Pass It Down the Line to the Shelf1. Children stand in a line from the toys to the shelf, an arm's length apart.2. The first child picks up one toy and hands it to the next. It goes hand to hand down the line.3. The last child puts it on the shelf. Nobody leaves their spot.4. Halfway through, the children at the two ends swap places.Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class. Time: about 5 min. Needs: nothing (the toys that are out). Ask after: What happens to the line if one of us leaves?
Give the Ball a Ride Around the Edge1. Hold the parachute at tummy height. An adult places one large soft ball near the edge. 2. The child nearest the ball lowers their hands a little, and the next child lifts as the ball rolls by. 3. Help the ball travel all the way around, past every child. 4. Send it back the other way. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class. Time: about 10 min. Needs: a play parachute, a large soft ball. Ask after: What did you do when the ball came to you?
The Leader's Hands Set the Waves1. One child stands a step away as the leader. The others hold the parachute. 2. The leader holds hands close together for small waves and wide apart for big waves. 3. Everyone watches the leader and makes waves of that size, no bigger and no smaller. 4. The leader shows flat hands for "stop", then picks the next leader. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 4 or more with a sheet. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a play parachute, or a bedsheet for a small group. Ask after: How did you know what size to make?
Lift the Sky on Three1. Everyone holds the edge of the parachute with two hands, down at the knees. 2. Count "one, two, three" together. On "three", all arms go up and the parachute fills like a sky. 3. Look up at the colors. Let it float down without pulling. 4. Do it again with a child doing the counting. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 4 or more with a sheet. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a play parachute, or a bedsheet for a small group. Ask after: What happens if only some of us lift?
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Parachute games, continued
The Parachute Elevator1. Everyone holds the edge with two hands. Name three floors: toes, tummy, top. 2. Call a floor. The whole parachute moves there slowly, staying flat like an elevator floor. 3. If one side gets there first, it waits for the others. 4. Let children take turns calling the floors. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 4 or more with a sheet. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a play parachute, or a bedsheet for a small group. Ask after: What did you do when your side was too fast?
Parachute Merry-Go-Round, Stop on the Drum1. Everyone turns to face the same way and holds the edge with the hand nearest the parachute. 2. Walk in a circle so that the parachute turns like a merry-go-round. 3. Tap a drum once and everyone stops. Tap twice and everyone turns to walk the other way. 4. Finish by walking slower and slower until the merry-go-round stops. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 4 or more with a sheet. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a play parachute or a bedsheet, a drum or a pan to tap. Ask after: What made it hard to stop together?
Three Bounces and Stop1. Hold the parachute tight at tummy height. An adult puts one large soft ball in the middle. 2. Everyone lifts a little together to bounce the ball, and counts each bounce aloud. 3. On "three", all hands go still and the ball settles. 4. Try four bounces, then five. If the ball rolls off, one child walks to fetch it and the count starts again. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 4 or more with a sheet. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a play parachute or a bedsheet, a large soft ball. Ask after: How did we keep the ball on?
Walk It Over: Fold the Parachute Together1. When parachute time is over, lay the parachute flat on the floor. Everyone stands around it. 2. The children on one half pick up their edge, walk it across to the other half and lay it down. Now it is a half moon. 3. Fold it the same way again, and again, with fewer carriers each time, until it is small. 4. Two children carry it to its bag while a third holds the bag open. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 4 or more with a sheet. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a play parachute, or a bedsheet for a small group. Ask after: Could one of us have folded it alone?
Partner jobs 7
A Pool Noodle Needs Two Carriers1. Lay pool noodles at one end of the space and set a large basket at the other. 2. Two children pick up one noodle, one at each end, and carry it level to the basket. 3. They walk at the slower child's speed. If an end drops, both stop, pick it up and go on. 4. Each pair goes back for another noodle until all of them are home. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: pairs. Time: about 5 min. Needs: pool noodles, a large basket or a box. Ask after: How did you stay together?
Coat Buddies at the Door1. Before going outside, each child finds a buddy and both put their coats on. 2. One buddy holds the bottom of the other's coat flat and still. The wearer starts the zip and pulls it up. 3. Swap. If a zip sticks, the pair comes to an adult together. 4. When both coats are closed, the buddies stand at the door. Where: indoors. Group: pairs. Time: about 5 min. Needs: nothing (the children's own coats). Ask after: How did your buddy help you?
Corners Meet: Fold a Blanket With a Friend1. Two children hold a small blanket by its corners, one child at each end. 2. They walk toward each other until the corners meet. One child takes all four corners. 3. The other picks up the folded edge at the bottom, and they walk together once more. 4. Lay the folded blanket on the pile and fetch the next one. Where: indoors. Group: pairs. Time: about 5 min. Needs: small blankets or towels. Ask after: What did your friend do that helped?
