The preschool period is very important for the development of human intellectual abilities. It is believed that the period from birth to 3 years is the period in which parents can maximize the development of the child’s potential.

But even after three years it is not too late! It is important that you continue to expand your child’s horizons. In this way, communicating with children in a playful way will provide invaluable support to parents, educators and teachers.
In this article, we offer you the most original children’s games in the house, but also the most ingenious children’s games outside, for the age between 3 and 7 years.
These will make your free time with your child not only fun, but also very useful. In addition, it is a great way to unite in a small circle and cheer each other up, opting for fun, lively, noisy games, but also calm and intelligent.
So, if you are tired of the usual car games with children or dolls, the ideas presented will help you to reveal your child’s physical potential, develop new general motor skills, discover creative activities and tasks to improve coordination and balance, starting with motion games for 2-3 year olds and ending with intelligence games for 7 year olds.
Read them and choose the ones you will play today, tomorrow or next week. Prepare everything you need for the game. Choose the right time and invite the child to spend time with you.
Try not to get distracted by phone or TV calls in this process. Allow yourself half an hour or an hour for quality communication with your child. Create a supportive, educational and relaxing environment.
Keep in mind that no matter which game you choose – children’s indoor games or children’s logic games, it will give you positive emotions and many benefits.

Games for 3 year olds

At this age, the child has already become much more aware and independent. Most three-year-olds know how to invent games on their own.
More than ever, they are interested in communicating with their peers. But they also need the attention of parents and other significant adults. The parent is the one who can choose the right games to develop those important skills at this age, in addition to the typical games with cars or dolls.
The child, at the age of 3, is still learning to control his body, so it is important to give him coordination-oriented games, the ability to repeat different types of movements.
It is important for children to engage in physical activity outside, but if this is not possible, use active indoor games for children as often as possible.

Outdoor movement games

All children love to move, jump, run. Outdoor games with rules would be perfect for 3 years, because they are a conscious, active activity of the child, which is characterized by the timely and accurate execution of the tasks related to the rules, mandatory for all participants.
Outdoor play is a kind of exercise that prepares children for life. Through play, the child learns the world around him, his laws, learns to live by the rules. Also, outdoor movement, no matter what type it is, affects the development of thinking, ingenuity, moral and volitional qualities.
Outdoor games for children improve physical health, learn life situations, help the child to develop properly.

Animal (role-playing) games

Through these, you can help your child overcome some fears. For example, try playing with the little wolf and the rabbit.
Let the little one try the role of each animal alone: ​​he will be both the cunning wolf that hunts the rabbit and the inventive rabbit that runs away from the wolf.
The experience gained during the game will help him to make sure that the rabbit can run away and that catching him is not so simple. In the same way, you can try the game in which the knight defeats the dragon.

The dog and the master

Another game where you will need to change roles. It will help the child to overcome the behavioral problems – the dog and its owner. The adult can be the dog, which, for example, behaves aggressively or, conversely, is very shy and can not protect itself from criminals.
And the child – in the role of the wise master will help his beloved dog to overcome difficulties. Then you can make the switch – let the little one be the dog who needs authority, support and protection, and the owner will give the pet specific advice on what and how to do to protect its borders.

Letters and numbers

For the sake of interest in letters and numbers, you can play “what this letter
looks like.”
In this case, for clarity, include drawing or carving games. Together with the child, paint or sculpt the letter and the object it resembles with plasticine.

Geometric

shapes Flat geometric shapes can be cut out of colored paper. Then stick them on the sheets, making houses and roads. Volumetric geometric shapes – a cube, a pyramid, a box, a cone – can be cut out of cardboard. Build towers and castles out of them.

Logic games

You can arrange an interesting game in the vegetable garden or feed the animal toys with healthy food. In the same creative way, it is good to study all the necessary groups of objects: furniture (playing in the dollhouse), farm animals (playing on the farm).
There is no need to buy an exclusive dollhouse or a whole house of plastic cows and lambs: for example, you can glue the house from paper and cut the animals from a magazine or old book.

Puzzle Games

Puzzles are, in fact, a game in general. Therefore, collecting them is an important skill every three to four years.
Again, there is no need to buy expensive puzzles in stores. You can simply cut an image from the book into several parts.

