Turtle Games for Kids

Turtle Race

• Allow the children to pretend they're turtles by playing this racing game. Set up a starting line and a finish line in the yard, and situate all the players at the starting point in a horizontal line. Have each player put on a filled backpack (you can fill it with anything from lightweight books to newspaper) and crouch down on the ground. When you say "Go," all the turtles have to race to the finish line by crawling. The first turtle to make it to the finish line after crawling the whole way through the race wins the game.

Catch the Turtle

• See which players can spot the turtles by playing this turtle-themed party game. Begin by creating your pie pan turtles, as suggested by the Step-by-Step Childcare website. First, paint an empty pie pan green. Superglue a green pipe cleaner to one of the pan's sides to make the turtle tail. Then, cut out some turtle feet shapes out of brown construction paper. Staple four feet to the rim of the pan. Then, punch a hole through the side of the pan and loop a piece of green yarn around the rim. Place all of your turtles (however many you like) around the backyard. Have volunteers ready in the bushes to pull on the yarn to move the turtles forward. Line the players up at a starting point. Tell them some turtles have gotten loose and that they need to find them. When you say "Go," the kids all try and find the turtles. Once a child comes near the turtle, the volunteers pull the string and move the turtle away. The first child to capture a turtle wins the game.

Turtle Trivia

• Determine which player knows the most about turtles by playing this game. Before you begin, come up with several trivia questions to ask the players. Good questions include "Is a turtle a reptile or an amphibian?" and "Name something a turtle eats." Divide the children into two teams, and line them up before you. After you ask a question, the first players in line have to try and raise their hands before their opponent to answer first. If the player answers correctly, she gets a point for her team and moves to the back of the line. If not, the other player gets a chance at answering. If both do not answer correctly, they both head to the back of the line and you move on to the next question. Once you ask all the trivia questions, the team with the most points wins the game.