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5 year old word games


40 Word Games for Kids (To Nurture Literacy Skills)

Word games have the advantage of being both boredom busters and literacy boosters. There is a word game out there for every child and situation. Whether it’s a spoken word game for impromptu play on a rainy day or an online word game when you’re out and about, we’ve got you covered.

We’ve got online games to play on the go, word game printables, and board games as well as the traditional games you played as a kid.

Table of Contents

  • Classic Word Games for Kids
  • Word Board Games for Kids
  • Printable Word Games for Kids
  • Online Word Games for Kids
  • Benefits of Word Games for Kids
  • Not Just A Game

Classic Word Games for Kids

This list of classic word games begins with those you can play verbally, without any preparation.

Then we move onto those that can be played spontaneously but need a pen or pencil and paper.

I-Spy

A perennial classic, I-Spy can be played with kids of all ages and interests. The “spy” begins by saying “I-Spy, with my little eye, something beginning with….” and the other players must guess what the item is. The first person to guess correctly becomes the spy.

For younger children, you can adapt the game by “spying things” of a particular color.

I Went To The Zoo

To begin, the first person says, “I went to the zoo and I saw a…” and they choose an animal. The next person says “I went to the zoo and I saw a …” and they say the first player’s animal and then add one of their own. Players take turns until someone recites the string of animals incorrectly.

You can play by either:

  • Using a single letter. If you choose L, all of the animals would begin with L.
  • Using all of the letters of the alphabet, in order. So the first person chooses an animal beginning with A, the second an animal beginning with B, and so on.

For older children, you can restrict the animals from a particular continent or eco-system. To be able to play with younger kids, your child will need to learn the alphabet or at least some of the letters and their sounds.

The Prime Minister’s Cat

To play The Prime Minister’s Cat, children should have a vocabulary large enough to include plenty of adjectives.

The first player begins by saying, “The Prime Minister’s Cat was a ?? Cat” and they add an adjective beginning with A. You might say “The Prime Minister’s Cat was an attentive cat.” The next player repeats the process, but with the letter B, and so on.

Hink Pink

Hink Pink is a word rhyming game. The first player thinks of two words which rhyme, such as “Big Rig” but they do not tell the other players what their words are.

The player then gives a clue to their words. So, using “Big Rig,” the clue might be “large truck. ” Other players must then try to guess the rhyming pair.

The first person to guess then takes a turn. This game is best suited for those 4 years and older.

Shopping List

To play this game, the first player says they’re going to the store to buy X, and names a grocery item. They then turn to the player on their left and ask if they “want anything at the store.”

The second player must ask for something that begins with the last letter of the previous item. If the first item is dog food the next person chooses something beginning with D.

The first player then says “OK, I need” and lists the two items. This continues until the “shopper” makes a mistake on their list. The shopper’s role then passes to the person on their left.

Words In Words

Each player needs a pencil and paper. One player chooses a word and everyone writes it down. Players then write down as many words as they can within an agreed-upon time limit, using the letters in the first word.

One point is awarded for each correct word, and the winner is the one with the most points.

This game is best for children who are at least in their early elementary school years. Adjust the game difficulty to match the age of the players.

Meanings

Each player has a pencil and paper, and one player chooses a word. Players then write down as many words as they can think of, which have the same meaning as the chosen word. Everyone gets a point for each word and the person with the most points wins.

This is better suited for middle school students and older.

Tutti Frutti

Each player is given a pen and paper. All players take turns to think of a category such as animals. Each player writes down as many of those things they can think of in a set time.

The winner is the person with the most items.

A child must be able to write to participate in this game. If you want to play with younger children, you can do an oral version where you write down their answers in a separate room from the other players, so they don’t hear the answers.

Make it more difficult for older children by narrowing the category, such as animals that begin with the letter P.

Mouse And Cheese

Begin by drawing a zig-zag line to represent steps. Then draw a mouse at the bottom of the steps.

One player thinks of a word and draws a series of dashes, one for each letter. Other players take turns naming a letter. If they’re correct the letter is written on the corresponding dash.

If the guess is incorrect, you draw an arrow to represent the mouse climbing the stairs. The first player to guess the word wins, or, if the mouse gets to the top, the game is over.

