Fun Games for Kids of Five to Eight

Color Matching Bean Bag Toss

• This is a fun game that can be played indoors or outside. All you need are four tubs of different colors and bean bags in a larger bag. Place the colored tubs side by side 5 feet from a line or rope on the floor. Have the kids select a bean bag from a large bag and read the name of the color written on it. In order to score a point the child has to throw the bag into the correctly matching tub. Set a number of rounds, with each child getting to pick three bean bags per round. At the end of the game tally up the scores and find out who won.

Heads Up 7 Up

• This is a great game that can be played in many settings and is great for classrooms. Select seven children to start the game and stand at the front. All the other children should put their heads down, close their eyes and hold their thumbs up. When the adult says to start, the seven starting students will go around the room and tap on one of the students thumbs, which they will then put down. After all the students have chosen and gone back to the front of the room, the adult will say, "Heads up seven up." The seven students who were tapped attempt to guess who tapped them. If they guess correctly they exchange places with whomever tagged them and the game continues.

My Mother Owns a Grocery Store

• There are many games similar to this, but any scenario works. The first person says, "My mother owns a grocery store and she sells___" and then says an item that starts with an "A." The next person must say the same line, and all previous items, and then say a new item that starts with the next letter of the alphabet. This is a great game for car rides or long waits in line. It requires kids to use their imagination and can help with spelling.

Go Fish

• "Go Fish" is an easy card game that requires at least two players. Each player is dealt seven cards and tries to match up numerical pairs. Stack the remaining cards in the middle and choose a player to go first. The child asks another player for a matching card. If the player has it she must give it up, but if not the player must say "Go fish." The player who asked for the card then draws a card to try to get a match. If the player draws the matching card then he receives another turn. The game continues until there are no more cards left to draw. Whoever has more pairs of "fish" wins the game.