HT Games
Plan Before Playing
Young children are used to playing individually and many are just learning about cooperation and team skills. Before playing interactive games with preschoolers, take time to make sure the games you've selected provide interaction, encourage team building skills and teach fair play. Mix the games up so that the children experience different types of interaction. You'll have to keep rules simple and explain them in detail before playing each game. By planning ahead you'll be able to look out for children who take too many turns as well as shy children who might be uncomfortable participating.
Team Games
Encourage new concepts like team-building by playing games that require children to work as a team. A game called "Dress the Mummy" involves teams of two or more players. One player will be the mummy. Give each team two rolls of toilet paper and five minutes to wrap their mummy from head to toe. "Charades" is another team game that young children will enjoy. Animal charades is an easier version for younger ages. Place several stuffed animals in a bag. You can use plastic animal figurines as well. The first child selects an animal without letting the rest of children see what it is. Then he acts out the animal. If the team does not guess after a predetermined time period (one minute is usually good), the other team gets to take a guess.
Indoor Games
On rainy or cold days you can't take children outside to play. "I Spy" is ideal for playing inside or outside. This game can be played in teams or as a group. To play the team version, divide children into teams of about four players. Each team member gets a turn to guess and if one guesses correctly, the team earns a point. If not, the other team has the opportunity to guess and steal the point. In a group, the first child to guess correctly is the next person to spy. "Duck, Duck, Goose" and "Red Light, Green Light" are also interactive games for young children to play indoors.
Partner Games
Because young children are learning to work with others, partner games are ideal because they ease children into the process of sharing ideas and skills. Memory games are typically played individually but can be modified to allow for partners. For example, divide children into pairs and pass around a tray filled with favorite foods. Make a list of items on the tray as well as items that are not on the tray and give one to each team. For preschoolers use pictures for your list with the words below. Remove the tray and ask teams to circle what they remember seeing. Three-legged races are another partner game that young children will enjoy.