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1. Bubbles (All Ages)
Blow bubbles and play pop the bubbles, count bubbles, or try to catch the bubbles (try wetting hands). Be mindful of the floor and safety of the children.
2. Dance Party (All Ages)
Play age appropriate music and invite children to dance fast, slow, loudly, softly, etc. to the music. May choose to add musical instruments for children to play along with the music.
3. Hokey Pokey (All Ages) (words attached)
Form a circle, sing the “Hokey Pokey” song and do the movements which go along with the song. For infants, gently help them do the movements.
4. Head Shoulders, Knees and Toes (All Ages) (words attached)
Sing the song and touch the part indicated in the song.
5. I Can, Can You? (Age: 12 mo.+)
Teacher states: I can _(action)_. Can you? Ex: “I can hop (teacher hops).” Can you? (Children hop). Older children may be able to take turns with who leads the action.
6. Wiggle Jar (Age: 18 mo.+)
Write out several age appropriate movement ideas on index cards. Place ideas in a jar for the activity. For short breaks or for inclement weather days, pick out movement ideas for children to act out. Some examples: jump up and down, windmill arms, run in place, sit ups, touch your toes, jumping jacks, twist, stretch up high
7. Freeze Dance (Age: 18 mo.+)
Play age appropriate music and invite children to dance. Pause the music and have children freeze. Then play the music again.
8. Paper Plate Ring Toss (Age: 18 mo.+)
Attach a cardboard tube to a paper plate as the ring toss pole. Cut out the center of several paper plates to create the rings. Toss the “rings” around the pole. Children receive points for each ring they get on the pole.
9. Ring Around the Rosy (Age: 18 mo.+) (words attached)
Hold hands and sing the song together. Fall down when singing, “we all fall down!” then get up and sing it again.
10. Move Like the Animals (Age: 18 mo.+)
Children slither like a snake, hop like a rabbit, gallop like a horse, etc. Invite children to share their ideas for movement.
11. Ribbon Wand Movement (Age: 18 mo.+)
Give each child streamers (crepe paper) or ribbon wands (if available). Invite children to dance or move to music, experiment with moving the streamers through the air
12. Classroom Parade (Age: 18 mo.+)
Dress up in costumes or play the musical instruments and march around the circle doing different movements or play different rhythms.
13. Duck, Duck, Goose (Age: 2+)
Children sit in a circle. One child walks around the outside of the circle gently tapping the children on the head saying “duck” until he chooses one to say “goose!” Then both children walk quickly around the circle. The first child walks until getting to the other child’s space. Then play continues.
14. Hot Potato (Age: 2+)
Children sit in a circle and pass a bean bag “hot potato” from one child to the next while music is playing. Once the music stops the person holding the potato is out. Play continues until only one is left. For younger children, do not have someone get “out” just say, “You had it!” And start play again.
15. Bear Hunt (Age: 2+)
Hide a teddy bear in the classroom. Lead the children around, over, under items in the classroom looking for the teddy bear. (Extension of the story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury)
16. Gross Motor Dice (Age: 2+)
Roll a large dice (small dice for older children is fine). For each number, children do a certain movement (Examples: one – clap hands, two – Jumping Jacks, three – windmill arms, etc.) If desired, roll a second dice to see how many times to do each motion.
17. Rolling Toy Races (Age: 2+)
Set up an area to race toy vehicles. Encourage children to think of tracks to race on which may include ramps or block courses.
18. Bean Bag Color Toss (Age: 2+)
Set different color pieces of construction paper on the floor matching different bean bags (Ex: If you have red and blue bean bags, place red and blue construction paper on the floor). Toss the bean bag to land on the matching color paper. Closest to the color wins.
19. Color Hunt (Age: 2+)
Search the classroom for objects of a specific color. Children bring that color object to the teacher. (Great cleanup game as well)
20. Trick Show (Age: 2+)
Invite children to take turns to show their special talents – hopping on one leg, twirling, etc. Young children love to show off their special skills.
21. Indoor Obstacle Course (Age: 2+)
Arrange chairs and tables and bring in hula hoops and pool noodles for children to move around, under and over. Demonstrate how to move through the course.
22. How to Move Across the Room (Age: 2+)
Describe a way to move across the room (Ex: like a specific animal, crawling, hopping, jumping, skipping, etc.). Children move in that manner from one side to the other.
23. Bean Bag Ring Toss (Age: 2+)
Spread paper plates with numbers (Ex: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50) written on them on the floor in a line with the lowest number closest to the starting point. Toss beanbags from the starting point. Child gets points for each plate his beanbag lands on according to the number written on the plate.
24. Plastic Cup Bowling (Age: 2+)
Set cups up in a pyramid stack. Toss a beanbag or indoor plastic ball to knock down cups. If all the cups fall over at once, it is a strike. If there are still some upright, try again for a spare. Children can get one point per cup, if desired.
25. Hide and Seek (Age: 2+)
One person counts while the other children hide around the classroom. The person who counts looks for the other children. Children take turns who gets to count next.
26. Simon Says (Age: 2+)
One person is “Simon” and states “Simon says _(action)_” (Example: “Simon says jump”). The other children do the action. Occasionally, “Simon” does not start with the phrase “Simon says” and just states the action. Traditionally, if children do the action without hearing the phrase “Simons says” they are out, but for this game just say, “Simon didn’t say _(action)_” and continue with play.
