Getting to Know You Kindergarten Games for Circle Time

One circle-time game for ages 4 to 6, with every line the adult says printed in the steps.

Stop and Say Hello1. Children walk around the room while the adult claps a steady beat. 2. When the clapping stops, each child turns to the nearest child, waves and says "Hello, I am" and their name. 3. A child with nobody near comes to the adult. 4. Clap again. 5. Six stops, and ask the children to find someone new each time. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.

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How it works

These getting to know you kindergarten games need no reading from the children: the adult says every line. Each game prints its own prompts, such as the thirty endings for Stand Up If You Like and twenty questions for Pass the Teddy and Answer.

Read the full guide

Run one game on the rug

Each press deals one game with numbered steps to read as they stand. After the first press an All games list appears under the button; it sorts the games by what they do: names, likes, moving to find a friend, or passing something around the circle.

Get to know you games kindergarten classes can play on day one

More filters, the last entry in the All games list, opens two choices. A first day keeps the games where no child has to know another child's name yet, and Nothing to fetch leaves out the ball, the teddy and the birthday list.

Tips

Every game lets a child pass. In Pass the Teddy and Answer, a hug for the teddy counts as an answer.
The longer lists are for several days: ten stand-up-if endings or two teddy questions fill one sitting.

Questions and answers

Which games work on the first day of kindergarten?

Ones where nobody needs a name yet. In Three Voices the class says each child's name in a whisper, a talking voice and a giant voice, and in Popcorn Names a child pops up when called. Choose A first day for the rest.

Do the children have to read or write anything?

No. Every game is run by the adult's voice, and the children answer by standing, jumping, pointing, clapping or saying a word. The only things to fetch are a soft ball, a teddy bear and, for one game, the class birthday list.

What questions can I ask in Pass the Teddy?

Twenty are printed in the game, such as "What color is your toothbrush?" and "What do you like to do when it rains?" For more, see questions to ask kindergarteners.

How long do these games take?

Each game prints a time from 4 to 10 minutes. The times are our planning estimates for one circle of children, not measurements, and the age band of 4 to 6 is our suggestion, not a curriculum standard.

All 25 games

Learn each other's names 10

Clap My Name 1. Sit in a circle. 2. The adult says their own name slowly and claps once for each beat: "Miss-us Park" is three claps. 3. The children say it and clap it back. 4. Go around the circle: each child says their name, with help if they want it, and everyone claps it. 5. Finish by clapping a name with no words and asking whose it could be. Time: 4 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
I Spy a Friend 1. Sit in a circle. 2. The adult says "I spy a friend who is wearing a green shirt and shoes with straps." 3. Children look around and call out the name. 4. That child waves and gives the next clue with the adult's help: "I spy a friend with..." 5. Clues are about clothes and shoes only. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Name Train 1. The adult is the engine and walks around the outside of the circle. 2. The engine stops behind a child and says "Choo choo, come along, Sam." 3. Sam joins on behind and calls the next passenger by name, with help from the engine if needed. 4. The train grows until nobody is left sitting. 5. Drive once around the room and park on the rug. Time: 6 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.

Show all 25 games (22 more)

