How to Play Table Top Games in Your Classroom

These games can be bought at just about any toy store.

I have been playing table top games with my Kindergarten students since 1996 and it's always one of their favorite learning centers. There are great Kindergarten appropriate table games for the kids to play including "Ants in the Pants" and "Don't Spill the Beans". I am going to focus on these two games because they can easily be played during the same unit. Both of these games are great to play in the Fall since they address fine motor issues.

Things You'll Need

• Ants in the Pants
• Don't Spill the Beans
• Tempra paint

Instructions

1. 

   Paint the table that the kids will be playing the games on. If you use tempra paint it will easily wipe off at the end of the unit. The paint tells the kids where the game belongs at all time and gives them each their own area.

2. 

   Divide your students into small groups. I recommend that each group have 4 or 5 students, anything more might be trouble.

3. 

   Make sure the kids know the order that their turn will come. I simply paint arrows or numbers on the table indicating who goes when.

4. 

   Make each game a team sport instead of an individual contest. Tell the students (during Don't Spill the Beans) "Let's see which group can put all the beans on the dish without it falling over". This gets the kids to root for each other rather than against one another.

   During Ants in the Pants tell them "Let's see which group can get all the ants in the pants"

Tips & Warnings

• These games never wear out! I am using the same games I bought 10 years ago!

• During "Ants in the Pants" if a student shoots an ant in the pants he or she gets to go again until they miss.

• During "Don't Spill the Beans" each student gets to put one bean on the dish.

• Make sure the kids do not drop the ants and then step on them.