Letter Ladders

Give each player a basic ladder diagram with a word of your choice at the top. Players then change one letter to make a new word and write the new word on the next rung. The winner is the person who gets furthest down the ladder.

Make the game more difficult by writing one word at the top, one at the bottom, and challenging your child to get from one to the other by changing a letter at a time.

Word Board Games for Kids

There’s an extensive variety of word-based board games for kids. They range from basic junior versions of well-known family board games to quirky high-energy games played with word or letter tiles.

We’ve also thrown in a couple of card tricks rather than board games, but they’re both so good we couldn’t leave them off the list.

Boggle Junior

Boggle Junior consists of a set of stands, 30 word and picture cards, and eight dice with a letter on each face. You can play one of four ways, each of which helps to build a different literacy skill. Begin with the letter matching and work up to the spelling game.

This game is best suited for those who are 3 to 6 years.

Zingo Sight Words

Each player is given a Zingo card. Push the slider on the Zingo machine to deliver two tiles. If a tile matches a square on their card, the player calls out and is given the tile.

The first player to cover all of the words on their card wins. The best age range for this game is 3 to 6 years.

Scrabble Junior

On one side of the board, players take turns to match their tiles to pre-written words and move their token one place per point. The first to the finish wins.

On the reverse, there is a board with a blank grid for a more traditional game of Scrabble, but without the double and triple score options.

The recommended age range is 4 to 8 years.

Blurt!

This award-winning game for 3 to 13 players builds listening skills as well as vocabulary.

A player reads out the definition of a word, from one of the Blurt! cards. The first person to “Blurt” out the correct word moves their game piece along the board.

This game is best for those 4 years and older.

Sequence Letters

Players take turns to match the letter on one of their cards to the initial sound of a picture on the board. When they do, the player places one of their tokens on the picture. The object is to get five tokens in a row, which is not as easy as it sounds.

Children ages 4 to 7 years are best suited for this game.

Bananagrams

Players use tiles to make as many words as possible in a crossword-style grid. The beauty of this game is that speed is more important than having a large vocabulary or strategically arranging tiles on a board.

For regular Bananagrams, the suggested player age is 7 years or older. For Bananagrams Jr., players can be 4 years and older.

Goliath WordSearch

To play, one of the 20 pre-printed word search puzzle discs is placed in the game board. The board is then rotated to reveal one of the words hidden on the disc. Players must then race to find the hidden word and lay their colored markers along it before anyone else.

This game is recommended for players 7 years and older.

Upwords

Each player starts with seven tiles. The first player lays them on the board to make a word and the next player adds some of their own tiles to make another word. Unlike Scrabble, you can stack tiles on top of each other.

Points are awarded for each tile laid. The recommended age for this game is 8 years and older.

Wordical

A challenging spelling game for 2 to 8 players, Wordical players are dealt a hand of random consonants cards. Roll the vowel dice and the players must use the letters on the dice and the cards in their hand to make words.

The player with the highest scoring word wins the round. Wordical is best suited for those 8 years and older.

Quiddler Word Game

The great thing about Quiddler is it can be played together by children and adults. It is also highly portable, so it’s well-suited for travel.

It’s often compared to Scrabble with cards instead of tiles, but we find Quiddler much friendlier and more relaxed than its distant board game cousin.

It’s a game best suited for 8 years and older.

Printable Word Games for Kids

Looking for some informal and fun learning opportunities? Or if you need low cost or no-cost resources for homeschooling or a way to keep your child’s brain nimble, printable word games are an excellent literacy booster.

They are portable, and you can reprint them as many times as you like. Most of these are best for school-aged children.

Word Searches

You can find word searches that are suitable for kids of all ages and interests. These staples of the word game world also range in difficulty. There are simple versions that only have words written forwards, horizontally and vertically, and harder ones that hide the words backward and diagonally.

Anagrams

Print out a list of mixed-up words, then challenge your child to rearrange the letters and discover what they should say.

My top tip is to look for sheets that have lots of room for your child to try writing down the letters in different arrangements. This is especially useful for kids new to anagrams.

Word ladders

Setting up word ladders can take a bit of time and effort, especially if you’re using longer words. If you don’t have the time or the inclination, there are numerous printable word ladders to be found online. However, they are usually for younger children.

