Kids Animal Games

Imaginative Animal Games

• Imaginative games like animal charades teach children about animals and encourage creativity. For younger ages have children select an animal cookie and then act out that animal. The others must guess what it is and the child who guesses correctly does the next animal. Or place toy animals in a bag and have children reach in to find out which animal they have to act out.

  Older children can play imaginative games as well. Pictionary is ideal for children 8 years and older. Make your own animal clues for the players to draw and divide them into teams. Clues can be easy like animal names, or more difficult such as hibernating or flying.

Hunting Games

• Kids enjoy playing outside, so try animal-themed games which require children to hunt for animals. Hide several toy dinosaurs in a sandbox and have children dig to find them. Make it more challenging by giving each child a different list of dinosaurs he has to find. The first to complete the list wins the game. A safari or bug hunt is another animal game ideal for outdoor play. Hide either plastic bugs or animals around the yard and give each child a list that provides a clue to which animal or bug she must find. You can have children work in teams or individually for this game. The goal is to be the first player to complete the list.

Animal Games for Physical Activity

• Games that require physical activity can have animal themes. Animal tag is similar to classic tag, in which players run from the "it" player to avoid being tagged. In animal tag when a player is tagged, the "it" player assigns that player an animal. For example, if the "it" player says the tagged player is a dog, the player must move around and bark like a dog. The game continues this way until all players are tagged. The last player becomes the next "it" player.

  Musical animals uses rules similar to musical chairs except when the music stops, the player without a chair must choose an animal out of a hat and act it out. The other players must guess what it is.

Team Animal Games

• Animal games using teams or partners encourage interaction and cooperation. Divide children into pairs and put a sticker of an animal on one partner's back. The player asks his partner yes or no questions about the animal on his back and tries to guess what it is. Another animal game ideal for all ages is an animal relay. Begin by selecting an animal. The first player for each team moves like that animal to get to a designated spot and selects a card that contains a true or false question about another animal. The player must answer the question and return to his team moving like the animal in the question, and tag the next player in line, who must then do the same. The goal is to be the first team to have all players run to the end and back.