ABCs Theme
Flash Cards (18+ months)
Materials: Paper and crayons.
Description: Each caregiver or child draws a picture and uses one word for a description. Emphasize the first letter (ex: “B” for Baby). Once the pictures are done, each child shares it with the group.
*For younger children use already manufactured ABCs Flash Cards.
Name Bingo (2+ years)
Materials: Paper and crayons.
Description: Write each child’s name on a piece of paper. Write out the alphabet on a different piece of paper and cut them out and stick them in a bowl. Let one of the children pick out a letter and call it out. If a letter in the child’s name is called out have them cross it out with a crayon, and the first one to cross out all of the letters wins! You can take turns having each
child call out the letters and play this game until each one gets a chance to be the Bingo announcer.
Numbers Theme
Beanbag Toss (2+ years)
Materials: Ten shoeboxes, marker, (bean bags, balls, or rolled socks).
Description: Number each shoe box 1 through 10, writing the number inside the box. The children then toss a beanbag into one of the squares and call out the number they land on. You can also have them draw a number from a bag and then have them try to land on the number they drew.
Cars and Trucks Theme
Red Light, Green Light (2+ years)
Description: Line the children & their caregivers up. Have them walk towards you when you call out “green light” and stop when you call out “red light” (throw in “yellow light” to slowdown). This will help teach the children how to follow instructions.
Ride Bikes (3+ years)
Materials: Child’s bike or tricycle, boxes, outdoor chairs, paper, and a marker.
Description: Set up an obstacle course by using chairs or boxes and paper for signs. Draw out a stop sign, railroad tracks sign, mark a gas station, and so on. Children have fun with this, and if you don’t have a large enough area find an empty basketball court somewhere.
Farm Animals Theme
Guess the Animal (18+ months)
Materials: Any pictures of farm animals cut from a magazine, or flashcards, and a paper bag.
Description: Form a circle. Have each child pick a picture out of the bag and let them make the noise of the animal they picked (caregivers may need to assist). The others have to guess what animal it is. Little ones enjoy this because often they find imitating sounds is easier than speaking some words.
Bugs Theme
Finger Spiders (6+ months)
Description: Pretend that each of your hands are spiders. Have your child watch your hands crawl like spiders. Let the spiders crawl up their leg or hand while tickling them. They will laugh and play back with you.
Colors Theme
Sock Game (12+ months)
Materials: Empty laundry basket and different colored socks.
Description: Empty a laundry basket and roll up a bunch of socks. Pass out the socks and let the children try to throw them into the basket. Make sure to identify the color of socks they are tossing. You can also count how many throws it takes to get the pair of socks in the basket. Throwing seems to be a fascination for children. Teaching them this game can help to redirect their energy into throwing nicely instead of throwing something out of spite. Aiming and throwing involve gross motor coordination as well.
Matching Game (2+ years)
Materials: 12 paper plates and markers
Description: Mark the plates with colors (write the word “red” on 2 plates, write “orange” on 2 plates, and so on). Let the child use the coinciding marker to color on the plate. Once finished lay the 12 paper plates facing down (picture side down), then let the children take turns trying to match up the color pairs. It’s fun to see your picture revealed when it is turned over!
Day and Night Theme
Bubbles (6+ months)
Materials: Bubbles and wands.
Description: All ages love bubbles! This can be done inside or outside. Toddlers can blow the bubbles or use wands. Otherwise, you can blow them and let the children catch them.
Trains Theme
Passenger Train (18+ months)
Materials: Rope or towel (optional)
Description: Invite the children to make a passenger train by lining up behind you, putting their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them, or holding a rope (this should be supervised). Move around the room making train noises; make stops to pick up passengers, slow down to take corners, drop off freight, and reconnect passenger cars, and so on.
Make Believe Train (2+ years)
Materials: Chairs or pillows to sit on, engineer hats and whistles (optional).
Description: Line up chairs or pillows behind one another or next to each other for the "train". Make tickets and have someone collect them. Ask all the children to climb aboard. Pretend to move with the train as it moves down the tracks. As the train goes uphill, lean back and chug slowly. As it goes downhill, lean forward and race down the hill. On turns, lean left or right. If it’s a bumpy ride, bounce up and down. Don’t forget to make train sounds as you move along the track. It’s fun to play to music also.
Mr. Conductor (3+ years)
Follow the rules to “Simon Says” replacing “Simon Says” with “Mr. Conductor Says”. Players form a line facing the leader, who performs any action that states “Simon Says” do this. If he doesn't say “Simon Says" before an action, then anyone who imitates the action is out of the game. Continue until one person is left.
Sea Animals Theme
Puzzles (2+ years)
Materials: Any Puzzles
Description: Try putting together a couple of large floor puzzles or board puzzles with the children.
Food Theme
Basket Fun (6+ months)
Materials: Towel and laundry basket
Description: fold up a towel at the bottom of the basket. Give the baby a ride in the basket by pushing and pulling the basket away and toward you. Also put toys in the basket for child to take out. This helps in getting baby familiar with a shopping cart.
Play Grocery Store (12+ months)
Materials: Paper bags with handles and empty food boxes or containers
Description: Give each child a paper bag and put the empty food boxes and containers in a pile and let the children pick out items and put them in their bag. You can also pull thethem out and describe to each child what they have bought.
Hot Potato (18+ months)
Materials: Potato or egg and music
Description: Form a circle. Pass a potato or egg around the circle to music. When the music stops, the person holding the potato or egg is out. Pretend the potato or egg is hot so you don’t want to hold it too long.
*For younger children you can replace the potato with a rolled up pair of socks or beanbag.
Music and Dance Theme
Dance & Hold (6+ months)
Materials: Music and scarves or crate paper
Description: Turn on the music and dance around. Once the music stops freeze or fall down. When the music begins, start dancing. Use scarves to dance with. For babies use the scarves and encourage them to follow the scarf with his/her eyes. This will help to improve the baby’s eye coordination.
Parachute Play (18+ months)
Materials: Bed sheet, balls, and music.
Descriptions: Use a sheet as a parachute but soft type balls such as NERF™, beach, or plastic balls in the middle and form a square/circle around the sheet. Have everyone lift the sheet and shake when the music starts, not letting the balls bounce off the sheet. Once the music stops drop the parachute.
Follow the Leader (2+ years)
Description: Have one person (or caregiver and child team) dance and do different steps while the rest follow. Take turns being the leader.
Plants and Nature Theme
Plant a Flower (3+ years)
Plant a flower and watch it grow. Give each child a plastic cup and some dirt. Then let them plant a flower seed in the cup, cover it with dirt, and sprinkle with water. Take home and explain how to care for the flower so it will grow.