One Big Book, Two Page Turners1. Two children sit side by side with one large picture book across both laps. 2. They take turns: one turns the page, the other points to one thing in the picture and names it. 3. The page stays open until both have said "ready". 4. At the end they close the book together and carry it back to the shelf. Where: indoors. Group: pairs. Time: about 10 min. Needs: a large picture book for each pair. Ask after: What did your friend find in the pictures?
One Pulls the Wagon, One Loads It1. Put a pile of large blocks at one side of the yard and mark a building spot at the other. 2. One child holds the wagon still while the other loads it with blocks. 3. Both walk it over, one pulling and one with a hand on the load. They unload together. 4. Swap jobs for the next trip. Where: outdoors. Group: pairs, one pair at a time. Time: about 10 min. Needs: a wagon, large blocks. Ask after: What does the loader do while the puller pulls?
Two in a Hoop Bus1. Two children stand inside one large hoop, one behind the other, and hold it at tummy height with both hands. 2. The child in front drives. The child behind is the passenger and says where to go: the door, the tree, the rug. 3. The bus walks there. If the hoop tips or tugs, the bus stops and starts again slowly. 4. Swap driver and passenger. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: pairs. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a large plastic hoop for each pair. Ask after: What did the driver need to hear from the passenger?
You Hold the Cup, I Pour to the Line1. Set out a tray, a small pitcher of water and a clear plastic cup with a line drawn on it. 2. One child holds the cup steady on the tray with two hands. The other pours. 3. The holder says "stop" when the water reaches the line. 4. Pour the water back into the pitcher and swap jobs. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: pairs, one pair at a time. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a tray, a small pitcher, a clear plastic cup with a line drawn on it, water. Ask after: Who decided when to stop?
Clean-up games 7
A Dustpan Needs Two1. After a craft, give each pair one small brush and one dustpan. 2. One child holds the dustpan flat on the floor. The other sweeps the paper scraps into it. 3. Both walk the pan to the trash can, one carrying and one opening the lid. 4. Swap jobs for the next patch of floor. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: pairs. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a small brush and a dustpan for each pair. Ask after: What does the holder have to do?
Blocks in the Bin Before the Song Ends1. Tell the children the job: every block in the bin before the song is over. It is everyone against the song. 2. Start a song the children know. They walk blocks, balls or sand toys to the bin, one or two at a time. 3. If the song ends first, cheer for how many are in and play it again for the rest. 4. When the floor is clear, everyone takes a bow. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 2 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a bin, a song to play or sing. Ask after: How did we beat the song?
Every Toy Finds Its Picture1. Tape a picture of each kind of toy to the shelf or bin where it lives: cars, animals, blocks. 2. Each child picks up one toy, finds its picture and puts the toy there. 3. A child who cannot find the picture asks a friend, and they walk there together. 4. At the end, walk along the shelf together and check each picture. Where: indoors. Group: whole class, or 2 or more. Time: about 10 min. Needs: pictures of the toys, taped to the shelves and bins. Ask after: Who helped you find a picture?
Pass It Down the Line to the Shelf1. Children stand in a line from the toys to the shelf, an arm's length apart. 2. The first child picks up one toy and hands it to the next. It goes hand to hand down the line. 3. The last child puts it on the shelf. Nobody leaves their spot. 4. Halfway through, the children at the two ends swap places. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class. Time: about 5 min. Needs: nothing (the toys that are out). Ask after: What happens to the line if one of us leaves?
Red Crew, Blue Crew: Pick Up Your Color1. Give each child a color card. Children with the same color are a crew. 2. Each crew picks up only things of its own color and walks them to the right bin. 3. A crew that runs out of its color goes to another crew and asks, "Can we help?" 4. When the floor is clear, crews trade cards for next time. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 2 or more. Time: about 10 min. Needs: color cards, bins. Ask after: Which crew did you help?
The Secret Toy Gets Put Away1. Before clean-up, an adult quietly chooses one toy on the floor as the secret toy and tells no one. 2. Everyone tidies as usual, putting each thing where it belongs. 3. When the floor is clear, the adult names the secret toy and says where it ended up. 4. Everyone claps, because the whole group put it away. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 2 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: nothing (the toys that are out). Ask after: Could one of us have found the secret toy alone?
Trike Wash: One Sponges, One Rinses1. Park the ride-on toys in a row outside. Each pair gets a bucket of soapy water with a sponge and a small watering can of clean water. 2. One child sponges a trike from seat to wheels. The other rinses where the sponge has been. 3. The pair says "done" together and pushes the trike to the drying spot. 4. Swap jobs for the next trike. Where: outdoors. Group: pairs. Time: about 10 min. Needs: ride-on toys, buckets, sponges, small watering cans, water. Ask after: How did the rinser know where to pour?