Learn each other's names, continued

Pass the Hello 1. Sit in a circle. 2. The adult turns to the child on one side, waves and says "Hello, Sam." 3. Sam turns to the next child and passes the hello on with that child's name. 4. If a name is missing, the child asks "What is your name?" and then says hello. 5. When the hello comes back to the adult, the whole circle waves with both hands. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Popcorn Names 1. Everyone crouches down small, like corn in a pan. 2. The adult calls a name. 3. That child pops up, shouts "pop!" and stays standing. 4. Call faster and faster until the whole class is up. 5. Say "cool down" and call the names again, slowly, to sit everyone back on the rug. Time: 4 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.
Roll It to a Name 1. Sit in a circle with legs apart to make a fence for the ball. 2. The adult says "I roll to Mia" and rolls the ball to Mia. 3. Mia says another child's name and rolls it on. 4. A child who cannot think of a name points, and the circle says that name together. 5. Stop when every child has had the ball once. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: a soft ball.
Silly Teddy Gets It Wrong 1. The adult holds the teddy, who is new today and wants to learn names. 2. Teddy looks at a child and guesses a wrong name: "Is this Ben?" 3. The class answers "No, that is Mia!" 4. Teddy says "Hello, Mia" and moves on. 5. Now and then Teddy gets one right, and the class cheers. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: a teddy bear or a puppet.
Three Voices 1. Sit in a circle. 2. Point to a child, who says their name, or say it for them if they nod. 3. The class says the name three times: in a mouse whisper, in a talking voice and in a giant voice. 4. Go around the circle. 5. Let a child choose a fourth voice for the last lap, such as a robot. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Where Is Mia? Here I Am 1. Children sit with their hands in their laps. 2. The adult chants "Where is Mia? Where is Mia?" 3. Mia stands up or waves and answers "Here I am!" 4. Everyone says "Hello, Mia" and Mia sits down. 5. Chant every name in the class, in a different order from the roll. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Whose Voice Said Hello? 1. One child sits in the middle with eyes covered. 2. The adult points to a child in the circle, who says "Hello" and the name of the child in the middle. 3. The listener uncovers and has three guesses at whose voice it was. 4. The speaker waves and takes the next turn in the middle. 5. Play until six children have listened. Time: 6 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.

Stand, jump or line up for what you like 6

Count the Standers 1. Children sit in a circle. 2. The adult reads a line, and the children it fits stand up. 3. Everyone counts the standers out loud, pointing to each. 4. Ten lines: stand if you have a pet, walked here today, came in a car, came on a bus, are wearing something red, have a hood, have lost a tooth, are four, are five, are six. 5. Say the biggest number again at the end. Time: 6 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Echo My Favorite 1. Sit in a circle and pick one topic: a food, an animal or a color. 2. The adult goes first: "I am Mrs. Park and I like mangoes." 3. The class echoes: "Mrs. Park likes mangoes!" 4. Go around the circle. A child who wants to pass says their name, and the class echoes that. 5. Use another topic the next day. Time: 6 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Jump on Your Birthday Month 1. Children stand in a circle. 2. The adult calls the months in order, starting with the month school began. 3. When a child's month is called, the adult reads the names from the list, and those children jump into the middle and wave. 4. The class says "Happy birthday month!" and they step back. 5. Twelve months, twelve jumps. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: the class birthday list, for the adult.
Line Up Behind Your Favorite 1. The adult names three choices and points to a spot on the floor for each one. 2. Children walk to their favorite and stand in a line behind the spot. 3. Count each line out loud together and say which is longest. 4. Six rounds: red, blue or yellow; cats, dogs or fish; apples, bananas or grapes; swings, slide or sandbox; drawing, building or singing; sun, rain or snow. Time: 8 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.
Stand Up If You Like 1. Children sit on the rug. 2. The adult says "Stand up if you like" and adds one thing. 3. Everyone who likes it stands, looks at who else is up, and sits again. 4. Read ten in a sitting and keep the rest for another day. Thirty endings, in order: apples, bananas, strawberries, pancakes, carrots, cheese, ice cream, dogs, cats, fish, birds, dinosaurs, trains, trucks, swings, slides, digging in sand, splashing in puddles, snow, the beach, blowing bubbles, painting, building with blocks, singing, dancing, dressing up, hide and seek, riding a bike or a scooter, bath time, bedtime stories. 5. Now and then, say what you saw: "Lots of us like slides." Time: 8 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Thumbs Up If You Did 1. Children sit with their hands in their laps. 2. The adult reads a line about this morning, and every child it fits holds a thumb up high. 3. Children look around to see whose thumbs are up. 4. Twelve lines: opened a door, saw the sky, put on socks, zipped a coat, carried a bag, saw a dog, heard a bird, held a hand, walked up stairs, waved goodbye, said good morning, smiled already. Time: 4 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.

