How to Create Animal Games
Since kids are naturally attracted to animals, it's easy to get them involved in all kinds of games with animal themes. In addition to providing lots of fun, animal games can be educational by expanding children's knowledge about animals while teaching them to participate in group activities. A variety of types of games will ensure something for everyone in an animal game session, so include some active games, as well as paper and pencil games.
Things You'll Need
- 40 3-by-5 inch notecards Colored markers Copy paper Pencils White card stock (one sheet for each child) Poster board, 1 sheet
Instructions
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Ask two children to draw animals on 3-by- 5 inch unlined notecards, making two of each animal they are assigned. Assign each child 10 different animals. When the cards are finished, kids can play a 40-card concentration game by shuffling the cards, turning them face down and placing them in five rows of eight cards each. Players try to uncover matches by turning over two cards at a time. If the cards match, the players keep them and take another turn. The player with the most pairs wins the game.
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Make a list of animals whose names you have scrambled. For example, "elephant" becomes "tenlaehp." Copy so there are enough lists for each child. Provide kids with pencils, and have them race to unscramble the most names. If kids are younger, stick to shorter animal names, or give a prize to the first child to unscramble five names.
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Create animal bingo cards by using small animal stickers. Cut sheets of white card stock down to 5-inch squares. Across the top row, draw colored dots in red, blue, orange, green and yellow (or use round solid-colored stickers). Place an animal sticker in each square. From the leftover card stock, make a set of cards to call from by cutting small squares and placing an animal sticker on each. Give kids large dried beans for markers. Call the game by saying "red, lion" for example.
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Give kids the opportunity to imitate familiar animals with animal relay races. Teach kids the following chant, which you can post on a large sheet of paper: "Dog, cat, turtle, rat." Divide kids into two teams. The first player races to the finish line imitating a dog, races back and then taps the second player, who imitates racing as a cat, and the process is repeated. For older kids, you can complicate the game by adding "cow, hare, horse, mare" to the chant. Have kids shout out the chant while the relay is under way.
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Tips & Warnings
Allow kids to revise the rules for games in order to give them input; ask them to help make game materials when possible.
Do not give very small children access to dried beans.
