Games Wiki - Childcare Collective Games

This is a Wiki of games for radical childcare, including cooperative games, learning games, radical games etc from various sources. You are encouraged to add to it!

This wiki is hosted by the Bay Area Childcare Collective. We provide Bay Area grassroots organizations and movements composed of and led by immigrant women, low-income women, and women of color with trained, competent, patient, and politicized childcare providers.

We play lots of games with the kids we work with (and ourselves!), and thought it would be good to share as many games as possible as a resource for others doing childcare. These are compiled from various different sources.

Please add your favourites! Create an account, press Edit and add them in. There are some blank spaces, and some games that need filling in at the bottom.

Game Name: Name and Action

Game Type: Name learning and energizer
# of Players: all of the people in the group
Ideal Setting: at the beginning stages of group interaction

HOW the game is played: Players stand in a circle. Each person introduces themselves, by saying "Hi my name is " and they say their name in a particular way accompanied by an action, Everyone else then repeats back to the player their name and action in the same style it was delivered. As it goes around the circle, the group reviews each name and action that came before it, adding one name at a time to the list. When the last person has introduced themselves, the facilitator gets the group to go around one last time really quickly. By the end everyone knows each others names.

Variations: Name and super power; name and dance move; name and action related to a theme i.e. "your favorite activity to do with kids" or "a representation of how I'm feeling right now"

Tips: Keep it moving quickly

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Game Name: Name Juggling

Game Type: Name Game, juggling coordination
# of Players: at least 5
Ideal Setting:in a clear open area, standing in a circle, with a few soft objects for throwing. Balls or teddy bears or something like that.

HOW the game is played: The group juggles objects together, throwing and catching, before they throw the object they have to say "Here X" (name of the person they are throwing it to) and then they throw the object, and the catcher says "Thanks X" (the throwers name) and they pass it on to someone else. After the object has gone through the whole group at least once, the facilitator starts the object going again, saying to pass it to the same person the players did in the first round, when the object gets part way around another object is added and then another and another, until there are almost as many objects as people, and each person has very little time between throwing one object and catching the next.

Variations:

Tips: Encourage eye contact and clear communication.

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Game Name: Name Pic Nic

Game Type: Name Game
# of Players: as many as the group
Ideal Setting: at the beginning of a group interaction where the group doesn't know each others names.

HOW the game is played: The facilitator explains to the group that they are going on an imaginary pic nic, and they all can bring one item that begins with the same letter as their first name. The group goes around introducing themselves and each other in this manner. "My name is Chris and i'm bringing the Cheese" "My name is Kat and I'm bringing the Kite, and this is Chris and he's bringing the cheese." "My name is Don and I'm bringing the Dog food, and this is Kat and she's bringing the kite, and this is Chris and he's bringing the Cheese."

Variations:

Tips:

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Game Name: Impulse Pass

Game Type: Movement, sound, impulse
# of Players: 3-20
Ideal Setting: A big clear open space for lots of movement

HOW the game is played: Players stand in a circle and someone makes a sound and a movement, and the move is 'passed' or repeated by each player around the circle until someone puts up a 'block' with forearms in a strong X in front of their torso and says "BLAH!" or some other strong vocalization, and then pulls another move with a sound back at the person, and it's passed around the circle in the opposite direction until someone stops it and sends back a new move.

Do it without thinking about it at all and let your voice and body be free to react on impulse!

Tips: Keep it fast and impulsive, throw in silly moves.

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Game Name: Grandmothers Footsteps

Game Type: Red light greenlight style, go go stop, move and freeze game.
# of Players:4-10
Ideal Setting: a big clear open space for movement, and some running, need a few sweaters or other pieces of costume clothing. Its helpful to demarcate the finish line point, either by having a wall to reach, or pylons to pass.

HOW the game is played: Scatter the clothes around and explain that the game is similar to red light green light. Grandma stands at one end of the playing area, and all the grandchildren are at the other end, their goal is to get to an article of clothing, put it on and then get past grandma. They can only move when grandma is facing away from them and says green light, or go, or 'sleeping' or 'zzzz' ing... when the grandmother turns around after saying 'red light' or 'stop' or 'whats that noise?' the 'grandchildren' must freeze in place while grandma looks to see if anyone is moving. If Grandma catches anyone moving they must go back to the starting line and take off the article of clothing and leave it in place.

