Free and Fun Social Games for Kids

Name Game

• The Name Game is a social game designed for young children. The object of the Name Game is for kids to meet and interact with one another. The Name Game is also a great way to teach children the value of getting one's attention before speaking to them. To play the Name Game, have the children sit in a circle and give one child a large, rubber ball. The child then says the name of one of the other children sitting in the circle and rolls the ball to that child. The child who receives the ball repeats the process.

Simon Says

• Simon Says is an instruction-based game that is good for small kids̵2;but can also be played by older children. In Simon Says, one person takes on the role of Simon and stands at the front, facing the other children. The person who is selected to be Simon will issue a number of commands such as, ̶0;Simon says: Touch your stomach,̶1; ̶0;Simon says: Hop on one foot̶1; or ̶0;Jump up and down.̶1; Commands that begin with ̶0;Simon Says̶1; are to be followed, while commands that do not begin with ̶0;Simon Says̶1; should be ignored. Children who follow commands that do not begin with ̶0;Simon Says̶1; are removed until the next game begins. Simon Says is a great way to develop listening skills and help kids understand the importance of following instructions.

Red Light Green Light

• The game Red Light Green Light is similar to Simon Says in that children must follow a series of instructions. The object of the game is for the other children to move from the starting line to the finish line. In Red Light Green Light, a starting line and finish line are established and one person is selected to stand at the finish line and be the ̶0;It.̶1; The other children line up at the starting line and are allowed to move forward when the ̶0;It̶1; person turns away from them and says, ̶0;Green light.̶1; ̶0;It̶1; counts from one to 10 and then says, ̶0;Red light,̶1; while turning to face the children. When the ̶0;red light̶1; command is given, the children must freeze and anyone caught moving must go back to the starting line. The first person to advance to the front is the winner. Red Light Green Light is good for developing listening skills and showing the importance of following commands and instructions.