Games with rules

Games

Children can apply rules to their play. Some games have concrete rules, like snakes and ladders and netball. Other games have fairly concrete rules but they change between generations and cultures, like hopscotch and pass the parcel.

Children can agree on their own rules for open-ended games like playing "mums and dads". Children decide who will play what role. They may even plan what will happen in the game before they start, including any conflicts the characters need to navigate.

Some children are attracted to individual cognitive games, like completing a jigsaw puzzle, playing a computer game, or matching pairs of cards.

Many children prefer games with rules that are physical, noisy and social, like What's the time Mr Wolf? or musical chairs.

EYLF learning outcomes

When educators incorporate age-appropriate games with rules into the Early Years Learning Framework, children learn to:

  • interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect (1.4)
  • develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation (2.1)
  • become strong in their social and emotional wellbeing (3.1)
  • and cooperate with others (4.1).

Cognitive games

Memory

Many childcare centres already have cards that can be used to play memory. However, any set of cards that has pairs can be used. You can even make your own using photos of the children in your class!

  1. Spread the cards face down on a table.
  2. One child turns over two cards. If they are the same, the child can keep them. If they are different, the child turns them back over. Both children should remember the position of the cards that have been turned over.
  3. The next child has their turn. 
  4. The game continues until there are no more cards left.

Snap

  1. Shuffle the deck of cards and deal them out evenly to all children.
  2. Children take turns placing a card face up in the middle of the table.
  3. If two cards with the same picture are put down on top of each other, the children quickly call out "snap" and attempt to slap the pile of cards in the middle of the table.
  4. The child who is first to slap the pile keeps the cards.
  5. The game continues until one child has collected all of the cards.

Picture bingo

This requires children to match cards with pictures to a playing board that has the same pictures. Most childcare centres have a version of the game picture bingo, but printable versions of this game are widely available on the internet.

Magic cups

  1. An educator or child places three cups on a table.
  2. They place a small pom pom (or similar item) underneath one of the cups.
  3. They slowly slide all the cups around so they appear in a new order.
  4. A second child attempts to remember which cup has the pom pom underneath.

Physical games

Keepy uppy

The traditional children's game "keepy uppy" has been featured on the television show Bluey. It can be played in a variety of ways:

  • Children take turns hitting a balloon into the air. How long can everyone keep it up before it hits the ground?
  • Children hold the corners of a parachute. They shake the corners to bounce a ball on the parachute.
  • Children hold the corners of a bed sheet. They shake the corners to bounce a balloon on the sheet. Can you stop the balloon from falling off?

Sardines

Hide and seek involves all children hiding in an area, except one. This child looks around to find all the hidden players.

Sardines is a variation of hide and seek. One child hides and all children look. When a player finds the hidden person, they quietly hide with them. This creates a cluster of players hiding together, like sardines in a can. The game continues until all players have found the cluster.

Duck, duck, goose

  1. Children sit in a circle and one child walks around tapping each child on the head, saying "duck" for each child.
  2. The child arrives at a child. Instead of "duck", they say "goose."
  3. The goose quickly stands up and chases the first child around the circle, attempting to tag them before they sit back down in their spot.

What's the Time, Mr Wolf?

  1. One player, the wolf, stands at one end of an outdoor playing area. The other players line up at the other end.
  2. Together, the players call out: "What's the time, Mr Wolf?"
  3. Mr Wolf responds with a time (e.g. "It's seven o'clock.").
  4. The players take that number of steps towards the wolf.
  5. The game repeats until the wolf surprises the children by saying: "Dinner time!" All children run back to the starting line as Mr Wolf chases them. If Mr Wolf catches a player, they become the wolf in the next game.

Hot potato

Children sit in a circle, passing a ball while music is playing. When the music stops, the child holding the ball is out. The game continues until only one child is left. The children usually pass the ball quickly, like a steaming, hot potato, so they are not the person left with it.

Simon says

One child is "Simon" who gives commands to other children (e.g. "Simon says clap your hands".) The children should only follow a command that starts with "Simon says". If a child follows a command that doesn't start with "Simon says", they sit out of the game. The game continues until only one child is left.

Musical chairs

  1. An educator places enough chairs in the middle of a space for all the players, except one (e.g. seven children require six chairs).
  2. Children dance around chairs to music.
  3. The educator stops the music, and all children quickly try to sit in an empty chair. The child left without a seat is out.
  4. The game continues with one chair being removed each round. In the end, two children compete for one chair.

Follow the leader

One child is the leader who moves around the room in different ways (e.g. frog hopping, sliding sideways). The other children follow them, copying their actions.

Mother, May I?

One child is the leader and the other children take turns asking for permission to do something (e.g. "Mother, may I spin around?" The leader can say "yes", "no" or add challenges (e.g. "yes, but do it really fast").

Games for babies

Babies and toddlers can play simple, structured games. They love seeing things disappear and reappear:

  • Drop an object (like a silk scarf) to the floor while a baby is sitting in a high chair. Where has it gone?
  • Place a few drinking cups upside down on a table. Place a piece of fruit underneath one of the cups. Can you find the fruit and eat it?
  • Play hide and seek with puppets or soft toys. Make them disappear behind a screen. Now, make them jump out and say "peek-a-boo!"

Community and family connections

  • Invite family members to play a game with a small group of children.
  • Allow children to borrow simple games and take them home. This encourages interaction between children and families.
  • Send families an information sheet with ideas for simple games they can play with their children at home.

Events

20th July is World Chess Day

Resources

Picture books

The Best Hiding Place by Jane Godwin and Sylvia Morris

Music