Space Rocket Games

Coloring Games

• Print rocket-themed coloring pages and have the children color the pictures using crayons or markers. Award a small prize to the best pictures. You can also allow the children to use paint to color the picture. For another contest, print a picture of a space rocket to hang on the wall as a guide. Have the children try to freehand a space rocket. Award prizes to the best, most creative and most realistic-looking rockets.

Painting Contests

• Purchase ceramic rockets from your local craft store or online. Give one to each child and have him paint the rocket using acrylic paint. Award prizes to the best rockets. For a variation, give the children a specific theme, such as holidays or sport teams. If you say holiday, the children must paint the rocket in their favorite holiday's theme colors. If you say sports team, they must paint the rocket with their favorite sport team's colors and logo. You can also allow the children to freehand a rocket on construction paper using the acrylic paints to see who can draw a space rocket the best.

Easy Games

• For an easy game, have all the children sit in a circle and hand one child a large plush space rocket. Play music and tell the children to pass the rocket around the circle. When the music stops, the child holding the rocket is out of the game. Each time the music stops eliminate the player holding the rocket. The last player remaining in the game wins the plush rocket. Try a rocket search game by hiding several plastic toy rockets around the play area. Have the children hunt for the rockets. Aside from keeping the rockets they find, the child who finds the most rockets wins an additional prize.

Tossing Games

• Draw stars on a dark-colored poster board to resemble outer space. Tape the poster board to the bottom of a cardboard box and cut a hole in the middle. Mark a line 10 feet from the box and have the children try to toss plastic toy rockets into "outer space." Award a small prize to each child who makes a rocket in the hole. For a variation, hang hula-hoops from a tree or clothesline outdoors and have the children toss foam rockets through the hoops.