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Easy Group Games for Kids

Children love a challenge, and organized group games give them that test. Group games encourage children to work together and learn social skills. They also learn team building and problem-solving strategies. Encourage children to brainstorm ways to accomplish the task. Most importantly, reward every child̵7;s creativity and ideas. Group games are not only about winning, but also about boosting children̵7;s self-esteem. Easy games will help children rise to the challenge without feeling overwhelmed.

Snake in the Gutter
- Gather six or more children for this group game. Choose at least three children to be the ̶0;snakes.̶1; The snakes should stand in a line with wide spaces between them. The rest of the children must stand at a boundary line, which should be a good distance from the snakes. The teacher yells, ̶0;Snake in the gutter!̶1; and the children run through the gutter of snakes. If the snakes catch some kids, they become snakes too and stay in the gutter. The rest of the children go back to the boundary line and run again on command. The teacher can help children brainstorm creative ways to get through the snake gutter without being caught. Continue the game until only one person is left. This game is simple enough for kids to understand, which gives them room to challenge themselves.
Bottle Bowling
- Bottle Bowling is a game requiring a group of six or more children. Gather several empty two-liter soda bottles. Also, collect numerous tennis balls. Create a boundary line and stand the bottles up in a row on the line. Divide the group of children into two teams. Just like bowling, they are to roll the tennis ball and knock down as many bottles as possible. This game can be more difficult by using bottles of two different colors. One team̵7;s goal is to knock down the green bottles, and the other̵7;s goal is to knock down the clear bottles. You can also create point deductions for knocking down the wrong color bottle. The teacher keeps score, and the team with the most points wins bottle bowling. Knocking down the bottles is an easy task that any child can conquer, making kids feel a sense of pride.
Tied in Knots
- This game works best with a large group of children no larger than eight. If you have more children, split them into separate teams with an even number of people. The children stand in a circle facing each other and reach out their left hands. Everyone must grab someone else̵7;s hand. Then, they reach out their right hand and grab someone else̵7;s hand. All children must be holding someone̵7;s hand in the knot. The kids must untangle themselves without letting go of anyone̵7;s hand. They can be as creative as possible to accomplish this task. If someone lets go of a hand, he has to return to the previous position and try again. The teacher should time which group untangles themselves the fastest. The directions are easy to understand, so kids of all ages can participate.

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