Kids Group Games for One Leader, Plus 28 Games for Home
Fox and Rabbit Ball Chase1. Stand or sit in a ring. Give a small ball, the rabbit, to one player and a bigger ball, the fox, to the player opposite. 2. The rabbit is passed around the ring from neighbor to neighbor, in either direction. 3. The fox is passed the same way and tries to catch the rabbit. Either ball may change direction at any time. 4. The fox wins when one player ends up holding both balls. Then the rabbit gets a head start and the chase begins again. 5. No throwing across the ring: every pass goes to the next pair of hands. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard, classroom. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: two balls of different sizes.
Jump the Beanbag Rope1. Tie a beanbag or a rolled sock to the end of a jump rope. Players stand in a ring around the leader. 2. The leader crouches in the middle and swings the rope in a circle along the floor, so the beanbag passes under everyone's feet. 3. Players jump as it comes. Keep the beanbag below ankle height all the way around. 4. A player the rope touches steps out for one turn, claps the rhythm for the jumpers and steps back in. 5. Change direction after ten swings. An adult or an older child does the swinging. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 15. Time: 8 min. Props: a jump rope and a beanbag or rolled sock.
Hawk and Hens1. Make lines of six to eight. The front player of each line is the mother hen, arms spread wide. Everyone behind is a chick and holds the waist or shoulders of the player in front. 2. One hawk faces each line and tries to tag a chick. The one at the back is the easiest to reach. 3. The hen blocks by turning and sidestepping, and the line swings behind her. The line must not break. 4. Caught players: a tagged chick becomes the new hawk, the old hawk becomes the hen, and the old hen joins the back. 5. Play on grass or a clear floor, since the tail of the line swings fast. Hold shoulders or waists, never clothing. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
These kids group games suit one adult and 8 to 30 kids: 52 games with numbered steps, a fair team split and a way back in for anyone caught. A separate set of 28 is for one to three kids.
Start with how many kids
The page opens on 12 kids, so the first three are group games. Change How many kids to your own number and every game shown fits it. Choose 1, 2 or 3 for the 28 games for kids at home, which use socks, coins, a deck of cards or nothing, and say how much mess and noise to expect.
Space, kit and ages
More options holds three more filters. Space has Hall or gym, Field or yard, Classroom and At home. No kit keeps the 26 easy group games for kids that need nothing, and 12 of the home set. Youngest player drops games rated above that age. The 12 team games for kids each open with a way to split sides without captains.
Tips
A tag here is a light touch on the shoulder, arm or upper back. Show it before the first game.
Print puts your games on paper, steps included. Press the padlock to hold one game while the others change.
Questions and answers
What can one child play alone at home?
Seventeen of the 28 home games: choose 1 kid, playing alone. They include Clock Patience for One, Shut the Box on Paper, Book Domino Chain and Alphabet Hunt Around the House. Where a game needs two, a grown-up plays the second hand.
How do you split kids into fair teams?
Skip captains, so nobody is picked last. Line up by height and count off, deal red and black playing cards, split birthdays January to June against July to December, or pair kids of similar speed and send one of each pair to each side.
What happens to kids who get caught?
They keep playing. In Bulldog With Tags, Not Tackles they join the catchers, and in Blob Tag That Splits at Four they become half of a chasing pair. In the River, On the Bank moves them to a second line. Nobody sits and watches.
Which games work in a classroom?
Ten: Fruit Salad, Find the Motion Leader, Bird, Beast or Fish, Backward Commands, Heads Down, Thumbs Up, Who Is Missing? and four more. Choose Classroom under Space. Six of the ten need no kit at all.
Charades Ideas by Theme and AgeCharades decks by crowd, format and occasion: funny scenes for adults, kids, teens, whole-team and telephone charades, animals, Bible stories and holidays.
Beanbag Rescue Tag1. Choose two taggers and hand three beanbags to three of the runners. 2. A runner holding a beanbag cannot be tagged, but may hold it for a count of five at most. 3. Runners throw a beanbag underarm to whoever is being chased. Catch it and you are safe. Drop it and anyone may pick it up. 4. Caught players: a tagged runner swaps jobs with the tagger. 5. Use beanbags or rolled socks, never a hard ball, and throw below shoulder height. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: three beanbags or rolled pairs of socks.