Variations: The grandmother can also ask questions of the frozen kids, or try to make them laugh, or interact in various ways. Beanbags can be used as cookies as a secondary objective. Just be clear about what the levels of interaction will be.

Tips:For the first round, the faciliator should play grandma, and be particularly clear with the signals to go and stop so everyone can hear, and scrunitize the grandkids evently, but especially close attention to the ones getting close to the finish line.
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Game Name: ABC

Game Type: Concentration, Group Focus
# of Players: 3-10
Ideal Setting: place where group can focus and tune into each other

HOW the game is played: The players try to get all the way through the alphabet as a group, abiding by the following restrictions:
1) you can only say one letter at a time (not 2 consecutive letters)
2) only 1 person can talk at a time. If 2 people begin speaking at once, the whole group starts again at "A"

Variations: Can be done counting to 10.

Tips: Encourage non verbal communication, eye contact. Let the group figure out a way that works for them.

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Game Name: Restricted Conversation

Game Type: Speaking, conversational
# of Players: 2 or 3
Ideal Setting: Walking, or traveling somewhere, anywhere casual conversation is happening

HOW the game is played: Players have a normal conversation, but create limits and restrictions on the conversation. For example, 'No using the letter M' 'Every second word has to start with B' 'can only speak in questions'

Variations: Endless, let your imagination go free.

Tips: Don't be hard on anyone who has trouble with it, everyone is destined to make lots of mistakes, the key is to be aware of your speech and words.

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Game Name: Exquisite Corpse

Game Type: Drawing/Story creation
# of Players: small group 2-6

Ideal Setting and materials: around a table with lots of markers and pens and paper.

HOW the game is played: All players take a piece of paper and fold it in thirds like folding a letter. All players draw the top third of a creature primarily in the top third of the paper, allowing a few lines to drift below the fold line into the middle third. After a designated time limit is reached, or until everyone feels their drawing is complete, they fold the paper so what they have drawn is hidden, and only the middle section is visible. Players then all pass their drawing along to the person sitting to their right, and recieve the drawing of the person on their left, they continue the drawing they are given, drawing the middle section of the creature. After the drawing is complete, its folded, and passed again around the circle and all players draw the bottom thirds of their creatures. After the bottom third is complete, the players unfold their drawings and look at the 3 exquisite corpses they have created.

Variations: 3 part creature bodies work very well, but the drawings can be of anything really, spaceships, trees, towers.
Tips: don't spend too long on each turn, give a "30 seconds till switch" warning, laugh a lot at the creatures created, emphasize the suspense and the sillyness. After the creature is revealed, can lead into 'what is this creatures name?' 'what would this creature sound like'

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Game Name: Toilet Tag

Game Type: Tag, active, silly
# of Players: 5-20
Ideal Setting: Big area to run around a lot in.

HOW the game is played: Game is played like freeze tag, where one or more players are 'it' and chase after the other players trying to tag them. When a player is tagged, the must freeze in place as a toilet, with one arm out as the handle, and in a sitting position while still standing. They can be freed from toilet-hood by being 'flushed' by another player who can push their handle as they are running by. The toilet spins around 3 times and makes the sound of a toilet flushing and they are free.

Variations: The toileted players can be freed by all other players or only by specified 'plumbers'.

Tips: Encourage sound effects.

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Game Name:Toe Tag

Game Type: Tag variation for smaller spaces
# of Players:5-10
Ideal Setting: on a large clear rug indoors, everyone taking their shoes off

HOW the game is playedPlayed like normal tag except that the 'it' player can only tag other players with their toes, on to their toes, :

Tips: emphasize agility and nimbleness, don't allow stomping, and stop if anyone gets hurt, light fast touches work the best anyways.

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Game Name: Stay Between

Game Type: active, moving, running
# of Players: 6-20
Ideal Setting: a big field or gym, clear of obstacles

HOW the game is played: Each player mentally picks two other players in the group, and when the game starts the goal is to stay directly between those two people at all times.

Variations:

Tips:

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Game Name: What are you Doing?

Game Type: pantomime
# of Players: 3-10
Ideal Setting: a clear space with players in a circle

HOW the game is played: the starting player pantomimes and activity, and the player next to them asks 'what are you doing?' the first player responds with any activity other than the one they are pantomiming. The player who asked immediately begins to pantomime the activity that the first player said they were doing. This continues around the circle.