Secret Codes

Part word game and part undercover shenanigans, secret codes are a good choice for kids who are not yet confident with their independent reading and writing skills.

Rather than requiring them to know how to spell, these substitution codes help your child to focus on the process of replacing symbols with letters.

Word Bingo

Print on cardstock and you have a game that can be played in two ways.

With option one, play it like a traditional bingo game with a caller and kids covering up the words they have to make a line. With option two, let your child tick off the words as they hear them while watching a show.

Sight Word I-Spy

We are especially fond of this example of printable I-Spy because of the empty space on the side of the sheet. This large blank space gives our kids room to write down the items they find. They can then focus on finding the other item to make the rhyming pair.

Mad Libs

Free-form Mad Libs you write yourself can be fun, but they can also take time to prepare. If your child expresses an interest in doing a Mad Lib activity, and you don’t have the time to prepare, printable Mad Libs can be a life-saver.

They’re also great if your kids have interests that would make a good Mad Libs theme, but you don’t know enough to create one yourself.

Printable Boggle

Although you can play Boggle alone, it’s more fun with family and friends. Consequently, suggesting your child makes words alone with the Boggle game can fall flat. That’s where printable Boggle comes in.

It’s the same principle, but for some reason, it doesn’t fall flat in the same way as a solo game of “proper” Boggle.

Word Match

A word match printable can be simple, with words down one side and pictures down the other.

Using a printable that has more complex words to match to pictures can help your child make the leap from sounding out the entire word to making an educated guess based on the initial letter sound.

Crosswords

Again, you can find printable crosswords for kids of all ages and abilities. Beginners can have crosswords with pictures as clues and three-letter answers while older kids can have direct written clues and answers.

Finally, for those with a strong vocabulary, you can try crosswords with complex and or cryptic clues.

Online Word Games for Kids

While we should keep our kids’ screen time within suitable limits, it doesn’t mean all screen time is bad. Spending time with your child while they use educational apps and other online resources also helps them learn healthy online use habits (1).

We have chosen ten games that are free, and do not require any memberships or sign-ups to play.

Audio Words

Audio Words presents a series of cards on the screen. Kids click a card, the card turns over, and the game reads aloud the word on the card. You then click a second card and the same thing happens.

The aim of the game is to find matching pairs. It’s excellent for emerging readers.

Word Wipe

To play Word Wipe, children have to click on letter blocks in a grid and then link them to adjoining letter blocks to form a word. Once used, the letters disappear and the blocks above fall down to fill the gap. The game gets progressively harder as children work through the levels.

Letter Dash

Start the game and a series of dashes appear. Try to guess the letters that go in the place of each dash, before the time runs out. A box on the screen lets you see which letters you have used and the game gets progressively harder in response to a win.

This game does require Adobe Flash Player.

Animal Crosswords

This is a bright, colorful, animated crossword game for kids in second grade. The answer to every clue is the name of an animal which narrows down the possibilities for kids who are overwhelmed by crosswords without a subject focus.

Crosswords are randomly generated so it can be played multiple times. It also requires Flash Player.

PBS: Vocabulary Games

PBS has an entire page of word games for kids, each of which is linked to a specific PBS children’s program. This is useful if you have a reluctant learner who is a fan of a particular show.

However, you don’t have to have watched a program to play the associated game.

Free Words

Open Free Words and you are met with a game board that has six letters. Above the game board, there are a series of columns with a space for each word you can make from the letters provided. See how many of the words you can make before the timer runs out.

Word Hunter

Word Hunter is an online word search game with three levels of difficulty. This game is one of many educational games by CBC, the Canadian national broadcaster.

Games are themed and categorized which makes it easy to find something for your sports fan, animal lover, or budding adventurer, no matter what their literacy level.

Freerice Vocabulary

Free Rice is a site hosted by the United Nations World Food Program. This game tests your child’s vocabulary by providing a word and four possible definitions. If the correct definition is chosen, rice lands in a food bowl, and the object of the game is to fill the bowl.

Another incentive to play this game is that your child will be feeding the hungry as they play. For every right answer, a small donation is made to fight world hunger.