Blob Tag That Splits at Four1. Two players join hands as the blob and chase the rest. 2. A tagged runner joins hands with the blob. 3. When a blob reaches four players it splits into two pairs, and both pairs keep chasing. 4. Only a blob with hands joined can tag. A broken blob must rejoin first. 5. Caught players: always become part of a pair, so the chasing side grows until one runner is left. What changes here: the split at four means no long chain whips around a corner. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Bulldog With Tags, Not Tackles1. Mark two safe lines about 20 paces apart. One or two bulldogs stand in the middle and everyone else lines up on one side. 2. On the leader's call, all the runners cross to the far line. 3. A bulldog catches a runner with a light touch on the shoulder, arm or upper back. No grabbing, lifting or tackling: this page plays the game as tag only. 4. Caught players: join the bulldogs for the next crossing, so nobody waits at the side. 5. The last runner caught starts the next game in the middle. What changes here: tag only, and one walking-pace crossing first so new players learn the lines. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Show all 80 games (77 more)
Tag and chase games, continued
Color Tag1. Mark the boundary and choose one tagger. 2. The tagger calls a color, such as green, and counts to three. 3. Everyone runs to touch something of that color: a wall stripe, a cone, a friend's sleeve. A player touching the color is safe. Clothes and objects count; hair, eyes and skin do not. 4. The tagger chases anyone still looking. If everybody gets there, the tagger calls a new color and everyone must move. 5. Caught players: the first runner tagged becomes the next tagger, so nobody sits out. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Cross Tag1. The tagger names one runner out loud and chases only that runner. 2. Any other player may run between the two. The player who crosses becomes the new target, and the tagger must switch. 3. Runners keep crossing to rescue whoever is tiring. 4. Caught players: a tagged runner becomes the tagger and names a new target at once. 5. With more than 15 kids, split the space and run two games side by side. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Hawk and Hens1. Make lines of six to eight. The front player of each line is the mother hen, arms spread wide. Everyone behind is a chick and holds the waist or shoulders of the player in front. 2. One hawk faces each line and tries to tag a chick. The one at the back is the easiest to reach. 3. The hen blocks by turning and sidestepping, and the line swings behind her. The line must not break. 4. Caught players: a tagged chick becomes the new hawk, the old hawk becomes the hen, and the old hen joins the back. 5. Play on grass or a clear floor, since the tail of the line swings fast. Hold shoulders or waists, never clothing. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Loose Caboose1. Make trains of three: an engine in front, a car and a caboose, each holding the shoulders of the player ahead. 2. Two or three players start as loose cabooses with no train. 3. A loose caboose tries to hook on to the back of any train, while the train twists and runs to keep its tail away. 4. When a loose caboose hooks on, the engine of that train breaks off and becomes a loose caboose. 5. Caught players: nobody is out, because every catch only changes who is loose. A train that comes apart must stop and rejoin before it moves. Ages: 6 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Pass and Touch Tag1. Two players start as the tagging team with one soft ball. Everyone else scatters inside the boundary. 2. A tagger holding the ball may not take a step. Taggers move only when they do not have the ball, so they pass it to close in on a runner. 3. A runner is caught when a tagger touches them with the ball held in the hand. A thrown ball never counts. 4. Caught players: join the tagging team at once, so the passing gets quicker as the game goes on. 5. The last two runners start the next game as taggers. Ages: 8 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: one soft ball.
Safe Hoop Bump Tag1. Scatter one hoop for every five players. Choose one tagger for every ten. 2. A runner standing in a hoop is safe, but a hoop holds one player only. 3. Any runner may step up to a full hoop and say 'bump'. The player inside must leave at once. 4. Nobody may go straight back to the hoop they just left. 5. Caught players: swap with the tagger and count to three before chasing. No hoops? Chalk circles or loops of jump rope work. Ages: 6 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: hoops, chalk circles or loops of jump rope.
Shake Your Shadow1. Everyone finds a partner and stands one behind the other. The front player is the leader, the back player the shadow. 2. On the first whistle the leaders walk, jog, turn and dodge, and the shadows try to stay within reach. 3. On the second whistle everyone freezes on the spot. 4. A shadow who can touch the leader's shoulder without moving a foot scores a point. Otherwise the leader scores. 5. Swap jobs and go again; six rounds make a game. Caught players: nobody is out. With an odd number, one leader has two shadows. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Snake in the Grass1. Mark a square about eight paces across. One player, the snake, lies face down in the middle. 2. Everyone else puts one finger on the snake's back. The leader calls 'snake in the grass' and they scatter inside the square. 3. The snake slithers on its belly and tags feet and ankles. Runners stay on their feet, inside the lines, and step around a snake, never over one. 4. Caught players: become snakes too, until one runner is left to start the next round as the first snake. 5. Play on grass, carpet or a clean hall floor, and keep the square small so the snakes stand a chance. Ages: 5 to 9. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Squat Tag With a Rescue1. Choose one tagger for every ten players. 2. A runner who squats down with both hands on the floor cannot be tagged. 3. The catch: a squatting runner may not stand up again until another runner taps them on the shoulder. 4. So squatting buys safety and costs freedom, and the free runners decide who gets back in. 5. Caught players: a runner tagged while standing swaps jobs with the tagger. Change taggers every two minutes anyway. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Circle and guessing games 14
Bird, Beast or Fish1. Sit in a ring with one player in the middle. 2. The middle player points at someone, says 'bird', 'beast' or 'fish', and counts to ten out loud. 3. The player pointed at must name one, such as heron for bird, before the count ends. 4. No animal may be named twice in a game. 5. A player who runs out of time or repeats an animal swaps into the middle. For ages nine and up, count to five. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, classroom. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Cat and Mouse Through the Ring1. Everyone but two joins hands in a ring. The mouse starts inside, the cat outside. 2. The cat tries to tag the mouse. Both may run in and out of the ring. 3. The ring helps the mouse: arms lift to make an arch for the mouse and drop to block the cat. Arms only, no feet. 4. When the mouse is tagged, or after one minute, both choose a new cat and mouse. 5. With more than 20 kids, make two rings. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Catch, Don't Catch1. Stand in a ring with the leader in the middle holding a soft ball. 2. The leader tosses the ball underarm to any player and says 'catch' or 'don't catch'. 3. The player must do the opposite: on 'catch', keep both hands down and let the ball bounce off; on 'don't catch', catch it. 4. A mistake costs a lap. The player jogs once around the outside of the ring and rejoins. 5. After ten throws, a player who has made no mistake takes over in the middle. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: one soft ball.
