Play together with kids: family games

More than toys, ice cream or PC at home your child needs communication with mommy and daddy.

Here come some merry games the entire family can play at a family party with friends or at somebody’s place.

Game 1 “Many ways to greet each other” (participants move freely within the circle drawn on the floor).

The leader claps hands once – everyone should do little finger shake, twice – handshake, thrice – shoulder touch. The leader can complicate task by clapping at random.

Game 2 “Shift” (everyone is standing in circle).

Trade the places those who:
• Like being friends.
• Want to make a snowman together with mommy and daddy.
• Want that parents read them a fairy tale before going to bed.
• Want to play dominoes, puzzles, meccano or any other interesting game with all the family.
• Want to help parents to make dinner.
• Want to do some fancy work together with mommy.
• Want to go to swimming pool together.
• Want to spend nice time outdoors together.
• Whisper with mommy or daddy on the sofa.
• Visit friends at their place.

Game 3 «Fox and Roly-Poly» (played with ball, everyone is seated on the floor).

Use short counting-out rhyme to nominate the “fox”, who is to sit in the centre of the circle drawn on the floor. The ball is «Roly-Poly». Fox’s task is to catch the Roly-Poly, the others keep on rolling the ball from one another preventing the fox from getting it. Complicate the task: select two foxes: parent and child.

Game 4 «Little Dino Hunting» (make up two teams).

Parents and kids make two lines, standing close to each other – shoulder to shoulder. One team - «Hunters», the other - «Little dinosaurs». Task of the «Dinosaurs» is to team up and help each other so that while they are handing Dino toy over to one another behind their backs, hunters team could not guess who is keeping the toy at the moment the leader announces «Stop!». Hunters’ task – to watch carefully and discover all the tricks of little Dino. They can “fire” three times, trying to guess in whose hands the toy is hidden.

Game 5 Collective painting «Phoenix» (using a large sheet of paper).

Tasks for kids and grown-ups:
• agree upon color spectrum of the picture, taking into consideration each other’s interests,
• subdivide sections for coloring between each other,
• assist each other,
• share the crayons,
• ask each other questions about the picture,
• keeping paper in the center so that everyone feels free to paint on it,
• think about any other details which can be added to the blank spaces on the paper.

Game 6 «House of friendship»

All the participants are standing in a small circle. The leader starts the game – one arm is stretched forward, palm being directed upwards – this makes the house’s foundation – first brick of friendship. The others add their “bricks” one by one, gradually creating a palm pyramid. After this, when the house is built everyone is taking a memento - a “spark of friendship” - the palm is placed against the heart.