Games to explore the world

Before you walk in the park, you can get ready: find out what animals and birds live near you. You will be surprised to learn that rabbits live in the neighboring park!
Also, tell your child how to prepare squirrels for winter supplies. In the same way, you can study not only the fauna but also the flora: the trees and shrubs that grow nearby.
Collect the colored leaves and dry them in books, as well as acorns and cones – create autumn crafts from them.

Sun and rain

It is a suitable game in the community, for example at a party or in kindergarten. The adult with an umbrella closed in his hands sits in the center of the room and says, “The sun.”
All the children pretend to run, jump, etc. As soon as the adult says, “Rain,” all children should approach the adult. An important condition is that everyone has enough space so that no one is left behind.

Train

Put circles on the floor, cut from linoleum or cardboard – these are “stations”. The children are in circles. The adult will be the “train”.
He “travels” around the room, leads one by one to each “station” and “takes” a new “trailer” – a child (the first child holds the adult by the arms he stretched back, the rest of the children put your hands on the shoulders or waist of the previous one). By “switching” from one “station” to “another”, the adult can play a song.


Adult friends offer children paired toys: a bunny and a teddy bear, for example. The adult tells the children that they need to find a friend for their pet and change the handkerchiefs (each child gets a handkerchief).
Music is playing, each child is dancing with the pet and the handkerchief. When the music is over, the little ones have to find the pair of animals and change the handkerchiefs. Then the music plays again.

Where have you been

? A child is assigned the role of moderator. He steps aside. All the other children, together with the adult, are going to show: how to vacuum the carpet, how to paint the fence, how to dig the garden, how to hum songs, how to pick berries, etc.
The main condition is to portray the actions without sounds. Once they understand who and what it will look like, the children come to the moderator who asks, “Where have you been
? What have you seen
?”
And they begin to portray the action. As soon as the leader guesses what they are doing, the children dissipate, and the moderator must catch one of them. He will be the leader next time.

Toy store The

driving child is standing aside. The adult tells each child in their ear what kind of toy it will be: a bunny, a frog, a ball, a robot, a doll, etc.
The children take their own positions and freeze. The moderator returns – he is a “buyer” who came to the “toy store”. The “buyer” switches from “toy” to “toy”, presses the “button” (for example, on the belly), and the “toy” begins to show its characteristic actions. The leader has to guess what kind of “toy” is in front of him.
So the “buyer” avoids all the “toys”, and in the end, chooses the “toy” he likes – this one and will be the buyer next time.

Transformations

The adult has a “magic wand” in his hands. When he picks up his wand, he says complicated words and turns the children into elephants. All the children are starting to stutter.
Then the adult turns the children into a crane, tractor, etc. After a while, the children can receive individual tasks: one will have to turn into a plane, and the other – into a hammer, etc.

Assignments

Collect one item from each child (hair elastic, pen, handkerchief, etc.). Then the adult, without looking, picks up an object and says what the owner should do: portray a shark, jump on one leg, sit down five times, and so on.
If the task is completed, the object is returned to the owner.

Paints

The driver is standing aside. The children are sitting on a bench. They are all the color of paint. Someone will be blue paint, someone orange, etc. (paint colors cannot be repeated). The leader comes to “paint”.
The children ask him: “Why did you come
” The moderator answers: “For the paint”. Children: “For whom
” The leader names any color. If there is no such paint, then another child is appointed leader.
If there is such a paint, then this child begins to run away from the leader. If he catches it, then the driver stays the same.

Who has blond hair

Children and adults sit in a circle. The adult begins: “Who has blond hair, sits down.” All children with blond hair should squat and then stand up.
Next, continue either the adult or a designated child. Now he comes with a new task. For example: “Who is in shorts today, raise your hands” or, “Who loves ice cream, smiles” etc.

Stop!
Children of this age love the games in which they have to freeze on the spot, because they are only in the process of mastering this skill.
The leader is at a distance from the participants. Then he says, “Go quietly – go on – stop.” As the leader speaks, the children walk toward him, and as soon as he says “stop,” everyone freezes.
The leader returns and examines the children: those who did not stop are eliminated from the game. The rest continue the game until they reach the leader. The feature of games for 3-year-olds is that they should not be competitive and simple enough.
Children like to repeat movements for adults or other children and they also start to like games with verbal instructions.