Find the Motion Leader1. Sit or stand in a ring. One player, the detective, leaves the room or turns away with eyes covered. 2. The group silently picks a motion leader. 3. The leader starts a motion, such as patting knees, and everyone copies. The detective comes back to the middle. 4. The leader changes the motion every few seconds, and the group follows without staring at the leader. 5. The detective has three guesses. Then the leader becomes the next detective. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard, classroom. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Fox and Rabbit Ball Chase1. Stand or sit in a ring. Give a small ball, the rabbit, to one player and a bigger ball, the fox, to the player opposite. 2. The rabbit is passed around the ring from neighbor to neighbor, in either direction. 3. The fox is passed the same way and tries to catch the rabbit. Either ball may change direction at any time. 4. The fox wins when one player ends up holding both balls. Then the rabbit gets a head start and the chase begins again. 5. No throwing across the ring: every pass goes to the next pair of hands. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard, classroom. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: two balls of different sizes.
Fruit Salad1. Sit everyone in a ring of chairs with one player standing in the middle, so there is one chair fewer than players. 2. Go around the ring naming each player apple, banana, orange or grape. 3. The middle player calls a fruit. Everyone with that name changes seats while the caller tries to take one. 4. On 'fruit salad' everybody moves. Nobody may take the seat next to the one they just left. 5. Whoever is left standing calls next. No chairs? Use floor spots, and walk fast in place of running. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: hall or gym, classroom. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a chair or a floor spot for every player but one.
Heads Down, Thumbs Up1. Choose one picker for every four players, up to seven, and bring them to the front. Everyone else sits at a desk or on the floor. 2. A picker calls 'heads down, thumbs up'. The sitters rest their heads on their arms, eyes closed, with one thumb up. 3. Each picker quietly presses down one thumb and goes back to the front. Give it about a minute. 4. On 'heads up, stand up' the players whose thumbs were pressed stand, and each has one guess at who chose them. 5. A right guess swaps the guesser with that picker. A wrong guess sits down. Later guessers have fewer pickers left to choose from, so start the guessing from a different side of the room each round. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: hall or gym, classroom. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Jump the Beanbag Rope1. Tie a beanbag or a rolled sock to the end of a jump rope. Players stand in a ring around the leader. 2. The leader crouches in the middle and swings the rope in a circle along the floor, so the beanbag passes under everyone's feet. 3. Players jump as it comes. Keep the beanbag below ankle height all the way around. 4. A player the rope touches steps out for one turn, claps the rhythm for the jumpers and steps back in. 5. Change direction after ten swings. An adult or an older child does the swinging. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 15. Time: 8 min. Props: a jump rope and a beanbag or rolled sock.
Queenie, Who Has the Ball?1. One player, Queenie, stands with their back to the group, who stand in a line a few paces behind. 2. Queenie throws a soft ball backward over one shoulder without looking. 3. Whoever gets the ball hides it behind their back, and everyone else puts their hands behind their backs too. 4. The group chants 'Queenie, Queenie, who has the ball?' Queenie turns around and has three guesses. 5. If Queenie guesses right, Queenie goes again. If not, the player with the ball is the new Queenie. Ages: 5 to 9. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: one soft ball.
Race the Ball Round the Ring1. Stand in a ring, an arm's length apart. One runner stands outside the ring, next to the player holding the ball. 2. On 'go' the ball is passed hand to hand around the ring while the runner sprints around the outside. 3. If the runner gets back to the start first, the runner scores. If the ball gets home first, the ring scores. 4. The next player in the ring becomes the runner. 5. Too easy for the ring? Everyone takes one step back, or the ball goes around twice. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: one ball.
Rolling Dodge in the Ring1. Half the group makes a big ring. The other half stands inside it. 2. The ring rolls one soft ball along the floor, trying to touch the feet of the players inside. Rolling only: a ball that leaves the floor does not count. 3. A dodger touched below the knee joins the ring and becomes a roller. 4. When one dodger is left, the halves swap over. 5. For more than 20 kids, add a second ball. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 10 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: one or two soft foam balls.
Spin the Plate by Number1. Sit in a ring and number off, so every player has a number. 2. One player stands a plastic plate on its edge in the middle, spins it and calls a number. 3. The player with that number jumps up and tries to catch the plate before it falls flat. 4. Catch it or miss it, that player spins next. The ring keeps count of catches as one team score. 5. A spinner may not call the number that was called last. Use a plastic plate or a pan lid on a hard floor. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, classroom. Players: 8 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: one plastic plate or pan lid.
Through the Gates1. Stand in a ring with feet wide apart, each foot touching a neighbor's foot. The space between your feet is your gate. 2. Players bend forward and bat a soft ball along the floor with open hands, trying to send it through someone else's gate. 3. Guard your own gate with your hands only. Feet stay planted. 4. When the ball goes through your gate, fetch it and play on with one hand behind your back. The second time, turn around and play facing outward. 5. No catching and no lifting the ball: it must roll. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: one soft ball.
