group games
Let the good times roll: Our favorite group games!
Let’s talk kids and group games, where fun meets learning!
Grab your kids and get ready for some fantastic fun that’s as educational as it is entertaining!
Group games are basically the superheroes of childhood.
They teach kids valuable life lessons, like teamwork, patience, and following instructions, all while having an absolute blast. Plus, they’re fantastic for developing those fine motor skills and cognitive abilities.
If you have a birthday party coming up or just a big playdate planned, here are our favorites:
What time is it, Mister Wolf?
This game is a blast and one of our all-time favorites!
One child plays the “wolf” and stands at one end of the playing area. The other kids stand at the opposite end and ask, “What time is it, Mister Wolf?”
The wolf stands with the back to their friends and responds with a time (e.g., “It’s 2 o’clock!”). The kids then take that many steps towards the wolf.
When the wolf decides it’s time, they reply with “Dinnertime!”, turn around and chase the other kids.
The goal is to tag someone before they reach the starting line.
Duck duck goose
Kids sit in a circle, and one child walks around, gently tapping others on the head, saying “Duck, duck, duck, goose!” When they say “Goose,” the tapped child must jump up and chase the first child around the circle. The “Goose” has to try to tag the other child before they reach the empty spot and sit down. The “goose” will then be the tapper.
Musical chairs
If you’ve never witnessed the magic of a good ol’ game of Musical Chairs, you’re in for a treat!
Here’s how it goes:
Arrange a circle of chairs (one less than the number of kids playing) with the seats facing outward. Place some funky tunes on standby.
When the music starts, the kids strut their stuff in a clockwise direction around the chairs. When the music stops, it’s a mad dash to find a seat. There’s always one less chair than there are players, so someone’s gonna be left standing!
Whoever doesn’t grab a chair in time is out! Continue until only one chair and two kids remain. The last one sitting is the winner!
Simon says
If you’re looking for a game that combines obedience training with giggles, Simon Says is your go-to:
One player takes on the coveted role of “Simon.” Simon is the boss, and everyone else must obey Simon’s commands. But, and it’s a big but, they must only follow commands that start with “Simon says.”
Simon starts issuing commands like “Simon says touch your toes!” or “Simon says jump!” The twist is that if Simon just says “Clap your hands!” without the “Simon says” part, anyone who follows the command is out.
The game keeps going until there’s only one player left standing or until Simon messes up their commands. It’s all about who can stay sharp and spot the tricky moves!
The last one following Simon’s orders is the winner!
Freeze tag or scarecrow tag
If there’s too much energy in the room, there’s nothing better than going outside for a game of tag!
In these variations of tag, when a child is tagged, they freeze in place. To be “unfrozen,” a teammate must tap them or, if you want to make it more challenging, crawl through their legs.
It’s all about teamwork and strategy.
Freeze dance
Boys or girls, from babies to big kids, who doesn’t like a dance party?
Play music and have kids dance around. When the music stops, they must freeze in their current pose. The last one still moving is out!
Hit the pot
Put a pot upside down somewhere on the ground (works indoors and outdoors). One child is going to try to find and hit the pot with a wooden spoon or stick. The tricky part, the kid is going to be blindfolded, and spun around three times in a circle before going down on all fours to go on the hunt. Luckily the other kids can help by shouting out “hot” when the searcher gets closer and “cold” when turning away from the pot.
Pass the parcel
Any Bluey fans? There’s a whole episode about this game.
Wrap a small prize in multiple layers of wrapping paper. Play music and have kids pass the parcel around. When the music stops, the child holding the parcel unwraps one layer. Repeat until someone reveals the prize!
Obstacle course
Design an obstacle course with tunnels, cones, and more. They can crawl under chairs, jump over paper cups, take 4 rounds around a tree and hop through a hopscotch in the drive way. Let the kids help design the course. They have the best ideas!
Once it’s set up, let your little ones race through it as fast as they can, testing their agility. If you want to make it more competitive, time them.
Hot potato
Pass an object (the dreaded “hot potato”) around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, whoever’s holding the potato is out. The suspense is thrilling!
