides face the players- and the two applesauce cups (Mancala cups) are on the right and left. You will have six cups of beans facing each player. Place 4 beans in each cup. Each player has a Mancala cup - which is the applesauce cup on their LEFT. This cup is where they put the beans they collect.

Object of the game:

Each player takes a turn and tries to collect as many beans as possible in their Mancala cup before the other player clears their side of the board.

How to play:

One player starts. In his or her turn, they pick up all of the beans from one cup on their side of the board- Then - going clockwise- they place one bean at a time in each cup- including their Mancala (collection cup) until they run out of beans.

FOR EXAMPLE:

If you go first and pick up all the beans in the cup on the far left- you would drop one bean in your Mancala (collection) cup and one bean each in the cups on the other side of the board. You must put one bean in each and every cup you pass over- EXCEPT for the opponent's Mancala cup. You just skip that cup.
If the last bean a player has drops into their Mancala cup, they get to go again! (Strategy here would tell you to start with the fourth cup from the left. . . which would let you drop your last bean into your Mancala. . . then you get another turn.

Also- in this version of the game, if you drop the last bean into a cup that already contains beans, you pick up all the beans in that cup and keep going. Your turn ends when you place the last bean into an empty cup! Then, it's the other players turn.

The game ends when one player has no more beans left in the cups on their side of the board. The player with the most beans in their Mancala cup wins!

SHADOW TAG

Take your child outside on a sunny day. Choose a child to be IT. Try to step on another child's shadow. When IT steps on another child's shadow, that child becomes the next IT.

DODGE BALL

Kids would form two teams. One team would form two lines facing each other. They had playground balls for ammunition (two balls is the norm.) The other team would scatter about between the lines of the first team.
The first team would then throw balls at team two. If a member of team two was hit below the shoulders, s/he was out and had to stand aside. If a player on team two caught the ball in the air (not after a bounce), s/he received a free "life" (ie-if s/he is hit again, s/he has used up a "life" and is not out.) A player may not receive more than three "lives." The fourth, fifth, etc. time a player catches the ball, s/he may bring players who were out, back into the game by calling a name. If and when all players of team two are out, the teams switch places.
VARIATION: If a player on the opposite team catches a ball you threw before it bounced, the thrower is 'out.'

BEGINNER SCAVENGER HUNT

Make a list of items you would like your child to find on a walk. Start by making a list made up of easy-to-find items like a leaf, pine cone, red car, or fire hydrant. Later they can increase in difficulty. Use clues like "find an item that is bigger than the refrigerator and is brown and green" for a tree, or "find all the (choose a color) items you can and list them". Go on the walk with the paper and mark of the items as your child finds them.

RED ROVER

In this game, the kids form two opposing lines and attempt to "break through" the opposing team's line.

At first, two teams are chosen of equal size, and they form two lines, facing each other and holding hands.

One side starts by picking a person on the opposing team and saying "Red Rover, Red Rover, send
right over"

Jason then lets go of his teammates and begins a headlong rush for the other line. His goal is to break through
the line by overpowering the kid's hold on eachother.

If Jason breaks through, he chooses one person for the opposing team to join his team, and they both go back
and join in their line.

If he fails to break through, Jason becomes part of the other team.

Each team alternates calling people over until one team has all the people and is declared the winner.

Note that since all the players are on the winning team at the end, there really are no losers in this game.

PIN THE ____ ON THE ___.

Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Be creative with this one.
Using your party or holiday theme, select two objects to work with. (One to pin on to and the other to pin).
Traditional - pin the tail on the donkey.
Spring - pin the bumblebee on the flower.
Dinosaur party theme - pin the dino egg to the dino nest.
Tea Party - Pin the cup on the saucer.
Winter - pin the carrot on the snowman. (where the nose goes!)
Birthday party- Pin the candles on the cake, pin the bow (use real bows) on the present (drawn on paper).
Halloween - Pin the candy into the Ghost's mouth.
Thanksgiving - Pin the tail on the Turkey.

Directions:
Taking turns blindfold the children one at a time and turn them around twice. Have them "pin" (tape) the object where it belongs on the poster. The child that comes the closest wins!