Who Is Missing?1. Everyone sits in a ring. One player, the guesser, covers their eyes in the middle. 2. The leader silently points at one player, who tiptoes out of the door or behind a screen. 3. Everyone else quickly changes places, so the gap does not give it away. 4. The guesser looks up and has 20 seconds and two guesses to name who is missing. 5. The missing player becomes the next guesser. With a group that knows each other well, send two players out at once. Ages: 5 to 9. Space: hall or gym, classroom. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Signal games, where the leader calls 9
Backward Commands1. Teach four commands in pairs of opposites: walk and stop, jump and crouch. 2. Round one: players do what the leader says. 3. Round two: walk means stop and stop means walk. Round three: jump and crouch swap as well. 4. A player who slips puts one hand on their head for the next two commands, then plays on with both hands free. 5. For ages nine and up add a third swapped pair: clap, and say your name. Keep rounds to a minute. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard, classroom. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
The Bean Game1. Players spread out and jog around the space. 2. The leader calls a bean and everyone does its action: runner bean, run on the spot; jumping bean, jump; broad bean, stretch out wide; string bean, stand tall and thin; baked bean, lie down flat; jelly bean, wobble; frozen bean, freeze. 3. Teach three beans first and add one every minute. 4. Let a child call the beans for the last round. 5. Caught players: there are none. It is a warm-up with no losers, so it suits the first five minutes with a new group. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Body Letters in Fives1. Teams: line up by height and count off along the line, so every team of four or five gets tall and short players. 2. The leader calls a capital letter. 3. Each team makes the letter with their bodies, lying on the floor, with every member used. 4. The leader walks around and gives a point to the first clear letter. 5. Move on to two-letter words, then to a number. Play on a clean floor or on grass. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Busy Bees, Elbow to Elbow1. Everyone finds a partner. One spare player, or the leader, is the caller. 2. The caller names two matching parts, such as 'elbow to elbow' or 'back to back', and partners touch them together. 3. Keep to elbows, hands, backs, shoulders, knees and feet. 4. On 'busy bees' everyone buzzes off to find a new partner, and the caller grabs one too. 5. Whoever is left without a partner is the next caller. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard, classroom. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
Grandmother's Footsteps, Team Steal1. Grandmother stands at one end with her back to the group and a bunch of keys on the floor behind her heels. Everyone else starts on the far line. 2. The group creeps forward. Whenever Grandmother turns around, everyone freezes. Anyone she sees moving goes back to the start line. 3. When a player reaches the keys, they pick them up and the whole group heads for home, passing the keys secretly from hand to hand behind backs. 4. Each time Grandmother turns she may guess once who is holding the keys. A right guess sends the keys back to her heels. 5. If the keys cross the start line, the group wins and the carrier becomes Grandmother. What changes here: the group plays as one team against the watcher, and nobody is eliminated. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a bunch of keys or a beanbag.
Here, There, Where1. Players spread out facing the leader. 2. On 'here' everyone runs toward the leader. On 'there' they run to wherever the leader points. On 'where' they stop, shrug and jog on the spot. 3. The leader speeds up, then starts to trick the group: calling 'here' while pointing away. Words win over arms. 4. A player who goes the wrong way does three jumping jacks and rejoins. 5. One minute for each caller, then a child leads. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
In the River, On the Bank1. Find a long line: a painted court line, a rope or chalk. One side is the river, the other is the bank. Everyone stands on the bank, toes to the line. 2. The leader calls 'in the river' or 'on the bank' and players jump, two feet together, to the right side. 3. If you are already there, stay still. The leader tries to catch players out by repeating a call, or by calling 'in the bank' or 'on the river', which mean nothing. 4. Caught players: move to a second line beside the first and keep playing there, so everyone jumps until the end. 5. The last jumper on the first line calls the next game. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: a line on the floor: a court line, a rope or chalk.
Points of Contact1. Teams: call 'get into threes' and let any leftovers make a four. 2. The leader calls a number, such as seven. 3. Each group must balance so that exactly that many body parts touch the floor between them. A foot counts one, a hand one, a seat one. 4. Hold still for a count of five to score. 5. Work down from a big number to a small one. No lifting or carrying a teammate: everyone keeps at least one part on the floor. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Squirrels in Trees1. Make groups of three. Two players face each other and join hands to make a tree. The third stands between them as the squirrel. 2. One or two spare players are squirrels without a tree. 3. On 'squirrels' every squirrel runs to a different tree, and the spare squirrels try to get one. On 'trees' the trees let go, move and form over a new squirrel with a new partner. On 'forest fire' everybody changes, and any job is allowed. 4. Whoever is left without a place makes the next call. 5. If the numbers divide by three exactly, the leader plays as the spare squirrel. Ages: 6 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Team games, with a way to split the teams 12
Catcher in the Hoop1. Teams: pair up by height, then one of each pair goes to each side. Mark a court with a center line and put a hoop on the floor behind each end line. Each team sends one catcher to the hoop behind the other team. 2. Teams pass a ball among themselves and try to throw it to their catcher. No running with the ball and no snatching it from hands. 3. When the catcher catches it cleanly with both feet in the hoop, the thrower goes to stand beside the hoop as a second catcher. 4. Defenders may block passes with their hands but stay an arm's length from the thrower. 5. The first team to get everyone to the catching end wins, or the team with more catchers after ten minutes. Ages: 8 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 24. Time: 12 min. Props: one ball, two hoops or chalk circles.
Clear the Yard1. Teams: two, split by counting off along a line, one team in each half. Divide the space with a row of cones. 2. Share out 20 or more soft things to throw: rolled socks, foam balls, scrunched paper. 3. For 60 seconds both teams throw everything on their side over the line, aimed at the floor and never at people. 4. On the whistle, hands go up and nothing else is thrown. A late throw costs that team two items. 5. Count each side. The side with fewer items wins the round. Play five rounds. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: 20 or more rolled socks, foam balls or paper balls, a row of cones.
Corner Change Race1. Teams: count off in fours, and each team sits in a line in its own corner. 2. The leader calls a way of moving: hop, skip, sidestep or giant strides. 3. On the whistle each team crosses to the corner diagonally opposite, moving that way, so all four pass through the middle at once. 4. The first team sitting in a straight line with arms folded scores three, the second two, the third one. 5. The middle gets crowded, so heads up, and no running calls: keep to the slower moves. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 12 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Crab Football1. Teams: birthdays from January to June against July to December, then even up. Mark a goal with two cones at each end. 2. Everyone but the two goalkeepers moves in the crab position: hands and feet on the floor, tummy up. 3. Players kick a large soft ball toward the other goal. No hands, except for the goalkeeper, who may stand and handle the ball. 4. The leader drops the ball in the middle to start and after every goal. 5. First team to five goals wins, or play four-minute halves. What changes here: a big light ball, a standing goalkeeper and short halves, because crab walking tires wrists fast. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 24. Time: 10 min. Props: one large soft ball, four cones.
