How to Play the "Life of a Plant" Game with Kids

The "Life of a Plant" game is best for kids Kindergarten through Fifth grade. You can play it with your own kids at home or teachers can use it for a whole group of kids. This is a good game for younger kids because they can all participate at the same time.

This game is also educational because it teaches kids the growth stages of plants.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• At least one child K-5
• An open space big enough for the kids to spread out and move around a bit

1. PLANT THE SEEDS
   Instruct the children to plant themselves in the ground as if they were a seed. This means spreading out enough from other children of objects in the room so that they can move their arms freely. Once they have found a spot, they should crouch on the floor or roll themselves into a small ball. If the kids are having trouble finding spots for themselves, you can play the gardener and "plant" them by placing a hand on or above their head and showing them where to go.

2. SPROUT THE SEEDS
   Once all the seeds are planted, walk around the room "watering" the plants either by miming with your hand or using an empty watering can. Tell the children that once they have been watered, they can sit or stand up to indicate that they have sprouted. Their arms should remain at their sides.

3. GROWING IN THE SUN
   After every seed has sprouted, tell the children that they are now young plants and they must use the sun's light to help them grow. They can slowly begin to stretch out their arms or stand up if they are still sitting. You can simply describe the sunlight hitting them or make it more creative by turning the lights in the room off and on. They are only allowed to grow when the lights are turned on.

4. WAVING IN THE WIND
   Now that the plants are maturing, they can wave in the wind. Describe the direction from which the wind is blowing and have the kids match it by waving their arms or leaning in the appropriate direction.

5. FULLY GROWN
   Now the plants are fully grown. Tell the kids what kind of plant they are (unless you did so before the game began) and have them all do their best impression of it. If you have more time, go around the room and ask each child what kind of plant they are and have them demonstrate.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are going to have all the children portraying the same plant, try using your state tree or a kind of flower that's planted in your yard or schoolyard.