Games for Small Children

Telephone Game

• This oldie but goody never goes out of style and always garners lots of giggles. Gather the group into a circle and start by whispering a statement into the first child's ear. He turns to the next child and whispers the same statement into her ear. The statement is whispered around the room, with the final child announcing the statement out loud.

  Typically the original statement ends up being altered once it is whispered to the last child. Go around the circle and ask each child what she thought she heard. This is a great opportunity to practice listening skills and have a good laugh.

What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?

• This game of tag enlists listening and counting skills. One person plays the part of Mr. Wolf and stands on one side of the room. The other players stand on the other side of the room and shout, "What time is it, Mr. Wolf?" Mr. Wolf gives the players a round time, and the other players take that number of steps forward. The kids continue to ask Mr. Wolf the time, and they respond with the appropriate number of steps.

  Mr. Wolf then announces, "Lunchtime!" and chases the players around the room. When Mr. Wolf tags one player, that player becomes Mr. Wolf and the game starts over.

Statue Maker

• This game lets kids use their imaginations and have fun expressing themselves. One person is the statue maker and the other kids are her pieces of clay. The statue maker grabs one kid by the hand and spins him around in circles, lets go and allows him to stand, sit or lie in any position somewhere in the room.

  Once all the kids are positioned, the statue maker taps each statue on the shoulder and the statue comes to life. The statue maker has to figure out which statue she created. The statue cannot talk, but can make physical gestures. Once the statue maker guesses the statue, the statue joins the statue maker on her quest to guess the other statues.