5 Educational games for kindergarten children
Are you weary of needling your kids to do the right things? Drop! And instead, use these awesome educational games to teach your kindergarten kids honesty, responsibility, compassion, patience, and more. I promise you they won’t even notice the lesson. Here are educational game ideas for kindergarten kids, more or fewer ages 3-5. Also Read: X Words
Educational game 1: build a train
How to play: You will need several large cardboard boxes for a child to sit inside. Provide a variety of art supplies and tell each child to turn their box into a train car.
What this game teaches: perseverance. All games that require team preparation give children a sense of perseverance and accomplishment.
Tip: be prepared for different train journeys; kids will want to come together and travel again and again on this train of imagination.
Educational game 2
How to play: On big squares of paper, mark a series of faces with expressions such as glum, sad, angry, scared, and sick. Put the papers in a basket and have the children take turns choosing a face and then acting on the feeling shown. For example, an “unhappy” child might act to scream. The goal of the other players is to help him feel better. Then the “sad” child explains: “My friend was mean to me”, and the other children give role-playing solutions.
This game teaches: Until children know what it’s like to feel bad, they don’t understand why it’s important to treat others with respect and kindness.
Tip: Have a variety of props on hand for this powerful imaginative play—plastic dinette parts, stuffed animals, a doctor’s kit, etc. The more options they have, the more creative children will be. They will be able to put a bandage on the sore of the injured child or pretend to bake cookies to please a friend.
Educational game 3: hot or cold
How to play: Choose a child who will be the “researcher”.
Kick it out of the room while the rest of the players hide an object, like a red ball, somewhere in the room.
Ask the “seeker” to come back and find the ball while the other players give him advice: “You’re getting hotter” or “you’re getting colder”.
What this game teaches: This game emphasizes encouraging other players, not competition. Children learn to help each other in a fun environment.
Tip: try asking the children to speak more or less loudly depending on whether the “seeker” is near or far from the hidden object.
Educational game 4: I see
How to play: Players take turns spotting a nearby object and describing it. “I see something that’s green….” The different parties try to think the thing: “A tree” “Dad’s shirt!” The guesser is the next one to envision a forte.
This game teaches: Any game requires children to listen politely while other players take fun time to learn.
Tip: This is an excellent game to try out when kids are likely to get bored and upset, like on a long plane or train ride.
Educational game 5: “Mom, can I?”
How to play: line up the players in front of you, more or less 3-4 meters away. Give one action to one child at a time: “Sarah, jump forward”. If your answer is “yes”, make sure Sarah says “Thank you” before moving on. Anyone who fails their forms or creates an action without approval is sent around to the starting tube.
What this game teaches: Children are not born respectful. You have to teach them skills. This game reinforces civility, which is a big part of respect.
Tip: To avoid frustration over unrecognized consequences, clearly explain the game’s rules before starting.