Monkeys

Another game that aims to repeat the movements. It can be played both at home and abroad. Tell the children that monkeys love to make faces and repeat movements one after the other.
Invite the child to repeat the movements and facial expressions of another child. You can choose a moderator or invite the children to work in pairs.

Color Signals The

game will help children learn how to focus and remember simple instructions. Create some simple colored cardboard signs, for example, circles of different colors.
Tell the children to run on the green signal, freeze the red signal, and when it is yellow, jump. Start with 2-3 signals, and when the child remembers the movements, enter new ones.

Who is faster

All children sit in a circle (can be drawn with chalk on the sidewalk). The leader puts a thing at a distance, to which everyone (including the leader) must run as fast as possible, touch it and return to the place in the circle.
The one who returns last becomes the leader. With this game, you can repeat the names of the colors by touching objects of a certain color.

Ball games

Children at this age can learn different types of ball games: throwing the ball with their hands or feet, scoring the ball “empty” or throwing it in the basket, as when playing basketball. Here is an example: one child is in the center, and two others are trying to hit him with the ball.
The kick hit by the ball must not be removed from the game. Just invite the kids to change places from time to time and throw the ball one at a time. And of course, make sure the ball is soft enough.

Collect toys

Take a few specific items. While the children are up to 10, place the objects around the room. Children need to collect all the items in a basket as soon as possible.
When children learn the rules of the game, complicate the task: offer them to collect objects by jumping, jumping on top, crawling.

Sports equipment

Keep in mind that 3-year-olds can already learn to ride rollerblades, bicycles with extra wheels, scooters, tricycles. In winter – you can go skiing and skating. You can also buy a children’s racket for badminton and tennis.

Games for 4 year olds

Every parent wants their child to know and be able to learn a lot. But what is the easiest way to gain this knowledge
? Of course, through play. With the help of games diversification, the child will develop quick reactions, attention, observation, logic, will consolidate knowledge about color and much more.

Touch red

Tell your child a color. For example, blue. The child should run around the room and touch all the objects that are blue.
After the options are exhausted, invite the child to train his memory – to name all the objects he found.

Funny people

Put colored pencils or pens in front of the child. Say they’re not just pencils, they’re funny people who can talk. Red says: I’m an apple, yellow – I’m a banana, blue – I’m the sea. Invite your child to find the answer options.

Wonder Box

Put objects of different shapes and sizes in a box. The adult describes one of the elements. The child has to guess what is inside. You can ask driving questions – whether or not it’s an edible object, whether it’s soft or heavy, and so on. Take the hidden object out of the box and show it.

Find the missing part

Print different images. Cut them so that the picture does not have a detail. For example: the car does not have a wheel, the house does not have a roof, the flower does not have a petal, etc. Invite your child to find the missing parts.

Playing with a card

While reading a picture book, you can implement the following below. Open the book on one of the pages and guess something. Tell the child, “I see something yellow. Is big. He has no hands. ” The child will try to find this object with his eyes. Then you can change roles.

Come up with a rhyme

Explain to the child what the rhyme is, give some examples. Now call the child a word, and he should find some rhymes. For example: cup – banana, candy. This game is convenient to play on the walk, on the way to kindergarten, in transport, while waiting in line.

Guess the animal

The adult imitates any animal. The child should ask driving questions, and the adult can only answer “yes” and “no”. For example: it is a pet.
It likes to eat grass.
The game ends when the animal is guessed. Then change roles.

Imitation

Have your child sit in a chair. The adult says, “I once walked through the woods and saw a snake.” The child should get up and imitate the snake. Then the child sits back in his chair. The options can be different: I saw a plane flying, I met a rabbit, I was caught in the rain, etc.

Puzzle Games

Print any picture. Glue it to thick paper or cardboard. Cut it into pieces. It is good to use scenes from various children’s stories. Invite the child to gather the details of the picture. You can also make a 3D puzzle out of boxes.

When shopping

Place a variety of goods on a table. Invite the little one to go to the store and buy a product, but don’t tell him the name, but describe it. For example: this is a vegetable, it is elongated, green, it has grains in the middle. The child can ask leading questions.

Lace games

Draw a slipper on a piece of cardboard, color it with pencils. Make holes – three on the right and three on the left. Put laces on it. You can also draw a hedgehog, a tree, etc. Lace games are very useful for the development of the child’s fine motor skills.

