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Hands-on Games for Kids

When attempting to keep a group of children entertained and happy, it is important to play games in which the children get to actively participate. These hands-on games, as opposed to more hands-off games like quiz games you might play with older children, keep all of the children in the game at all times, making the children less likely to lose interest.

Treasure Hunts
- Treasure hunts are an excellent way to keep a large group of children entertained. Divide the children into multiple teams, with sizes often determined by how many chaperones are available to watch over groups. A separate hunt can be given to each team, or each team can be assigned the same hunt. Give each team a clue that includes a riddle or a picture directing the team to the next clue, which the team must use to find the clue. A chain of clues then unfolds, culminating in the children reaching the treasure, following the lead of their final clue.
Scavenger Hunts
- Scavenger hunts likewise require the children to work together in teams, or pairs, to find items around the area being played in. Each team or pairing is given a list of items which can be found around the gaming area. If playing in a house, for example, the list might include items like red curtains or a television. The game lasts for a set amount of time, at which point the winning team is the grouping which was able to locate the most items on the list or the first team to locate every item.
Relay Games
- Relay games work well for groups with older children who can understand the more complex rules some of the games include. Simple relays can feature running from point to point, whereas more advanced games can feature tasks that must be completed, such as the putting on and taking off of oversized clothing. Relays need not be running games, however. Other types of relays include "Pass the Orange" in which players must pass an orange, held beneath a player's chin, to the next player, and so on down the line, or hoop races, in which teammates hold hands and pass a large hoop from one end of the line to the other.
Guessing Games
- Guessing games task one individual, or one individual per team, with conveying an answer to their team, with a stipulation. For example, with an answer of "football," the player must then convey the answer to her team by following the game's rules. The rules can stipulate that no words may be used, that the word must be conveyed in picture form, or any other rules you want to set. The remaining players call out what they believe to be the answer, with the first child to guess correctly winning the round for his team.

Kids Games