Woodshake

Press play and the game will generate a 4×4 grid of letters. Your child highlights letters to make a word and presses enter. The number of letters determines the points awarded.

There is a three-minute timer, so there is an element of pressure that some children enjoy, but others don’t.

Word Unscramble

This multi-level game combines anagrams with a puzzle strategy for kids from kindergarten to grade 5.

A series of letters appear in circles at the top of the game area. They slowly sink to the ground while the player swaps pairs of letters with each other. The aim is to get the letters in the correct order before they hit the ground.

Benefits of Word Games for Kids

Literacy is about much more than being able to read and write. It is about understanding that words are labels and then knowing how to use those words to convey information, our thoughts, and our feelings (2).

Word games can help our kids lay the foundation for reading and writing, but they also help to develop the vocabulary to express themselves clearly and precisely.

Any game that helps a child focus, take turns, learn to live with losing, manage frustration, and consider others can only be a good thing.

Not Just A Game

Games were once considered a simple way to pass the time.

Now we know there can be significant social, emotional, and cognitive benefits for children who play games.

By providing word games for kids, you are not just putting an educational twist on a frivolous activity.

You are helping your child become a healthier, more rounded human being. And that’s something to feel good about.

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16 Word Games for Kids and Families

Fun word games for kids are a great way to fight boredom while also helping kids improve vocabulary, spelling, and communication skills. Kids will retain more vocabulary, remember grammar rules, and learn spelling tricks if they have fun while learning and these word games are a great place to start.

What are the benefits of word games?

Word games are not just fun boredom busters! They have lots of literacy benefits.

Word games will:

  • Improve reading and language skills
  • Boost intelligence
  • Increase quick thinking and concentration skills
  • Cultivate relationships when played with others
  • Teach spelling
  • Aid foreign language learners
  • Help develop confidence
  • Enhance communication skills

I have sorted the games into the following three categories below:

  • Thinking word games that require no-prep, some are pen and paper games
  • Word board games (Actually none of them use a board, ha ha ha)
  • Sight word games, particularly good for the classroom

So, what are you waiting for, start playing! (Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made through these links may earn commission.)

Word Games and Vocabulary Games

What I love about all the word game ideas in this section is that they are free word games!They are travel friendly, and even older kids will enjoy them. Play them on the go! Play them when you are stuck in traffic! Play them while you wait in line at the DMV! Improve your kids vocabulary whenever and wherever you want.

Words within A Word

Words within a word is probably my favorite on the list, and it's great for teachers in the classroom. Write out a long word on a piece of paper or a white board, if you have one. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes and challenge kids to come up with as many smaller words as they can using only the letters in the designated word.

For example, if the word is "onomatopoeia": poem, name, top, pot, ate, etc.

Unscramble

You will need a pen and paper for this word puzzle.  Write a list of 10 words, but instead of spelling them correctly, mix up the letters and challenge your child to unscramble them. To make it a little more fun, select all words from a single category. For example: kcae, kieooc, epi, ssertde, eci mreac becomes cake, cookie, pie, dessert, ice cream.

TIP: for younger kids choose only 3-5 letter words. I also have a frozen version of this game to play in the bathtub! For older kids, try taking 2 word phrases and scrambling them together as if they are one word.

The Minister's Cat

You can play this game with 2 or more players and it's great for learning new words! The first person starts off by describing the minister's cat with an adjective that begins with the letter "A." For example, "The minister's cat is an angry cat." The next player uses an adjective with the first letter "B," and so on through the alphabet. "The minister's cat is a bulbous cat." "The minister's cat is a cantankerous cat."

VARIATION: The Minister's Cat is also a memory game. Players must remember all the adjectives in order as they are added to the game. Using the above example, the second player would say, "The minister's cat is an angry, bulbous cat."  The third, "The minister's cat is an angry, bulbous, cantankerous cat."

MORE: Memory Games for Kids

Hink Pink

Hink Pinks are rhyming word puzzles. One person thinks of a two word rhyme and gives a two word description. The other player then must guess the "Hink Pink." For example, if one person says, "angry boy", the other player responds, "mad lad." Or, "wet canine" becomes "soggy doggy."

Hink Pink examples: shy fly, funny bunny, slow crow, big wig.