Move and find a friend 5

Find a Friend Wearing Your Color 1. Children stand on the rug. 2. The adult calls a color. 3. Everyone wearing it, anywhere, walks to another child wearing it, and the two touch that color on their own clothes. 4. Partners say their names to each other, and the adult calls the next color. 5. Call the colors you can see on the rug, such as red, blue, green, yellow, white, black, pink and gray, until every child has been found at least once. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.
Find Your Number Friend 1. The adult says a number from one to five, and every child holds up that many fingers. 2. Next, each child secretly chooses a number and holds it up high. 3. Children walk until they find someone showing the same number. 4. The pair say their names and sit down together. 5. A child left without a match joins the nearest pair. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.
Stop and Say Hello 1. Children walk around the room while the adult claps a steady beat. 2. When the clapping stops, each child turns to the nearest child, waves and says "Hello, I am" and their name. 3. A child with nobody near comes to the adult. 4. Clap again. 5. Six stops, and ask the children to find someone new each time. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.
Switch Places, Two Names 1. Sit in a circle. 2. The adult calls two names: "Mia and Ben, switch." 3. The two children stand, cross the circle and sit in each other's places. 4. Call pairs until everyone has moved once. 5. For the last round, call three names at a time. Time: 5 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.
Walk Like Your Favorite Animal 1. Stand in a circle. 2. A child says their name and an animal they like: "I am Mia and I like penguins." 3. The whole class walks once around the circle like that animal. 4. The adult says "Mia's penguins, stop" and the next child chooses. 5. Take six children in a sitting and the rest tomorrow. Time: 8 min. Sitting or moving: moving. Props: none.

Pass it around and answer 4

Ask Your Neighbor 1. Sit in a circle. 2. The adult gives one question for the whole round. 3. Each child turns and asks the neighbor on one side, listens, then tells the circle: "My neighbor likes blue." 4. Eight questions, one a day: What color do you like? What animal do you like? What do you like to eat? What do you like to play? What can you do fast? What do you like to sing? What do you like to wear? What do you like to smell? Time: 8 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Finish the Sentence 1. Sit in a circle. 2. The adult starts a sentence and finishes it first. 3. Each child around the circle finishes the same sentence, or says "pass". 4. Ten starters: At home I like to... My favorite food is... I am good at... Outside I like to... I feel happy when... An animal I like is... I can count to... On a rainy day I... My shoes are... Today I want to play... 5. One starter is plenty for one circle. Time: 8 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.
Pass the Teddy and Answer 1. Sit in a circle. 2. The adult asks one question and passes the teddy. 3. Whoever holds the teddy answers, or hugs it and passes it on without a word. 4. One question goes all the way around, then the adult chooses the next; two or three questions make a sitting. Twenty questions: What color is your toothbrush? What do you like to look at out of a window? Would you pick a pony, a camel or an elephant for a ride? What do you look for when you go outside? Which is more fun to you, going up the ladder or down the slide? What would you draw for the teddy? What is the name of a toy you love? What fruit do you like best? What do you like to do when it rains? What song would you teach the teddy? What is the best thing about your shoes? What did you make the last time you played with blocks? Which animal has the softest fur? What do you like on a sandwich? What game do you like to play with a friend? What do you like to wear when it is cold? What is your favorite bedtime story about? What sound makes you giggle? Which animal do you pretend to be when you crawl? What do you like best in this classroom so far? Time: 10 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: a teddy bear.
Same and Different Partners 1. Children sit facing a partner. 2. The adult asks a question, and partners find out whether they are the same or different. 3. Same: both pat their heads. Different: both wiggle their fingers. 4. Eight questions: Do your shoes close with a strap? Do you have pockets today? Do you like milk? Do you like to climb? Do you like the rain? Do you have a zipper today? Are your socks the same color as your partner's? Can you whistle? 5. Change partners halfway. Time: 8 min. Sitting or moving: sitting. Props: none.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-01 for the first weeks with children of 4 to 6 who cannot read yet. Every game is run by the adult's voice: the children read nothing and write nothing. The steps are our own wording of traditional circle games and greetings that nobody owns, and the prompts printed inside them (30 endings for Stand Up If You Like, 20 questions for Pass the Teddy and Answer and the shorter lists) are our own work. None of these games has a rule book, and classrooms run them in many ways, so each set of steps is one good way to play. "A first day" means that no child has to know another child's name yet. Any child may pass in any game. No game has contact, a winner, a loser or a child sent out, and no prompt asks about family members, money, health or beliefs. Minutes and the age band are the editors' planning estimates, not measurements, and nothing here claims to follow a curriculum or to have been reviewed by an expert. No game repeats one from the youth group ice breaker games page or the group games for kids page on this site. Licence: own work