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Active Learning Games

Play is a hands-on learning approach for kids of all ages. Active learning techniques give kids the opportunity to be active through games and activities. Consider a more enjoyable and exciting hands-on way of learning than sitting still for long periods doing drills.

Story Blanks
- The game of Mad Libs has been around since the early 1950s, and helps kids learn vocabulary words and parts of speech. In this game, give your child or group of children a story that has some of the words left blank. Make your own story or use printable ones. The blank spaces are for nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, plural nouns and your name. This game reinforces what children are learning about the different parts of speech.
Nature Scavenger Hikes
- Hiking on nature trails exposes children to local wildlife, birds, plants, rocks and flowers in addition to providing a chance for exercise. Nature scavenger hunts reinforce what older children are learning in science and can introduce science to preschoolers. Either one child or a group can participate in a nature scavenger hunt. If playing with a group, divide the children up into two groups. Give the child or children a list of items that are easily recognizable. Once the hunt is over talk about what they have found. Be sure to take plenty of water and bug spray and remember to wear comfortable shoes suitable for hiking.
Shapes Bingo
- Children start learning shapes in preschool. Shapes bingo is a game that is beneficial for learning and practicing shapes. The skills used to play this game include matching, sorting, color and shape recognition. Dexterity is not yet fully developed in preschools, so consider using easier to grasp large buttons or pennies for the markers.
Counting Game
- Children learn and develop at their own pace. By the time a child is in kindergarten, he should be able to do some basic counting. When it comes to learning math skills, repetition is important. Give your child a set of note cards and have her trace a small circle in pencil for the sun. Draw one sun on a note card. Then, draw two on a card, three on a card and four on a card and repeat until each number through 10 has its own card with that number of suns on it. Color each of the suns a different color. Then take 10 cards and number them one though 10. To play have your child start with the one sun card. Have your child place the number cards in a row after the sun card. Count them aloud. Then repeat next time starting with the two-sun card going up each time until the 10-sun card is finished.

Kids Games