Domes and Dishes1. Teams: two, the domes and the dishes, split by the month of each birthday: odd months against even. Scatter 20 or more flat cones, half the right way up (domes) and half upside down (dishes). Plastic cups work too, half standing and half on their sides. 2. On 'go' each team flips cones to its own way up, using hands only. 3. No guarding a cone, no kicking and no carrying cones away. 4. After 60 seconds the whistle goes and everyone steps back with hands on heads. 5. Count domes and dishes. Play three rounds, and make the middle one walking only. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: 20 or more flat cones or plastic cups.
Hens, Vipers and Foxes1. Teams: stand in a line by birthday and count off one, two, three. Give each team a color of bib or wristband and a home camp in its own corner. 2. Hens tag vipers, vipers tag foxes and foxes tag hens. So every player is hunting one team and running from another. 3. A tagged player walks to the camp of the team that caught them. 4. A free teammate who reaches the camp and touches a prisoner walks them home. Release rules vary, and this is the simplest. 5. Players are safe in their own camp for a count of ten. After eight minutes the team holding the most prisoners wins. Ages: 8 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 12 to 30. Time: 12 min. Props: bibs or wristbands in three colors, cones for three camps.
Prisoner's Base1. Teams: pair up with someone about as fast as you, then one of each pair goes to each side. Mark a base line at each end and a prison box beside it. 2. Each team stands in a chain holding hands, with one end touching its base. 3. On the whistle the player at the far end of each chain lets go and runs out, and each tries to tag the other. Every few seconds the leader calls 'next' and another end player joins in. 4. When two players meet, the one who left base more recently makes the tag, so run home and touch base to recharge. A tagged player walks to the other team's prison. 5. A free teammate who reaches the prison and touches a prisoner's hand walks them home. After eight minutes the team holding more prisoners wins. This is one common way to play; rules vary. Ages: 8 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 10 to 30. Time: 12 min. Props: chalk or four cones to mark the prisons.
Quick Line-Up1. Teams: count off in fours. The four teams stand in lines that form a square around the leader: one in front, one behind, one on each side, all facing in. 2. Each team remembers where it stands against the leader's front, back, left or right, and its own order along the line. 3. The leader jogs to a new spot, turns to face a new way and shouts 'line up'. 4. Teams race to rebuild the square around the leader in the same positions and the same order. The first team standing still with hands up scores. 5. After three turns the leader runs farther and spins more. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 12 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Skittle Battle, Rolling Only1. Teams: two, split by dealing red and black playing cards. Mark a center line. Each team stands five plastic bottles or cones along its own back line. 2. Share out four soft balls. Players roll balls along the floor to knock over the other team's skittles. 3. Rolling only, and only from your own half. If a ball bounces above knee height and knocks a skittle down, the skittle goes back up. 4. Players may block a rolling ball with hands or feet, but may not stand within a stride of their own skittles. 5. A team wins when all five of the other side's skittles are down, or when it has more standing after five minutes. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym. Players: 8 to 24. Time: 10 min. Props: ten plastic bottles or cones, four soft balls, a deck of cards for the split.
Steal the Bacon With Sum Calls1. Teams: line up by height and count off one, two along the line. The teams face each other on lines about ten paces apart, with a beanbag, the bacon, in the middle. 2. Number each team from one upward, so every player has an opposite number. 3. The leader calls a number, or a sum whose answer is the number, such as 'two plus three'. Both fives run out. 4. Carry the bacon back over your own line for a point. Once a player touches the bacon the opponent may tag them, and a tagged carrier gives the point away. 5. Call two numbers at once, or 'steal the bacon' for everyone. The leader calls every number equally often. What changes here: sums for calls, double calls and the all-in call. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: one beanbag.
Stealing Sticks1. Teams: the leader deals one playing card to each player, reds against blacks. Mark a center line. Each team lays six sticks or beanbags in a row at the back of its own half, with a prison box beside them. 2. Players cross the line to steal. Anyone tagged in the other team's half goes to that team's prison. 3. A raider who reaches the sticks untagged takes one, holds it up and walks home free. One stick for each trip. 4. A raider who reaches the prison may walk one prisoner home by the hand instead. 5. The team that holds all twelve sticks wins, or the team with more after ten minutes. What changes here against capture the flag: nothing is hidden, there are many prizes, and a carrier walks home safe, so young players score too. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 10 to 30. Time: 12 min. Props: twelve sticks or beanbags, chalk or cones, a deck of cards for the split.
Wheel Spokes Race1. Teams: stand in a circle and count off in fours. Each number forms a line like the spoke of a wheel, sitting one behind another and facing the hub. 2. Number the players in each spoke from the hub outward. 3. The leader calls a number. Those players stand, run clockwise around the outside of the whole wheel and back to their place. 4. The first one sitting down in place scores a point for the spoke. 5. Runners overtake on the outside only. Call every number once before any number twice. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 12 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Hall line relays 5
Corner Spry1. Teams of five or six, made by counting off along a line. Each team stands in a short curved row facing its captain, who holds a ball three paces away. 2. The captain throws to the first player, who throws it back, then to the second, and so on down the row. 3. When the last player catches the ball, they run out to become captain. The old captain joins the start of the row and everyone shuffles along. 4. The first team to get its first captain back in front sits down and wins. 5. A dropped ball goes back to the thrower and that throw is taken again. Underarm throws for under-eights. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: one ball for each team.
