Hobbies And Interests
Circle Games
Ask the children to stand in a circle and toss three inflated balloons into the circle. Tell the children to hit the balloons in the air. Every 15 seconds add two more balloons to the circle. They must hit the balloons in the air and keep them from touching the ground. The game ends when a balloon touches the ground. If the children can make it five minutes without a balloon touching the ground, they all win a small prize. Try another circle game by selecting one player to be "it." "It" will call out the word "Statue." The children must stand like a statue and the "it" player will decide who the best statue is. That player will get to judge the next round of statue.
Memory Games
Play a quick game of memory by printing numbers on small slips of paper, two of each number. Place the cards face down on a table. One player goes first and pulls up two slips. If the number on those two slips are a match, that player can go can go again. If not, it's the next player's turn. The player who finds the most matches wins the game. Another idea is to print pictures of random items and place them on a board. Have the children close their eyes and remove one picture. The first child to guess the missing picture wins the game.
Ball Games
Hand one child a soft foam ball to pass around the room. The first player must say a sentence leading into a story, such as "Once upon a time." He will toss the ball to another player who must add a sentence. Play this activity for five minutes or until the children become bored. Another idea is to play a rhyme game. Hand someone the ball and have him call out a word like rag. He must toss the ball to another player who has to call out a rhyming word like tag. Each player must continue calling out words that rhyme with the first word called.
Other Games
Another game is a quick scavenger hunt. Hide one item like a stuffed animal around the play area. The first child to find it wins. Try a more difficult game by hiding several letters, such as refrigerator magnet letters around the room. Give the children three minutes to collect letters and make the longest word possible. The player with the longest correct word wins the game. Other quick activities include a game of I-spy or freeze dance. For freeze dance, play music and have the children dance. When the music stops, they must freeze.