From naughtybecksy K: Yes we used to play this at parties. Cut out some large ...
Yes we used to play this at parties. Cut out some large squares and draw a colourful bright simple picture on it. ie a duck an umbrella etc then cut out four smaller squares to go with each large square and draw thw same pictures on them. Hide all the small squares and let the children choose which large picture they want and then let them have fun finding them. The winner is whoever finds their set first.

From Cha-cha-cha-Changes?: Red light/green light? One is "it" and stands ...
Red light/green light? One is "it" and stands with her back to everyone and says "green light" and everyone can start moving toward the "it" person. Then that person says "red light" and spins around. Whoever's still moving is out of the game. Whoever tags the "it" person first gets to be "it" for the next round.

From Beatlemaniac: Im a junior school teacher of 20 yrs.Kids love games like ...
Im a junior school teacher of 20 yrs.Kids love games like heads down thumbs up.They all sit quietly with their heads down and their thumbs up and eyes closed.You chose a few kids to go round and touch the thumbs of one child each.Then the picked ones have to guess who did it,Simple and easy my class love it. Also splat! You have two kids back to back and say a timetable eg 6 times 2 the first one to turn round and shout the correct answer is the winner.My maths group inisist on playing this everyday! Good Luck!

From Kelly: "Duck duck goose" might be fun for the really ...
"Duck duck goose" might be fun for the really small ones. Have them sit in a big circle then pick someone to go around the circle patting each child on the head and saying "duck...duck.." then he/she gets to pick one kid to be the "goose." They say goose instead of duck and then the goose gets up and chases the duck around the circle. Duck has to run all the way around to the spot that is now empty, the goose becomes the duck and it starts all over. if the duck is caught, they go in the middle. "kick the can" can be played outside or in a large area with good hiding spaces. have a crushed can sit in the middle of the area where it is open space. one person is "it" (they have one foot on the can) and they close their eyes and count to 20 while everyone else hides somewhere. then the person who is 'it' can guess where someone is without taking their foot off the can. they say "(name) is hiding (behind, to the side, under, etc.) of (place)" and if they are right the person has to come out and sit in "jail" (some designated place off to the side) another option is: 'it' can roam around looking for the hiders, and when they find someone they have to race back to the can and call out their guess. hiders cannot move after they have chosen a hiding place, however, hiders can come out of their places and race to kick the can when 'it' is not there. if they have successfully kicked the can before 'it' does, everyone in jail is freed. is 'it' manages to kick the can before the hider can, the hider is then in jail. sounds complicated but loads of fun! "the food game." also to be played in a large open area with objects that represent "bases." you need to have 4 bases, all somewhat equal distances from each other (farther the better). one base is "love it," another "hate it," another "it's okay," and the last "never tried it." at the start of the game, one person is it, stands in the middle, while everyone is on a base of their choosing. the person who is it calls out any food they want, and everyone has to run to the base that applies to them. for an example, sally loves pizza, but she's on the "hate it" base, and pizza is called, she has to run straight to the love it base without getting tagged. rules: 1. no running from base to base (you have to run straight to the base) 2. no repeating food names 3. no cheating 4. no "babysitting" ('it' cannot just hang around a base, have to be in the middle when calling out food names) 5. take no longer than 5 seconds to run from base "chain" can be allowed or not allowed. it is when someone who is on base reaches out to help someone who is running to the base. once the runner touches the person who is on base he/she is "safe" i have tons more if you want

From Outsider: Duck duck goose - all the kids sit in a circle facing ...
Duck duck goose - all the kids sit in a circle facing inwards, one kid is 'it', he/she walks round the circle touching each kid on the head and saying duck, at one kid he says goose instead of duck and that kid has to jump up and chase him/her round the circle if the kid makes it to the gap and sits down in time he wins, or if the other kid catches him then they win, and so on. What's the time Mr Wolf? One person is chosen as Mr Wolf, who walks along pretending not to care that everyone else is following as close as they dare. The others ask "What's the time Mr Wolf?" The wolf doesn't look back but answers in a gruff voice "5 o'clock" The others ask again and again, getting different times in answer, until when asked the time at last the Wolf shouts "Dinner time!" and turns around and chases and tries to catch one of the others. If someone is caught they become Mr Wolf. Sardines In this version of hide and seek, one person goes off to hide. The others count up to one hundred and then split up and go looking for the person who is hiding. When you find the person who is hiding, instead of letting everyone know you join them in their hiding place. As more and more of you find the hiding place its gets more and more cramped, hence the name. And my personal favourite from P1 - dodge ball!! All you need is a ball, one kid gets the ball, and has to throw it and hit another kid below the knees, they all get to run around like crazy jumping around to dodge the ball, if someone gets hit they take over as 'it'. Great fun!!

From YveyK: There are so many ways of keeping children amused in the ...
There are so many ways of keeping children amused in the classroom, and make it educational too. 1. chinese whispers - to see how far the original words are changed as they go round the room 2. The farmer wants a wife - children form a circle and someone is the farmer in the middle - the song is probably available on the web somewhere, I'm so old I don't remember all of it. Can be used with pictures to ensure kids know which animal is which. 3. Tossing a bean bag by nominating a catcher - teaches hand/eye coordination and team membership 4. Story telling - give the first child the opening line of a story and let them continue. Changing child frequently to add humour and inspiration. 5. Making paper aeroplanes and competing who can make theirs go the furthest. When I have taught young children, I try to make it interesting and mildly competitive. Praise the losers who try hard as well as the winners. Encouragement will always produce good results.