Pattern Copy Relay1. Around a corner or behind a screen, the leader lays eight colored pencils or building bricks in a row, in an order the teams cannot see. Each team has the same eight in a pile. 2. One runner at a time walks to look at the pattern for five seconds, then returns. 3. Back home, the runner may place or move one piece and say one sentence to the team. 4. Then the next runner goes. 5. The first team whose row matches the pattern, checked by the leader, wins. Walking only: a runner who runs misses their look. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: hall or gym, classroom. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 10 min. Props: a matching set of eight colored pencils or bricks for the leader and each team.
Rescue Relay1. Teams of four to six line up behind a start line. The captain of each team stands on a second line ten paces away. 2. On 'go' the captain runs to the team, takes the first player by the hand and runs with them back to the far line. 3. The rescued player runs back alone for the next teammate, and so on. 4. The first team with everyone across and sitting down wins. 5. Hold hands, not sleeves, and the faster runner matches the slower one's pace. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
Roll to Thirty Relay1. Teams of four to six line up behind a start line. Put one die in a hoop or a tray for each team, ten paces away. 2. On 'go' the first runner runs to the die, rolls it once, shouts the number and runs back to tag the next runner. 3. The team adds each roll to its running total, out loud. 4. The first team to reach 30 or more sits down. 5. For ages nine and up the team must land on exactly 30, and a roll that would go over counts as zero. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: one die and a tray or hoop for each team.
Zigzag Weave Relay1. Teams of five to eight stand in lines, an arm's length between players, all facing forward. 2. On 'go' the back player weaves in and out of the teammates up to the front, takes one big step forward and shouts 'go'. 3. The new back player sets off at the shout. Standing players keep still with arms by their sides. 4. When the player who began at the front has woven through and is back at the front, the team sits down. 5. Round two: weave at walking pace, backward. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: hall or gym, field or yard. Players: 10 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
At home, 1 to 3 kids, nothing bought 28
Alphabet Hunt Around the House1. Name any rooms that are off limits. Start at A. 2. Find something in the house that begins with the letter, touch it and say it out loud: armchair, book, cushion. 3. Work through the alphabet in order. Q, X and Z may be skipped, and count double if you do find one. 4. Two or three players take turns, letter by letter. A player stuck for a count of ten takes a strike, and three strikes end the game. 5. One child counts how many letters they reach before a third strike, then starts again in a different room. Walking only. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Back Writing1. One player sits with their back to the other. 2. The writer traces a capital letter on the sitter's back with one finger, slowly, in big strokes. 3. The sitter guesses the letter. Three letters right and you move on to short words, one letter at a time. 4. Swap after each word. 5. With three kids, sit in a row: the back player passes a letter forward and the front player says what arrived. One child: a grown-up's back works too. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 5 to 10. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Beggar My Neighbor1. Deal the whole deck face down between the players. Nobody looks at their cards. 2. Take turns turning your top card onto a middle pile. 3. When an ace, king, queen or jack appears, the next player must pay: four cards for an ace, three for a king, two for a queen, one for a jack. 4. If the payment is all number cards, the player of the picture card takes the whole pile and puts it under their own. If a picture card turns up during the payment, the payment stops and the next player pays for that one. 5. Whoever ends up with all the cards wins. Set a 15-minute timer: the most cards at the bell wins. One child: a grown-up plays the second hand. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 15 min. Props: a deck of cards.
Book Domino Chain1. Collect 15 to 30 paperbacks, DVD cases or cereal boxes. 2. Stand them on end in a line on the floor, each close enough to knock over the next. Add a bend, then a step down off a big book. 3. Players build a section each and join them up. 4. Count down from three and tip the first one. Count how many fall without help. 5. Rebuild to beat the record: more pieces, a sharper bend, a split into two lines. Paperbacks only. Library books and old hardbacks stay on the shelf. Mess: some. Noise: some. Ages: 5 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 15 min. Props: 15 to 30 paperbacks, DVD cases or cereal boxes.
Clock Patience for One1. Shuffle a full deck with no jokers. Deal twelve face-down piles of four in a circle like the hours on a clock, and the last four cards face down in the middle. 2. Turn over the top card of the middle pile. Tuck it face up under the pile for its hour: ace at one o'clock, two at two, up to jack at eleven and queen at twelve. Kings go under the middle pile. 3. Turn over the top card of the pile you just fed, and carry on. 4. You win if every card is face up before the fourth king appears. 5. It is pure luck, and a win comes about one game in 13, so count the cards you turned and try to beat that. Two or three kids take turns turning a card and win or lose together. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: a deck of cards.
Coin Shove to the Table Edge1. Each player takes three matching coins. Play along a smooth table, from one end. 2. Put a coin half over the near edge and shove it once with the heel of your hand. 3. The aim is to stop as close to the far edge as you can without falling off. A coin that falls is out of the round. 4. After everyone has shoved three coins, the coin nearest the far edge scores a point. First to five. 5. One child alone tries to beat their own closest shove. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: a few coins and a smooth table.
Don't Say Yes or No1. One player asks and one answers. Set a one-minute timer. 2. The asker fires quick questions: 'Is your name Sam? Are you sure? Do you like pizza?' 3. The answerer must reply to every one, truthfully, without saying yes or no and without nodding or shaking their head. 4. Last the minute and you score a point. Slip and the turn ends. 5. Swap over. With three, the third player keeps time and watches for nods. One child: a grown-up asks first. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 6 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
Five Stones With Buttons1. Sit on the floor with five big buttons or dried beans. 2. Scatter four on the floor and keep one as the jack. 3. Toss the jack up, pick up one button with the same hand and catch the jack before it lands. Do that until you hold all five. 4. Next round pick up two at a time, then three and one, then all four at once. A miss ends your turn, and you start that round again next time. 5. For a quick contest, toss all five from your palm and count how many you can catch on the back of the same hand. Not for a house with a crawling baby: count the five back into a jar afterward. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: five big buttons or dried beans.