Mummy wrap
Perfect for Halloween season or any other time of the year!
Teams compete to wrap one of their members in toilet paper to resemble a mummy. I would recommend teams of 3-4 kids. One who becomes the mummy, 2-3 who work together wrapping. Fastest and most creative mummy wins!
Stop eating
This is a game that everybody in Germany knows, but I haven’t encountered it yet here in the US. Word of advice, it’s played while you’re eating, so it can get messy.
Before you start playing, come up with some commands and make sure everybody knows them.
Stop – everyone has to freeze, no matter what you’re doing. (Trust me, you don’t want to be caught pouring a drink.)
Cheetah – speed up
Sloth – move very, very slow
Repeat – repeat your last movement
Neighbor left/right – feed your left/right neighbor (I know, not Covid friendly, but that is what we did when I was a kid)
Basement – everyone gets under the table to eat
Princess – act like a princess or prince
Grandma/grandpa – act like a grandma/grandpa
next – ends all the other commands
Of course, you can make up your own commands , pick some or add more.
Start with the birthday kid or the youngest kid at the table and move clockwise. Everyone gets one command. Whoever’s turn it is can choose when and for how long they want the others to do something.
Scavenger hunt
Create a list of items to find around the house or yard. Kids can work together or compete to find them all. It’s an adventure full of surprises!
And if you don’t want to make a list, but need a minute to drink coffee and breath, just give them directions. Send them to bring you something square, something purple and something fluffy and relax while they’re having fun searching.
Egg race
It’s a classic for a good reason! It’s easy and so fun!
Balancing an egg on a spoon, the kids race from one point to another without dropping it.
It’s a test of concentration and balance.
Rocket start
A fun one for the little ones!
A relay race where kids pretend to be rockets. They crouch down and count “3, 2, 1, Blastoff!” and then jump up and race to a finish line. Fastest rocket wins!
Pin the tail on the donkey
This one needs a little bit of prep.
You need a donkey poster, that is hung on a wall at an appropriate height for the players. The tail should be prepped with a push pin or piece of tape, or other method of attaching it to the poster.
Each player goes one at a time. When a player is up, that player is given the donkey tail, blindfolded, and then spun around three times in a circle. The player should always be left facing the wall with the poster. The player must then attempt to attach the tail to the poster. When the tail is attached, the player’s turn is finished, and the spot where the tail wound up is marked with the player’s name.
When all players have had a turn, the player with a mark closest to where the tail should actually be on a donkey wins.
Unwrap the chocolate
I’m a chocolate addict! (In fact one of the very few things I miss living in the US is all the European chocolate.) This game was one of my favorites as a kid. It’s for older preschoolers and up.
What you need is a chocolate bar, wrapped in one or more layers of paper, a dice, a fork and a knife, a scarf, mittens and a hat.
Everything goes in the middle of the table and one kid starts rolling the dice. The first one to get a six needs to put on the scarf, mittens and hat as fast as they can and try to get to the chocolate using the fork and knife. But of course the other kids want a turn too and keep on rolling the dice. With the next six the first kid has to stop their effort and hand everything over to the next person who gets a chance to get to the sweet treat. The game ends when the chocolate is gone.
You could probably also use a cookie, but the fun part actually is that it’s really hard to unwrap, cut and eat the chocolate with a fork and a knife.
I switch out the fork once someone was successful enough to actually get some chocolate with it in the mouth.
In a world filled with screens and schedules, these games offer a breath of fresh air, fostering physical activity, social interaction, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Plus, they’ll keep your little ones so engaged that they won’t even realize they’re learning life lessons along the way.
So, let’s encourage our kids to put down those gadgets, gather their friends, and embark on a journey of fun and discovery through these timeless games.
all about play
Playing is your kids most important job!
Learn why and see how we like to play in these posts.
activities & inspiration
Let's get hands on!
Kids will love the crafts, games, sensory play ideas and more that you will find here.
favorite toys
Toys are the tools to unlock your child's imagination!
Find out about our favorite toys and why we love them.