Different voices

This game will help the child to memorize the unknown words and to develop the correct pronunciation of the words. Invite your child to say the phrase, “I like to run through the puddle” in various ways: cheerful, loud, calm, sad, singing, with tight lips, on syllables.

Drawing and coloring games

It is difficult to imagine a child who does not like to draw and color pictures. This is not surprising, as the examples of children’s coloring games are very creative and of great importance for the child’s development.
Coloring books for children help the little one to learn more about the world around him, to introduce the full variety of colors, shades and to consolidate the knowledge about the shape of objects and sizes.
The process of painting images develops fine motor skills and teaches the child perseverance and precision. Coloring also forms an aesthetic taste and instills a love of art. You can buy comic books with fabulous characters, funny animals or your favorite toys.
In addition to coloring, drawing is also very important. In this game, the child will be able to fully express his imagination and draw his own image, using simple and convenient drawings.

Animal parts

Cut out pictures of different animals in time. Cut the images in half, splitting the head and tail. Put the halves of all the pictures interspersed in front of the child, ask him to choose the appropriate tail for the head.
Ask the child to glue the whole animal to the paper.
Variant of the game: invite the child to specially mix the head and tails to get new, unprecedented animals! Safety: use glue and scissors with rounded ends.

Rhythm

The rhythm of the song is not so simple. This game requires coordination, promotes the development of hearing in the child, a sense of rhyme and rhythm. The game will be suitable, for example, in a car. He will distract the child on the road. So suggest a word like “day.”
Say the word to the rhythm of the singing music: “day-day-day-day-day-day”. Ask the child to continue the musical rhythm with a new word that sounds in rhyme with the previous one: “Day-by-day-buzz-buzz”. Play until you get bored.

Special

book Make a special book with your child, where he will be the main character! Collect visuals that are meaningful to your child, including his / her drawings, photos of him / her, friends and pets, crafts, family photos.
Make an album out of sheets of paper, placing the collage of pictures and comments of the child. Secure the sheets together. Attach the cover: “All About Me!” When the book is complete, read it together.

Find the clock

Take an alarm clock that sounds pretty loud. Turn on the timer for 3-5 minutes and hide it in the room or on the street.
Ask the child to listen carefully. Tell the little one that he has 3 minutes to find the clock! Play again, reducing your search time.
Variant of the game: you can help with the search by saying “hot” or “cold” when the child approaches or moves away from the clock.

Talk on the phone

Sometimes it’s much more interesting to talk on the phone than face to face. Make a phone out of two paper tubes and a rope threaded between them.
Decorate it with stickers or drawings. Sit in different corners of the room or sit on both sides of the couch. Start the conversation: “Hello, this is my mother!” Talk about what happened to you today.

Games for 5 year olds

5-year-old preschoolers tend to imitate everything they see. At this age, they are happy to fly like sparrows, to jump like bunnies, to flutter their hands as if they had wings. Due to the developed ability to imitate, most outdoor or home games of 5-year-olds are role-playing.
Also, now they are starting to be interested in the outcome of the game, they are trying to express their feelings, desires and to realize their plans. In addition, he continues to develop the skills of movement games: running, jumping, climbing.

Cat and Mouse

It’s one of the most popular fun games for 5 year olds. Before starting the game, you need to select the moderator – “cat”. The cat chooses a “stove” (it can serve as a bench or chair), sits on it and closes its eyes.
All the other participants shake hands and start dancing around the cat, saying the words: “Mice dance on the cat’s stove. Dance the mice more slowly, we wish the cats a light sleep ”.
As he utters the last words, the cat stretches out, opens its eyes, and begins to chase away the mice. The trapped participant becomes a cat, and the game begins again.

Through the creek (outdoor jumping game)

The game is useful to teach you how to jump, walk on a narrow path, keep your balance, being part of educational games for 5 year olds.
Two lines are drawn at a distance of 1.5 – 2 meters from each other. At this distance, the pebbles are placed. Players are on the bank of the creek and must cross it (jump) on the pebbles without getting their feet wet.
Those who have stumbled – wet their feet, go to dry in the sun – sit on a bench. Then they are included in the game again.