Variations:

Tips: Emphasize impulsive answers, and instantly beginning the pantomime, don't let the players 'think' too much about it. Let the miming player have a second or two to mime the action before they are asked 'what are you doing?'

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Game Name: Guess the Leader

Game Type: Movement, guessing
# of Players: 7-15
Ideal Setting: in a clear space with group seated in a circle.

HOW the game is played: One player is chosen as the 'guesser' and is sent out of the room or somewhere where they can't hear or see the group for a moment. While the guesser is gone, the rest of the group decides on a leader. The group is to follow the movements of this leader, but try not to let the guesser know who it is. The leader starts a movement, and the whole group joins in. The guesser returns and stands in the middle of the circle, watching the group to see who is leading it. The leaders goal is to keep changing up the movements without the guesser guessing that they are the leader. The guesser gets three guesses at who is leading the movement.

Variations:

Tips: Remind the group not to all watch the leader, to be conscious of their eye contact. Tell the leaders to keep changing up the movements, its impossible to guess the leader if the movement is just staying the same continuously.

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Game Name: Group Story II

Game Type: Storytelling, listening, leading and following
# of Players: small group, 2-5
Ideal Setting: in a close intimate setting, works best if players put their heads close together

HOW the game is played: Players are to make up a story while speaking all in unison. The emphasis here isn't on a good story, or funny lines, but on all players tuning in to each other and listening closely, giving and taking the lead and eventually losing any sense of who is leading at all, and it feeling truly in unison.

Variations: 2 headed guru/professor: a scene is played out between a student and a guru/professor. The professor has 2 heads which speak in unison. The student asks the guru an important life question that is picked by others watching the scene.

Tips:

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Game Name: Atom

Game Type: Energizer, partner sorter, introductions (getting to know one another)
# of Players: any
Ideal Setting: open space indoors or outdoors

HOW the game is played: One staff member takes charge to be the caller (big voice). Jammers mill around the space; exploring, changing directions...etc. The caller, at any time, shout outs "ATOM (any number) !" Jammers then group together in groups of whichever number was called.

Variations:
To make it a "get to know each other" game, instead of numbers, the caller can shout:
~Find everyone with a birthday in the same month as you.
~Group together with everyone who's the same age as you.
~Join hands with some one who is the same height as you.
...and so on...
It can become a game of elimination, by simply asking those jammers who couldn't find a group to sit down, become viewers...

Tips: If the "get to know each other" version is played it is very easy for the game to get really noisy (with every jammer yelling out their height...ect) so a suggestion would be for the caller to also announce the challenge of finding them silently. Ex: "Without speaking find someone who is the same height as you," and "By using your hands see if you can find everyone who is the same age as you without talking."

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Game Name: Sense Memory

Game Type: Relaxer, body awareness, mind power.
# of Players: any
Ideal Setting: carpeted inside quiet area.

HOW the game is played: participants lay on floor, making sure to not be touching anybody next to them (pillows can be used but is best if body is flat).
A staff member will be a leader throughout the entirety of the exercise, talking all participants through:
-close eyes
-breathing
-relaxation: toes all the way up to crown of head.
-imagery: start by guiding participants to a beach, using descriptive words to create environment (feel of sand, sound of waves, warmth of sun...)
-Power of sense: when the room feels mentally invested change the environment. The sand turns to snow (be descriptive).
-Power of emotion: add a presence to the environment, "some one you love touches you on the shoulder."
-Trick of the Mind: add taste, "that person you love reaches in there pocket and hands you a lemon." Be detailed in describing how they hold, feel, the lemon, "is it smooth, bumpy. Put it up to your cheek, is it cold?" Take the participants on a journey of tasting the lemon, first the peel then the inside.

Variations: if beginning steps of relaxation and breathing are successful there are many many variations.

Tips: take your time, turn off lights, speak soft.

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Game Name: Human Machine Game

Game Type: Movement, vocal, cooperative, silly
# of Players: Between 3-15
Ideal Setting: In a clear space with a group that is comfortable being in each others personal space, touching, and being silly.

HOW the game is played: Players one at a time add a repeating sound and movement to a machine made up only of human bodies and voices. The facilitator encourages players to watch each other and to let each person go one at a time, and incorporating yourself somehow into the movement of the other parts of the machine when you feel comfortable to. once all the parts are added the facilitator can change the speed of the machine, it can creak to a slow stop or it can be going so fast it explodes and all players blow apart and fall over. before, after or during the game the group can decide what the machine is making.

