Hobbies And Interests
Duck, Duck, Goose
In this classic game, the kids sit in a circle, and one child is deemed "goose." The goose slowly walks around the outside of the circle, placing her hand over each child's head and saying "duck" as she does so. The goose will then say "goose" over one child's head and then start running around the outside of the circle. The second child must now get up and chase the first child, trying to tag the first child before she makes it all the way around the circle and into the second child's spot. If she doesn't tag her, she becomes the new "goose," and the game starts again.
Playground Treasure Hunt
Stimulate preschoolers' minds by hiding small items like stuffed animals, toys or candy in plastic eggs around the playground. Since preschoolers can't read yet, give them cards with pictures of what they should look for. Make them easy-to-distinguish objects, and place a limit on how many of each item each child can find so that all of the kids have an opportunity to find prizes.
Water-Balloon Hot Potato
A twist on hot potato for the hot summer months uses water balloons instead of a potato or ball. The children assemble in a circle and throw one water balloon around the circle, reciting "Hot potato, hot potato." When the balloon pops, the kids yell "Hot!" Whoever made the balloon pop is out. Keep playing rounds until only one child is left in the game.
Chain Tag
Start with one child as "it" who must tag the other children. When the "it" child tags another child, the two children both become "it," and they hold hands and run together to tag the other kids. Each tagged child will join the chain. As the chain gets larger, it will be more challenging for the other kids to escape being tagged, and eventually all of the kids will form one giant chain.
Red Rover
This simple game is played by assigning two teams of children. Each team links hands, forming a chain, and faces the other team. One team begins by calling a child from the other team; for example, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send Tom right over." The child who is called must then try to run and break the chain of the team that called him by running through their linked hands. If he succeeds, he picks someone from the other team to join his team. If he fails, he then joins the team that called him.