Birds and cat

Draw a circle. The children are outside. A child sits in the center of the circle (cat) and falls asleep (closes his eyes), and the baby birds jump in a circle, mimicking the flight and nibbling of the grains. The cat wakes up and starts catching the birds, and they run out of the circle.

Snowflakes and the wind

With the “Wind!” Signal, the children – “snowflakes” – run in different directions, spinning (“the wind whirls the snowflakes in the air”). At the “No Wind!” – squat (“snowflakes fall to the ground”).

Find the pair

Participants sit along the wall. Each of them receives a flag. As soon as the adult gives a signal, the children disperse.
According to the “Find the pair” requirement, participants with flags of the same color are combined in pairs. An odd number of children must participate in the game, and at the end of the game, one is left unmatched.

The bear and the bees

The participants are divided into two teams – “bears” and “bees”. Before the game begins, the “bees” take the place of their “hives” (benches, stairs can serve as hives).
At the command of the host, the “bees” fly after the honey, and at this moment the “bears” climb into the “hives” and enjoy the honey.
Hearing the “Bears!” Signal, all the “bees” return to the “hives” and “sting” the “bears.” Next time, the stinging “bear” won’t go honey.

Train The

children are gathered in a column. The first child is a steam locomotive, the remaining participants being wagons. After the adult beeps, the children begin to move.
At first, slowly, then faster, starting to run gradually and imitating the train. “The train is approaching the station,” says the adult. The children gradually slow down and stop.
The moderator resumes the task and the train resumes its activity.

Blind

Game helps to develop the ability to navigate in space, to observation. A moderator is selected who is blindfolded, and around him, in a circle, the players gather.
The moderator is rotated several times around his own axis, after which he must catch any player. The catch becomes moderator.

Day and night

All participants are divided into two teams. One team is day, the other is night. A line is drawn in the middle of the room.
At a distance of two steps from the drawn line, the teams stand with their backs to each other. At the command of the host, for example, “Day!”, The team with the right name begins to take the step. The children of the “night” team must be able to escape from the conditional line before their rivals can reach them.
The team with the most players on the opposing team wins.

Games for 6 year olds

At this age, children are focused on receiving any knowledge and actively master huge amounts of information. Children want to know so much that it becomes difficult to explain everything to them at the same time. Now there is an interest in art and reading, for simple mathematical examples and logic problems.

Ear – nose (from 3 people)

It is one of the best educational games for 6 year olds. The leader names parts of the body, and the children should point to them.
Also, the leader points to his body part, but not necessarily to the one he named, so the children should follow the leader’s words, not his gestures.
Whoever is wrong, fulfills a requirement: tell a poem, dance, portray an animal.

The fox

This game develops agility, speed, coordination. A line is drawn, which designates the fox’s house. The spades are in a circle. The adult walks around the circle behind the children and touches one of the participants, who from that moment becomes the “cunning fox”.
After that, the adult tells the children to open their eyes and, looking around, to try to determine who the cunning fox is. Then the children ask 3 times: “cunning fox, where are you
” At the same time, the askers look at each other.
After the children asked for the third time, the cunning fox jumped into the middle of the circle, raised his hands, and shouted, “I’m here!” All the participants scatter and the cunning fox tries to catch someone. After 2-3 people are caught, the adult says, “In a circle!”, And the game begins again.

The spider and the flies

Draw a circle called the radius of the spider – moderator. All the other children are flies. All the flies “fly” around the circle, buzzing.
At the host’s “Spider!” Signal, the flies freeze. The spider leaves the shelter and carefully examines all the flies. Those who move out of the game.

Different steps

In this game, the moderator moves away from the children and gives them tasks: “Take 7 giant steps” or “22 small steps”. The game may not be competitive, the child must not reach the finish line as soon as possible.
This way, you can play during long walks. Encourage your child to walk “50 steps of an elephant” or “5 steps of a frog”.

I know 5 names

It is a game in which it is necessary to combine movements and speech. Children can hit the ball on the floor, and if more children play, then they throw one at a time. In this case, the child names 5 names: 5 plant names or 5 cities.
Tasks can be any. This game is useful for children because it teaches them to focus on both physical and mental activity.