TIP: If players are having trouble coming up with hink pinks, write down a bunch of hink pinks on individual slips of paper and place in a jar for players to draw out on their turn.

Human Thesaurus

Choose a simple word like "beautiful." Think of as many synonyms as you can. If playing with others, you can set a timer and trade off with different words, or write words down and see who can come up with the most.

Storytelling Word by Word

Start a story with a single word. The next player says that word and builds the story with another word. The next player says the first two words, adds a third, and so on. Alternatively, you can build sentence by sentence. TIP: keep sentences short.

Hangman

This classic word game probably needs no introduction! One person thinks of a word and draws dashes along a paper to represent each letter in the word. Above the dashes he draws platform and stand. The other person guesses one letter at a time. If the letter is in the word, the first person fills in the blank(s). If not, the incorrect letter is written below and the first person draws one body part at a time.  If the person guesses the word before the body is completed (head, torso, 2 arms, 2 legs), he wins, if not -- well, he loses.

Word Board Games

You can find some really wonderful word "board" games to play with kids, either for family game night or in the classroom. I put "board" in quotation marks because none of these games use an actual board!

Boggle

Word-A-Round

Bananagrams

Quiddler

Sight Word Games

If you are working specifically on sight words with your kids and students, try using these diy sight words games and sight word board games to make learning more fun.

DIY and Printable Sight Word Games

The Measured Mom has a ton of free printable sight word games. Start with this one right here!

Sight Words Dominoes from No Time for Flashcards

Sight Words Pancakes from Playdough to Plato.

Zingo!


Zingo, Sight Words Edition. The original Zingo is an excellent classic game for pre-readers and early readers and this sight word edition is a must-have addition to the family of games. The Zingo games definitely take the pain out of memorizing sight words and give kids the confidence they need to improve their reading skills.

Sight Words Bingo

Other fun literacy ideas: 

  • Indoor and outdoor literacy games
  • ABC books for kids that parents will enjoy, too!
  • Picture books about words that share a love of language

Educational games for children aged 5-6 with parents at home

Games for preschool children are not just fun, but a necessity. Through the game, the child develops, the formation of his personality takes place. The game helps to master the rules, broaden your horizons, develop perseverance, train mindfulness. These qualities are necessary for an older preschool child, especially before entering school.

Any activity with a child must be age appropriate. In this article, we will consider which games are most suitable for children 5-6 years old, and we will understand their classification.

Article content:

  • Outdoor games
  • Board games
  • Educational games
  • Educational games
  • Advice for parents
  • Output

Outdoor games

Outdoor games for children are useful because they develop reaction, dexterity, endurance, coordination of movements, add extreme sports. For preschoolers 5-6 years old, an outdoor game lasts 20-25 minutes. This type of play allows children to throw out the energy that accumulates during the day.

In kindergartens, after an active daytime walk, children have no problems going to bed during the waking hours. This practice can be used at home when you want to put your baby to bed.

  1. Giant Lilliputians. When an adult says "Lilliputians", the children squat as low as possible to the ground. Hearing the word "giants", they rise up on their toes and pull their hands high up. Make the task more difficult and intentionally confuse the child by naming the word and showing the wrong movement. Playing at a fast pace will encourage the baby to be more attentive and focused, as well as strengthen leg muscles.
  2. "Do the opposite." For six year olds, this game will be a real challenge to train their attention. An adult shows the movements, and the child must come up with a version in reverse. If the leader jumped, the participant of the game sits down. If the facilitator stretched his hands forward, the participant hides them, and so on.
  3. Dance Marathon. Host a dance marathon for the whole family. To do this, you need a good mood, incendiary music and at least 2 participants. To diversify the game, the adult stops the music, and the children freeze in the position in which they remain. Music games improve mood, relieve fatigue and strengthen the relationship between parent and child.

Board games

For children aged 5-6, board games are an exciting activity. This type of game teaches the child to act according to the rules, to wait for his turn, to be able to negotiate. The desktops always have some paraphernalia that you can touch: cubes, puzzles, figures. Tactile contact with them develops not only curiosity, but also fine motor skills of the child.

There are board games that are more suitable for girls, for example with the heroines of fairy tales. It is also important to select desktops for boys taking into account their interests.