Flamingo Stand Count-Up1. Stand in a clear space, an arm's length from any furniture. 2. Lift one foot and count out loud, slowly, until it touches down. That number is your score. 3. Try the other leg. Most people find one side steadier. 4. Level two is with arms folded. Level three is with eyes shut, which is much harder. 5. Two or three players start together and the last foot down wins. One child tries to beat the record for each leg. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 4 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Guess the Household Sound1. The guesser sits with their back turned. 2. The sound maker collects six safe things that make a noise: keys, a zipper, a pen that clicks, a spoon in a mug, a book closing, a page turning. 3. Make one sound at a time. The guesser gets two guesses for each. 4. Score one for each right answer, then swap jobs and find six new things. 5. No scissors, no glass and nothing with a blade. One child: a grown-up makes the sounds first, then swaps. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 4 to 9. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: six household objects that make a sound.
Guess, Then Count the House1. Choose something the house has a lot of: doors, windows, chairs, light switches, stairs. 2. Every player says a guess out loud before anyone moves. 3. Walk through the house and count together, touching each one as you go. 4. The closest guess scores a point and chooses what to count next. 5. One child plays against their own guess, and within two either way is a win. Harder: drawer handles, or every leg on the furniture in one room. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 5 to 9. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Hallway Animal Walks1. Clear a hallway or the longest stretch of carpet in the house. 2. Travel one length as each animal: bear on hands and feet, crab with tummy up, frog in squat jumps, penguin with heels together and tiny steps, inchworm by walking the hands out and then the feet up to meet them. 3. Count your moves for each length and try to do it in fewer. 4. Two or three players go one at a time while the others call the next animal. 5. Invent a sixth animal and teach it. Bare feet or shoes, not socks, on a hard floor. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 4 to 9. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Higher or Lower, Ten Guesses1. One player writes down a secret number from 1 to 100 and folds the paper. 2. The guesser names a number, and the keeper answers only 'higher', 'lower' or 'got it'. 3. Count the guesses. Ten is the limit. 4. Swap over. Fewest guesses wins the pair of rounds. 5. The trick to teach afterward: a guesser who always picks the middle of what is left needs at most seven guesses for 1 to 100, and at most ten for 1 to 1,000. For ages five and six play 1 to 20. One child: a grown-up keeps the number. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 5 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and a pencil.
House of Cards, Three Stories1. Work on carpet or a tablecloth, never a slippery table, and use an old deck. 2. Lean two cards together into a tent. Build a second tent beside it and lay a card flat across the two peaks. 3. Build the next story on that roof. 4. Two or three players build side by side with a third of the deck each. The tallest house standing after ten minutes wins. 5. One child goes for three stories, which takes 15 cards: three tents and two roof cards at the bottom, two tents and one roof card above, and one tent on top. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: an old deck of cards.
I'm Thinking of a Word That Rhymes1. One player thinks of a word and gives a rhyme as the clue: 'I am thinking of a word that rhymes with cat.' 2. Guessers do not say their guess. They describe it: 'Is it something you wear on your head?' 3. The thinker has to work out the guess and answer with it: 'No, it is not a hat.' 4. Whoever describes the right word thinks of the next one. 5. If the thinker cannot work out a fair description in ten seconds, the guesser scores a point anyway. One child: a grown-up thinks of the first word. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 6 to 11. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Last Letter Chain1. Pick a category: animals, foods, places or first names. 2. The first player says a word from it. The next player must say one that begins with the last letter of that word: tiger, rabbit, turtle, eel. 3. No word may be used twice, and you have five seconds to answer. 4. A player who is stuck takes a strike and starts a new chain. Three strikes end the game. 5. Or play as one team and count how long a chain you can build in three minutes. One child: a grown-up takes every second word. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Paper Football Flick1. Fold a sheet of paper into a small tight triangle: that is the ball. Sit at opposite ends of a table. 2. Take turns giving the ball one push across the table. 3. If it stops hanging over the other player's edge without falling, that is a touchdown. 4. After a touchdown, stand the ball on one point under a fingertip and flick it through the other player's goalposts: both wrists on the table edge, thumb tips touching, index fingers pointing up. 5. Agree the points before you start, since house rules differ, and play to a time limit. With three, the winner stays on. Flick low, and the goalpost player keeps their face back from the table. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: one sheet of paper and a table.
Pick-Up Sticks With Pencils1. Hold a bundle of 20 to 30 unsharpened pencils, straws or sticks of dry spaghetti upright on the table and let go, so they fall in a tangled pile. 2. Take one stick at a time without moving any other stick. 3. Get it out clean and you go again. If another stick moves, your turn ends and the next player goes. 4. When the pile is gone, whoever holds the most sticks wins. 5. One child counts how many sticks they can lift in a row before a wobble, then drops the pile again to beat it. Mess: some. Noise: quiet. Ages: 5 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: 20 to 30 unsharpened pencils, straws or sticks of dry spaghetti.