Circle games 7
Everyone Whispers, the Puppet Wakes1. Show the children a puppet that is asleep. It wakes only when every child whispers "wake up" at the same time. 2. Count "one, two, three" and whisper together. If someone shouts or is late, the puppet stays asleep. 3. Try again until the whole group whispers as one. The puppet wakes and says good morning. 4. Let the puppet fall asleep again and have a child do the counting. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 2 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a hand puppet or a stuffed animal. Ask after: Why did the puppet not wake the first time?
Find the Other Half of Your Animal1. Cut large animal pictures in half. Hand each child one half. 2. Children walk around holding their half up and look for the child with the other half. 3. When two halves fit, the pair sits down together and whispers the animal's name. 4. When everyone is sitting, each pair holds up its animal and the others say its name. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 4 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: large animal pictures cut in half, one half for each child. Ask after: How did you know it was your match?
One Felt Piece Each: Build the Farm Picture1. Put a felt board where everyone can see it. Hand each child one felt piece: the sun, the barn, a cow, a fence. 2. Children come up one at a time, in the order they sit. 3. Each child places their own piece. The others may point to a good spot but may not move it. 4. When the last piece is on, look at the picture together and name what each child added. Where: indoors. Group: whole class, or 2 or more. Time: about 10 min. Needs: a felt board and felt pieces, one for each child. Ask after: What would be missing without your piece?
Pass the Shaker Without a Sound1. Sit in a circle. Show the children one shaker and how it sounds. 2. The job is to pass it all the way around the circle without it making a sound. 3. If it rattles, everyone says a soft "shh" and the pass goes on. 4. When it gets home quietly, send it back the other way. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 3 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a shaker, or a plastic jar of rice with the lid taped on. Ask after: What did your hands do to keep it quiet?
Roll the Ball Until Everyone Has Had It1. Sit in a circle with legs apart and one large soft ball. 2. The child with the ball rolls it to a friend, then puts both hands on their own head. 3. Hands on a head mean "I have had it". Each roller looks for a child whose hands are still down. 4. When every head has hands on it, the group has done it. Hands down, and start again. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 3 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a large soft ball. Ask after: How did you know who still needed a turn?
Seeds Grow at the Same Speed1. Everyone crouches down small in a circle. The children are seeds in one garden. 2. An adult walks around pretending to water. The seeds grow slowly, watching each other so that nobody is taller than the rest. 3. Arms open at the top when everyone is standing. The whole garden blooms at once. 4. Play again with a child as the gardener. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 2 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: nothing. Ask after: How did you grow at the same speed as your friends?
Teddy Goes All the Way Around1. Sit in a circle. An adult holds Teddy and says good morning to him. 2. Pass Teddy gently, with two hands, to the next child. That child says "Good morning, Teddy" and passes him on. 3. Everyone else waits and watches where Teddy is. 4. When Teddy is back, the children say good morning to each other. Where: indoors or outdoors. Group: whole class, or 3 or more. Time: about 5 min. Needs: a teddy bear. Ask after: What was it like to wait for Teddy?
How this list was compiled: An original list of October 2026: 28 cooperative games for children of three to five in four types (parachute games, partner jobs, clean-up games, circle games). Nothing was copied from another list, and each entry is one way to run its game, not a rule book. No game needs reading, has a winner or puts a child out, and a clean-up game is everyone against the song, never child against child. Group sizes and minutes are rough figures for planning, and no result of team building is claimed. This site's own safety rule holds for every card: nobody is lifted, carried, caught, held or blindfolded, no card asks for held hands, nobody runs, nobody goes under the parachute, the balls are large and soft, there are no balloons and nothing to eat, and an adult runs and watches every game, staying beside any water. That rule is this site's own and not a review by an expert. The page states no facts that need a source. Licence: own work
How it works
These team building activities for preschoolers have no winner and no reading: lift a parachute as one, carry a pool noodle with a friend, beat the clean-up song together. Nobody is out, and each card ends with a question.
Read the full guide
Preschool team building games in four types
Each card is a parachute game, a partner job, a clean-up game or a circle game, and One of each type deals one of each. The Where line says indoors, outdoors or both.
Games for preschoolers: team building with a few children
Choose A few children under the button for two to six at home or in family child care: 26 of the 28 stay. With four or more, a bedsheet stands in for the parachute.
Every Toy Finds Its Picture needs its pictures taped to the shelves before the day.
Questions and answers
Which team building games for preschool use a parachute?
Seven, such as Lift the Sky on Three, The Parachute Elevator and Three Bounces and Stop. Children hold the edge and stay outside it. Nobody goes underneath, and the ball is large and soft.
Which preschool team building games need nothing?
Four: Coat Buddies at the Door, Pass It Down the Line to the Shelf, The Secret Toy Gets Put Away and Seeds Grow at the Same Speed. On those cards the Needs line reads nothing.
Can three-year-olds do these team building activities?
Yes. Every card was written for ages three to five. Start threes on the circle games, such as Teddy Goes All the Way Around and Seeds Grow at the Same Speed, where the only job is to wait, watch and take a turn.
Where are team building activities for kindergarten?