Twister

This fun game is suitable for both children and the whole family. The child learns to work according to verbal instructions, but also begins to navigate better in the concepts of “right-left”. No need to buy the game.
Draw more chalk circles on the sidewalk. The host provides the task, for example: “Left foot – on the red circle”. You can also ask them to hum a song while performing the movements.

Sports equipment

Preschoolers can learn to ride a bike, rollerblading or rollerblading. I can play badminton or tennis – summer and skiing – winter.

Games for 7-year-olds

In primary school, education comes first, but any kind of educational games for 7-year-olds remain an important part of life.
Through play, the child trains the speed and agility of the reaction, logic and imagination, relieves emotional stress and makes it possible to communicate with peers. The rules of the game become a bit more complicated, but the main tasks of the games are: reactions, speed, general physical development and logical ability.

Get on!
The moderator, along with other children, walks. As soon as the moderator says, “Climb!”, All participants scatter, trying to climb any altitude, where they can raise their feet above the ground. Those who fail are eliminated from the game.

Empty space

Helps to develop reaction speed, agility, attention, contributes to the improvement of running skills.
The participants form a circle, and the moderator is located behind the circle. Touching the shoulder of one of the players, he challenges him to a competition.
After that, the moderator and the participant of his choice run along the circle in opposite directions. The one who takes the first empty space left by the selected player – remains in the circle. The person left without a seat becomes a moderator.

Ball game

Played on the volleyball court. At a distance of 1.5 meters from the front line, a parallel line is drawn to form something resembling a corridor.
On the other side, a similar line is drawn. The participants are divided into two teams, each located on its own half of the center line of the corridor. You have to select a captain in both teams. You cannot enter your opponent’s territory.
Each player who has the ball tries to bring the opponent into his space, without crossing the middle line. The lured player is sent into captivity and is there until his team’s players catch the ball. After that, the player returns to the team.

Board Games

A big plus of board games is that they are fun and often no less strategic, mystical and adventurous than computer games, for example.
But at the same time, they include a lively communication, an exchange of positive emotions that unites people, as well as benefits, because board games develop many necessary skills. Among the most popular board games are: chess, checkers, dominoes, backgammon, dice, playing cards.

Scout and Commander

You need to arrange the seats in the center of the room so that you have as much space as possible between them.
The “scout” has to go around all the seats in different parts, drawing a path. The “commander” follows and memorizes the road.
His task is to lead his team exactly on this path. Roles can be changed. Each new “scout” will create his own route.

Puzzle games Puzzle

games involve thinking and observation. To play, two identical images are enough. Cut one into several parts of different shapes, the other will become a pattern, after which the players will put the pieces back together.
The child thus learns to build an algorithm of actions, to analyze his work, to make decisions. Puzzles can be played quickly and competitively, if you offer participants, divided into two teams, a time limit for completion.

Treasure

The sheet is cut into 10 parts. On one side of each sheet write its number, on the other side – the place where it is hidden. On the last sheet is the treasure map (gathered from all the sheets).
The goal of the players is to find all the sheets to reach the treasure.

We find the word superfluous The

child must determine which of the words listed does not match the rest: evening, morning, hour, day; pen, pencil, manual, telephone, etc.
The game will become more complicated if you let the children themselves become leaders and come up with new combinations.

Why it is necessary to play with the child

Don’t buy mountains of toys, hoping that the little ones will play on their own and won’t bother you for 1-2 hours. Better to take a break from your daily chores, to cut out colored paper figures, to discuss all sorts of things, to read.
Communicating with you gives your child much more than any mechanical “developmental” toy. Spending time with parents, relatives, grandparents, the child grows up happy, emotionally healthy and intelligent.
Through the play process, you will help your child to improve his speech, you will successfully prepare him for kindergarten and school. By developing the art of communication, you put leadership qualities in your child’s character, increase his self-esteem, and focus on success.
In the format of play and fantasy, it is easier for the child to express his feelings, dreams and desires and get rid of fears. In addition, for example, by recounting scenes and episodes from familiar stories, he learns the basics of polite communication: sharing, waiting in line, helping a friend in a difficult situation.
Do not forget:

  • The child learns more productively only if you are an active participant in the process.
  • You are a good teacher for your child and it is in your power to make the learning process fun.
  • Enjoy your time together! This is the only way to get such a return that you never dreamed of. You will enjoy watching him become more agile, grow his vocabulary, become a socially adapted child.