Rainbow Touch Race1. Say the rainbow in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. 2. On 'go', walk fast to touch something red, then something orange, and on through the list, saying each color as you touch it. 3. Nothing may be used twice, and nothing you are wearing counts. 4. One child counts out loud while they hunt and tries for a lower count in a different room. Two or three race at once and may not touch the same object. 5. For round two, start from purple and work backward. Walking only indoors. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 4 to 8. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
Rock Paper Scissors Step Race1. Two players stand side by side at one wall, facing the far wall. 2. Play rock paper scissors. The winner steps forward: a win with rock is one step, with scissors two steps, with paper three. 3. Steps are heel to toe, so nobody leaps. 4. First to touch the far wall wins. With three, all throw at once and replay until one hand beats both others. 5. Short room? Go there and back. One child: a grown-up is the other racer. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Roll-and-Move Exercise Die1. Write six moves on paper, numbered one to six: 1 jumping jacks, 2 frog jumps, 3 toe touches, 4 spins, 5 high knees, 6 your choice. 2. Roll one die for the move. Roll again for how many, and double it. 3. Everybody does the move together, counting out loud. 4. After six rolls, each player swaps one move on the list for a new one. 5. One child plays it as a ten-minute wiggle break between homework tasks. Clear a space an arm's length all around first. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 4 to 10. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: one die, paper and a pencil.
Room Detective, Three Things Moved1. The detective studies the room for one minute, then waits outside the door. 2. The others move three things: a cushion to another chair, a book turned upside down, a lamp a foot to the left. Nothing breakable, and nothing hidden from view. 3. The detective returns and has two minutes to spot all three changes. 4. Score one for each change found, then swap jobs. 5. Make it harder with five changes, or easier by keeping to one corner of the room. One child: a grown-up moves the things. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 5 to 11. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Secret Code Note1. Write the alphabet in a row. Under it write the alphabet again, shifted three places, so A sits over D. 2. Each player writes a short message in code: find each letter in the top row and write the one beneath it. 3. Swap notes and decode by reading from the bottom row up. 4. First to read their message aloud wins the round. 5. Then choose a new shift and keep the number secret, so the decoder has to work it out. One child: a grown-up leaves a coded note that says where a small surprise is hidden. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 8 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 2 to 3. Time: 15 min. Props: paper and pencils.
Shelf Memory, Ten Things1. Pick a busy shelf, a fridge door or a windowsill. 2. Look at it for a slow count of 30. 3. Turn your back and name everything you can remember, counting on your fingers. 4. Turn around and check. Ten is a strong score. One child moves to a new shelf each round. 5. With two or three, the others keep their eyes on the shelf and count the right answers, then ask one question, such as 'What color is the mug?' Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 5 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
Shut the Box on Paper1. Write the numbers 1 to 9 in a row on paper. You need two dice. 2. Roll both dice and add them up. Cross out any open numbers that add up to the total: for 8 you could cross out 8, or 7 and 1, or 5, 2 and 1. 3. Roll again and keep going. Once 7, 8 and 9 are all crossed out, you may roll one die if you like. 4. Your turn ends when no open numbers fit the roll. Add up the numbers still open: that is your score, and low is good. 5. Cross out all nine and you have shut the box. One child plays for a lowest-ever score. Two or three take a row each. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 7 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 10 min. Props: two dice, paper and a pencil.
Sink or Float Predictions1. Half fill a dishpan or the kitchen sink and lay a towel beside it. 2. Collect ten small waterproof things: a coin, a cork, a plastic brick, a spoon, an apple, a crayon, a bottle cap. 3. Before each drop, every player says 'sink' or 'float' out loud. 4. Lower it in gently. One point for each right call. One child plays against their own predictions. 5. Finish with a challenge: shape a sheet of kitchen foil into a boat and count how many coins it carries before it sinks. An adult stays beside the water with any child under five. Mess: some. Noise: quiet. Ages: 4 to 9. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 12 min. Props: a dishpan of water, a towel, ten small waterproof objects, kitchen foil.
Sock Match Against the Clock1. Tip the clean sock basket onto a bed or a rug and mix the socks up. 2. Start a two-minute timer. 3. Find pairs and roll each pair into a ball. One child plays against the clock. Two or three take a corner of the pile each. 4. When the timer rings, count the rolled pairs. 5. Tip them out and try to beat the score, or play with eyes closed and match by feel. Mess: none. Noise: quiet. Ages: 4 to 10. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 6 min. Props: a basket of clean socks, a timer.
Standing Long Jump Ladder1. Lay a belt or a strip of paper on carpet as the take-off line, with clear floor ahead. 2. Stand with toes on the line, swing your arms and jump forward from two feet to two feet. 3. Mark where your heels landed with a rolled sock. 4. Each player gets three jumps and keeps their longest. One child tries to move their own sock forward. Siblings of different sizes each try to beat their own mark, not each other's. 5. Carpet, or a rug that cannot slide, only. No jumping in socks on a hard floor. Mess: none. Noise: some. Ages: 5 to 12. Space: at home, indoors. Players: 1 to 3. Time: 8 min. Props: a belt or a paper strip, a rolled sock for each jumper.
How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors for one adult leading 8 to 30 kids, with a separate set for one to three kids at home. Every game is a traditional one in our own words, and ages, group sizes and minutes are our planning estimates. Every game was screened for a child page: a tag is a light touch on the shoulder, arm or upper back, a ball is rolled and never thrown at a player, and there is no piggyback, blindfolded running, food game or tackling, which is why Bulldog is played as tag only. Rules vary from one hall to the next, and your school's or organization's rules on supervision and first aid come first. Rules were checked on 2026-09-19 against these English Wikipedia articles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the name): Tag_(game), British_Bulldog_(game), Statues_(game), Steal_the_bacon, Capture_the_flag, Crab_soccer, Fruit_Basket_Turnover, Heads_Up, Clock_Patience, Beggar-my-neighbour, Shut_the_box, Pick-up_sticks, Knucklebones, Paper_football. Licence: own work