Hobbies And Interests
Disney Character Bingo
Bingo is a tried and true game that has entertained youngsters for years. Put a Disney spin on the game by making your own bingo cards. Preschool-age kids will be able to play the game because there is no reading involved, only the letters B-I-N-G-O. This game is considered educational because it teaches letter recognition.
To make the bingo cards, cut a piece of card stock in half. This will create two cards for the bingo game. Cut as many cards as you have children. Draw lines on the card stock using a ruler. There should be five columns down and no more than 4 rows across. The lines will intersect, creating several squares on the card stock. Write the letters B-I-N-G-O at the top of the card with one letter per square. Place Disney character stickers on the cards, one sticker per square. Once all the squares are full, your bingo card is ready for play.
Instead of a spinner, use index cards and the Disney stickers to create a stack of cards. Shuffle the cards and pull the top card. Say the name of the Disney character, while showing them the card. This helps the kids who may not be familiar with the particular Disney name you are calling.
Disney Princess Ball
Preschool-age kids will take to the Disney Princess Ball with ease. All the game requires is several Disney princess costumes, music and an open space to dance in. The kids dress up in their favorite Disney princess attire, then stand in the middle of the room. Start playing the music and tell the kids to begin dancing. They can jump up and down, do twirls or tap their feet--any move will do. Stop the music abruptly at various stages throughout the song. When the music stops, the kids must freeze where they are. When the music starts playing again, they can begin dancing. If someone moves while the music is stopped, that person is out. This game improves gross motor skills, listening skills and creates music appreciation. Disney releases several CDs each year, so you may consider purchasing one to play during the ball.
Seven Dwarfs Guessing Game
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a Walt Disney movie that tells the story of a young girl and a wicked stepmother. She is taken into the woods where she meets seven friendly dwarfs who take her in. Each dwarf is named according to his personality. The dwarfs names are Dopey, Grumpy, Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy and Happy.
To play the Seven Dwarfs Guessing game, each child gets a turn to draw a dwarf name from the hat. Since most kids from ages 3 to 5 cannot read, you can either whisper the name the child drew into his ear, or you can place a sticker on the paper. The child must act like the dwarf he drew. If he drew Happy, he should smile a lot and act happy. Each child gets a turn to draw from the hat. This is a strong intrapersonal game that teaches children about emotions and reading others based on body language. It may be hard for them to grasp at first, but they will get the hang of it eventually.