What Are Some Fun & Structured Activities for Pre-K Through 6th Grade Youth?

Memory Activities

• Print letters or numbers on small slips of paper, two of each. Place the slips of paper face down on a table and allow children to play a game of memory. For older children, write math problems on one slip of paper and the answers on the other slips of paper. Each child will flip over two cards at a time. If the cards match or the math problem and answer match, the child keeps the pair and goes again. If not, the turn moves to the next player. The child with the most matches at the end of the game wins. Alternatively, play this activity with colors, shapes or objects.

Team-Building Activities

• Ask the children to stand in a circle and hand one player a ball. That player must bounce the ball on the ground to the player directly across from him. The player who catches the ball must bounce the ball to the player directly to the left of the starter. Each player must continue the same pattern until each player has a chance to catch and bounce the ball. Make the game harder by adding another ball after the first player bounces the ball to another player. For fun, keep adding balls and see how many the children can handle before the circle turns to chaos.

Hunt Activities

• Hide random items around the classroom or outside for the children to hunt. Use items like plush animals or pictures of objects. For an educational version, hide pictures of colors, letters or shapes. Call out a certain letter, color or shape. The child who finds the correct answer first earns a point or a small prize. For older children, hide different spelling words. However, hide some words that are misspelled. Call out a word and have the children find the correctly spelled word.

Circle Activities

• Play a few structured activities with the children sitting in a circle. Select one player to go first and call out a category. Easy categories can include colors or shapes. The first child must say a color and each child in the circle must name a different color. To make the game more difficult, have each child repeat the name of each color already mentioned. For older children, have the first child say "I am going to the grocery store to buy..." If he says "a red apple," the next player must say "I am going to the store to buy a red apple and a..." Each player must say the name of the items mentioned by all other players and add their own.