27. Toy Hide and Seek (Age: 3+)
Hide a toy in the classroom. As children look for the toy, call out hot or cold. The children are hot the closer they are to the object and cold the further they are from the object.
28. Parachute Games (Age: 3+)
In a wide space, spread out the school parachute. Make Waves: Children sit around the outside of the parachute and grab the edge and begin to move it up and down so it looks like waves (big or little, fast or slow waves). Popcorn: place large pom-pom balls or other soft balls in the middle of the parachute. Move the parachute up and down to look like popcorn popping. Do not let the balls fall on the ground.
29. Movement Charades (Age: 3+)
Find pictures and/or write out several types of movement on index cards for children to act out (Ex: swimming, running, riding a bike). Children perform the movement in front of the class and the class tries to guess what movement the child is doing.
30. Indoor Red Light, Green Light (Age: 3+)
Teacher states the color and the children move accordingly. Red light: freeze, Green light: crab walk (or other movement), Yellow light: hop in place, Purple light: wiggle like crazy
31. Egg (ball) and Spoon Race (Age: 3+)
Using a large spoon and a ball pit ball, children hold the spoon balancing the ball to move from one part of the room to the other. If they drop the ball they go back to start.
32. Scavenger Hunt (Age: 3+)
Create a checklist of objects for children to spot around the classroom. For younger children include a picture of the object. Children search around the classroom for those objects and check them off as they find them. (Great way to introduce a new theme)
33. Puzzle Piece Hunt (Age: 3+)
Hide Puzzle pieces to a teacher made puzzle around the classroom. Children look for the puzzle pieces and bring them to the teacher. (Great activity for introducing a new theme)
34. Hidden Toy Hunt (Age: 3+)
Hide a specific toy around the room (like an egg hunt, but with large Legos or beanbags). Children look for the toy and bring it to the teacher.
35. Floor Bop (Age: 3+)
Clear an open space in the classroom. Place index cards with letters shapes or colors on them on the floor face up (adapt for age of child and skill working on). Teacher calls out a letter or shape and he child throws a beanbag at the card showing what the letter or shape.
36. Hula Hoop (Age: 3+)
Use hula hoops for obstacle courses, to climb through, or to jump from “island to island”, or try to hula.
37. Alligator Alley (Age: 3+)
Set out “islands” (carpet squares) children have to move from one island to the next without falling in the “water” the floor. If they fall in the “water,” they could be caught by an alligator (teacher ready to tickle).
38. Doggie, Doggie, Where’s Your Bone (Age: 3+)
One child is chosen to be the “doggie.” She sits in a chair with her back to the group. A toy (bone) is under the chair. One person takes the toy and hides it. Then the children say, “Doggie, Doggie, where’s your bone, somebody took it from your home. Guess who!” The “doggie” has three chances to guess who took the “bone.”
39. Limbo (Age: 3+)
Use a pole of some kind as a limbo stick. Play music as children walk under the pole. Lower the pole each time. Children continue to try to pass through without touching the pole or ground (with anything other than their feet).
40. Musical Letters (Age: 4+)
Like musical chairs. Write letters on index cards or half sheets of construction paper. Place letters on the floor. Children step on the letters as they walk around the circle as music plays. Then stop music and call out a letter. The child standing on that letter gets a special hi-five if they recognize their letter. Then play continues.
41. ABC Exercise (Age: 4+)
Work together to come up with a movement for each letter in the alphabet. Ex: A – “make circles with your ankle” or “jump like antelope,” B – “Balance on one foot” or “walk backwards.”
42. Create A Show (Age: 4+)
Work together in groups to create a story to perform in front of the other members of the class. If time and ability permit, find costumes and props within the classroom. Allow children to put on their shows for the other children (Don’t forget to video for parents)
43. Farmer and the Dell (Age: 4+) (words attached)
The children join hands and walk in a circle while singing The Farmer and the Dell. On child is the “farmer” and stands in the center of the circle. At the end of the verse, the farmer picks a wife who joins him in the middle of the circle. This keeps happening until the last verse “the cheese stands alone.” The last out of the circle becomes the farmer next round.
44. Potato Drop (Age: 4+)
Use a plastic ball and a bucket. Hold the ball between knees and walk them from one point in the room to a bucket at another point. Drop the ball in the bucket without using your hands. If the ball falls before reaching the bucket, start over.
45. Four Corners (Age: 4+)
Four corners of classroom identified (can be with shapes, colors, numbers, letters). One child closes her eyes and counts out loud while other children go to one of the four corners. Without opening her eyes, the child who is it calls out a corner. All who are in that corner are out. Play continues until only one child is left and that person is the new counter.
46. Potato Sack Race (Age: 5+)
In a large open space (atrium or gym if possible), give children old pillow cases to use as jumping sacks. Caution children to move slowly. Children jump from one side of the space to the other using the sacks.
47. Paper Airplanes (Age: 5+)
Create paper airplanes. Clear an area of the room for testing. Test for which design flies the furthest, does the best tricks, etc.
48. Mirror, Mirror (Age: 5+)
Two children stand across from each other. One person is the mirror. The other makes a movement which the “mirror” must imitate. Take turns being the mirror.
49. Ping Pong Ball Catch (Age: 5+)
In an open space, use large solo cups to toss and catch ping pong balls with a partner. Try not to let the ping pong ball fall to the floor.
50. Cotton Ball Catapult (Age: 5+)
Create a catapult using popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons. Test catapults in a clear space by launching cotton balls. Test accuracy and distance by aiming at a target.
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