Variations:

Tips: Let people add themselves when they are comfortable, don't make an order, or put people on the spot. Encourage movements and sounds that are repetative short, and sustainable to be doing over and over again for 2-3 minutes.

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Game Name: Group Story

Game Type: Storytelling
# of Players: 2-6ish
Ideal Setting: a place where everyone can be heard

HOW the game is played: A story is made up and told by a group on the spot. There are various ways of doing this. Each person can contribute a word at a time, or 3 words or a sentence. The speaker can be delegated by having a talking object, like a stick or a ball that is passed, or a facilitator can 'conduct' the story by pointing to the person to speak.

Variations: The story can start with a topic, or a sentence or title to help guide it.

Tips: encourage listening, and picking up the story at the exact spot that the last person left it at.

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Game Name: Two Truths and a Lie

Game Type: Getting to know each other, telling stories
# of Players: small group 2-8
Ideal Setting: a cozy place indoors with a bit of time.

HOW the game is played: Each player takes a turn telling three short stories or facts about themselves, two of which are true one of which is a lie. The other players try to figure out which is the lie by asking questions. After a round or two of questioning, players vote on which story they believe to be the lie, and the storyteller reveals which was really the false one.

Variations:

Tips:

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Game Name: Human Knot

Game Type: movement, problem solving, cooperation
# of Players: 6-15
Ideal Setting: clear open space

HOW the game is played: Players all stand in a circle. All players put their right hand in the circle, and find somebodies hand to shake across from them. without letting go of their right hand hold, they put their left hand into the circle and grab onto someone elses hand. In the middle of the circle should be a knot of arms. the goal is to untangle the knot without anyone letting go of each others hands.

Variations: Can be played with talking or silently, can be played blind folded.

Tips: Make sure the group knows each other and is comfortable being in each others personal space and touching.

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Game Name: Meet a Tree Blindfolded

Game Type: Trust, Nature exploration, sensory
# of Players: An even number of players and a facilitator
Ideal Setting: In a place with lots of different types of trees not too far apart. Need enough blindfolds for each group of two.

HOW the game is played: Players get into pairs, one puts on a blindfold, and is led by the other first in a few circles and then to a specific tree. The blindfolded player is invited to touch and smell and get to know the tree. When the blindfolded player is ready they are led away from the tree, spun in a few circles and then unblindfolded. After getting their bearings again the player tries to find their way back to the tree they got to know.

Variations: Can be done without the 'guessing game' aspect, and be in pairs taking turns leading each other blindfolded on a nature walk taking them to different sensory experiences.

Tips: do it with a group that already knows and trusts each other, take your time with it, linger on the sensory experiences.

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Game Name: Dox-En-Eye (taken from Rediscovery, condensed)

Game Type: silly, creative
# of Players: 4 - lots
Ideal Setting: You need a stick!

HOW the game is played:
Two equal size teams stand or sit facing each other 5 to 10 metres apart. One member from each team comes forward to compete for the Dox-En-Eye stick, a straight stick one metre long. Decide who has first turn by placing hand over hand until there is no room left on the stick. The winner returns to hi/her team, and begins pounding on the ground with the stick, shouting: "Dox-En-Eye, Dox-En-Eye, send us Shirley." The person named on the opposite team must turn stone-faced and slowly cross the clearing to take the stick away from the opposite team, and return to his/her original position WITHOUT SMILING. The opposing team can do any and everything short of actually touching the person to make them lose their composure. If the person called smiles or laughs, they become a member of the team that called them. Another person is then called by the same team. If the person called gets the Dox-En-Eye stick back to the team from which he/she came, that team does the calling. The game continues until everyone is on one team.

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Game Name: Blind Run

Game Type: intense trust-building
# of Players: 9+
Ideal Setting: vast, obstacle-free space. Supplies: blindfold

HOW the game is played:

The blindfolded person runs across field/gym into the arms of 2 lines of waving hands.

