Hobbies And Interests
Grey Duck
For the game Grey Duck, have the children sit in a large circle. One child stands on the outside of the circle. He is the grey duck. He will walk around the circle, touching each child gently on the head while calling her a color, such as "red duck, yellow duck, or green duck." He will call one child "grey duck." When this happens, she will get up and chase the original "grey duck" around the circle. His goal is to sit where the tagged "grey duck" had been before someone tagged them. If he makes it, the tagged "grey duck" is then it, and she goes around the circle touching and assigning each child a color duck name, until she names one "grey duck." Then the chase is on. If the tagged "grey duck" catches her before she can sit down, she sits in the middle of the circle. As the game goes on, more children will join her in the center. The game is over when no one is in the outer circle.
Simon Says
Because you do not need any special equipment, this is an easy game that you can play anywhere. The leader, "Simon," stands in front of the other children. He tells the others what to do, using the phrase, "Simon says" before each command. Some examples are "Simon says jump on one foot" or "Simon Says clap your hands." As long as each statement begins with "Simon says," the other children should follow the command. If "Simon" omits "Simon says" and simply commands the others to "touch your elbow" or "spin in a circle," they should not follow him or they are out of the game.
Hide and Seek
The thrill of someone catching them makes the game of hide and seek enjoyable for young children. One person is "it," and she counts to 20 while the other children hide. After "it" is finished counting, she looks for the others. As she finds them, they are out of the game. The last person found wins, while the first person caught is "it" for the next round.
Board Games
Preprimary-aged kids can play simple board games. Some popular games include Chutes and Ladders, Sorry and Hi-Ho Cheerio. You can also adapt some games for young children. Take out a checkerboard and checkers. Instead of playing the traditional game, have your child match the colors, placing the red markers on the red squares and the black markers on the black squares. As your child matures, teach them to play the traditional way.