Games That Children Play

Peekaboo

• Peekaboo is one of the first games a child learns how to play. A parent hides her face with her hands and peeks out at the baby saying "peekaboo!" As the child grows he too hides his face and says "peekaboo!" Peekaboo teaches children the important lesson of object constancy. Through Peekaboo they learn that an object still exists even though they cannot see it. This understanding of object constancy is an important building block for other life skills in early child development.

House

• Playing house is one of the first role playing games children play. Role playing games are fantasy type games that, according to the Child Development Institute, allow children to experiment with the language and emotions of complex relationships to better understand the social world. While playing house, a group of children assigns a role to each child amongst themselves. They decide who will be the mother, father, older sister and baby. Once the roles are decided and accepted they take on their roles and pretend to be their character imitating and creating lifelike situations and dialogue.

Duck Duck Goose

• Duck Duck Goose is a traditional children's game. All the children sit in a circle while one person, the fox, walks around the circle tapping each child's head saying "duck." When the fox taps someone's head and says "goose," the goose then runs around the circle trying to catch the fox. If the fox get's back to the goose's seat before he catches him, the fox gets to sit down and the goose becomes the fox. Duck Duck Goose is a game with simple rules. The Child Development Center states that games like these teach young children that life has rules that must be followed to function smoothly.

Red Rover

• Red Rover is a game of both rules and strength. Two teams stand in lines holding hands facing each other. The first team calls to the second team, "Red rover, red rover send Homie right over." Homie must then run and try to break through the arms of the first team. If he succeeds, he goes back to his team but if he does not he must join the first team. The team that gets all the players on its side wins. When playing Red Rover, children directly compete with one another in groups according to a set of rules. The winners win based on their strength and force. The Child Development Institute says that motor games like this help kids develop physically and also play an important role in brain development.

Capture the Flag

• Capture the Flag is a strategic game played by older children. It usually takes place outside in a yard or in a location as complex as a forest at night. Two teams are divided and assigned territories. They must mount their flag somewhere on their territory. The objective of the game is for each team to capture the other team's flag and return with it to their own home territory. If a member of the opposite team is tagged on foreign territory he is placed in "jail" and out of the game. The team that returns with the other teams flag first wins. Capture the Flag incorporates a variety of different types of play described by the Child Development Institute. It follows the specific rules of social and physical play. It is similar to chess in that each player is assigned a specific role, such as guard, jail keeper, spy and offensive. It teaches children planning and strategy. Capture the Flag enhances communication and improvisation skills. Depending on where the flag is hidden Capture the Flag can also be constructive, giving children a sense of empowerment over their environment.