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Game Name: A - B - C

Game Type: Calm, co-operative, tuning in to eachother
# of Players: 3+
Ideal Setting:

HOW the game is played:
The challenge is to get all the way through the alphabet as a group, abiding by the following restrictions:
1) you can only say one letter at a time (not 2 consecutive letters)
2) only 1 person can talk at a time. If 2 people begin speaking at once, the whole group starts again at "A"

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Game Name: Eagle Eyes

Game Type: Learning
# of Players:
Ideal Setting: Outside, best done on a hill to get a downward view.
Supplies: spool of thread or other bright object about 3 cm long

HOW the game is played:
Eagles, like most raptors, have extraordinary vision. Eagles can see at a distance 10x that of a human. To see for yourself how good an eagle's eye can be, use a thread spool or other bright object. Place the spool on the ground & have participants start backing away from it. When someone can no longer see the spool, they have reached the limits of their eyes resolving power. Multiply this number by 10 to know how much farther away an eagle could be and still see the spool.

From Rediscovery189

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Game Name: Bear Nose

Game Type: Learning
# of Players: 2+
Ideal Setting: Supplies needed: aromatic forest objects

HOW the game is played:
Sing "The bear went over the mountain, To see what he could see". Then explain that bears are near-sighted & actually navigate mostly by their sense of smell. "More likely, the bear went over the mountain to see what he could smell from many miles away."

Source: Rediscovery 192
supplies:

Have participants take turns covering each others' eyes from behind while instructor holds a forest object under someone's nose for sniffing. Once the sniffer has the scent etched in their mind, the sniffer's eyes are uncovered and s/he must find that scent in the area & bring back a small sample. If they can't find it, keep giving them the smell clue until they succeed. (Instructor: Crush objects before presenting them for sniffing to release their full aroma. Be careful to keep your hands free of other scents, and not to touch participant's face with the object or s/he will obtain a non-scent clue.)
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Bear, Bug, Frog

2 lines facing each other. someone makes noise & motion, team imitates, all moving toward

Head - Body - Legs

Sentence - Drawing - Sentence Story

Slow Race
See how slowly you can walk. You have to keep moving!

Jump-a-thon
How many times can you jump in a row? Let's find out!

MUSIC/SINGING ACTIVITIES

Vocal Jam

Buzzing Contest

THEATRE GAMES

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

jellybeans

poor meal, rich meal (80/20)

OUTDOOR

Shelter-building

Hug A Tree

Deer Ears (Rediscovery 194, condensed & adapted)
supplies: cloths (bandannas/other)
Have you ever wondered why a deer's ears are so big? Have participants cup their hands behind their ears to simulate a deer's. Without changing your tone of voice, ask participants if they think you are talking louder now. The apparent change in volume is dramatic.
To demonstrate how important a deer's hearing is, one person is blindfolded & kneels like a deer grazing at night (with hand-cupped ears). *Be sure to keep the deer's ears exposed when tying the blindfold. *Small branches (antlers) tied to the deer's head adds to the role-play. The rest of the group becomes predators, wolves or cougars. Predators start at least 15 metres away from the deer. When instructor gives signal to begin stalking, predators slowly and silently pursue their prey. If the predators get close enough to snatch a cloth 'tail' from the deer's back pocket, then the deer is dead. If the deer hears you coming and points in your direction, saying "starve!", then you return to the starting line.
"Now a deer can't stop eating & flee with every little movement it hears, or it would probably starve itself. So to make the situation more realistic, the deer can only point as many times as there are predators (plus 2 extra)."
The person who kills the deer becomes the next deer.
Teachings, 195

Touch Crawl (Rediscovery 195, condensed)

Forest Hide

Ants On A Log
supplies: thick horizontal log

Spider Web
supplies: string, 2 trees, some time to prepare...
Create a web between 2 trees with holes big enough for participants to slide through. Also enough holes for all the participants. The group will begin on one side of the web. Their challenge is to get every member to the other side, traveling through the holes. They can use each hole only once. If they touch a string, that person will have to go back to the starting side.
This is a great activity for group bonding because each body shape and ability is an asset. Larger people will help with lifting people, and smaller people can fit through smaller holes.

Get to know one thing

Solos

5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Have participants find a solitary spot in the woods, and sit for 5 minutes. While they are sitting, ask them to notice: (try to do this without walking around):
5 things you feel...
4 things you smell...
3 things you hear...
2 things you see...
1 thing you know...

Group poems
This is a nice activity to capture the energy in heightened moments - on a cliff over a beautiful view, after an intense shared experience. Everyone writes 1 line on a certain topic (where you are, an experience you all shared, etc.)...read out one after another. (One person can read all of the lines, or each person can read the line s/he wrote.

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