  1. Jenga. A popular game that develops fine motor skills. Suitable for adults and children. It is a set of wooden bars. The game begins with the construction of a tower of 3 bars, 3 more bars are placed on top, but in a different direction, and so on with the whole set. When the tower is built, the participants take out a block with one hand so that nothing collapses. The elongated block is placed on top of the tower. The one whose turn the tower collapses loses.
  2. Monopoly. The game exists in various variations. Choose a children's monopoly for children from 5 years old. The number of participants is from 2 to 4 people. The main benefit of a monopoly is that it allows you to master the skills of the economy. All players pass the playing field in turn. The roll of the die determines how many steps the contestant must take. The winner is the one who achieves the bankruptcy of other players and becomes a monopolist.

Educational games

Adults should pay special attention to educational games. The child chooses those games that respond to him. Therefore, the parent manages the activities of his child, offers options for games that help develop.

Consider 2 variants of educational games for children.

For the development of intelligence

Logic games combine 2 important functions - entertainment and development. A child who often plays such games is distinguished by lively thinking, a broad outlook, curiosity and sociality.

Examples of mind games:

  1. Quizzes for which you need to compose questions and prepare prizes for correct answers. For a 5-year-old child, select questions on the topics of fairy tales (“Who left his grandmother and left his grandfather?”), Nature (“When the sun sets, is that called ...?”), Seasons (“What season comes after spring?” ). Ask children 6 years old to answer questions on the following topics: days of the week (“What day of the week follows Thursday?”), household items (“What device helps to count numbers?”), social world (“What do they call people who have a wedding?” ).
  2. Solving puzzles is a good way for the logical development of children 5-6 years old. It is necessary to teach the child to guess the encrypted word, starting from simple options. As soon as the baby learns the basics, complicate the puzzles, along the way explaining the new rules.

For the development of speech

Word games with children are very easy to organize at home. Clear and expressive speech, the ability to express one's thoughts will help the child quickly adapt to new conditions at school. Why it is so important to pay attention to the development of speech, read the article "How to teach a child to speak: ways, games and exercises."

Examples of what to play with a child to develop speech:

  1. “Choose a rhyme”. The adult calls the word, and the child comes up with rhymes. Write down all the rhymes and compose a poem with your child. The game allows you to replenish vocabulary and develops literary creativity.
  2. "Pick a word." The leader throws the ball and calls any part of speech (noun, verb). Participants choose the word that makes sense. For example, "ball" - "jumps", "beautiful" - "doll".
  3. "Choose an antonym." The facilitator calls the word and invites the participants to pick up the word in reverse, explaining that such words are called antonyms. The game expands vocabulary and reinforces the concepts of the Russian language.

Educational games

Educational games for children develop mental processes: memory, thinking, imagination. The purpose of the cognitive game is to teach the child the knowledge, skills, actions necessary for further development.

For learning to read and write

Learning to read and write begins with your child's introduction to letters and sounds. When a preschooler learns to hear individual sounds in a word, then he will be able to write. You can develop this skill with the help of games:

  1. “Name the words starting with the letter…”: the adult calls the letter, and the child selects as many words as possible that begin with this letter. At the initial stage, use pictures with images of words to help.
  2. "Find the letter": an adult shows pictures with images of letters in different fonts and sizes. The child must find the letter that was asked. With the help of visual memory, a preschooler will remember what the letters look like and will be able to write them on their own.

Math learning

Math games help children ages 5-6 get ready for school. Introduction to mathematics begins with teaching numbers, counting, and then calculations. It will be easier for a child to master mathematical representations if you pick up entertaining games.

  1. "Geometric figures". The game with a 5-year-old child is aimed at developing knowledge of geometric shapes that can be cut out of cardboard. The adult calls the figure, and the child chooses it among the other figures. At the end of the game, build a house or any other figure together.
  2. "Tell me, what number is missing?". A game for children who can consistently count up to 20. You must fill in the missing numbers that come before, between or after the given number.

To teach retelling

The ability to retell texts must be trained from preschool age. Do this while doing household chores. Let the child tell what happened in their favorite cartoon or book. To diversify children's activities, use games for five-year-olds and six-year-olds.

  1. Theater at Home. Choose a story that your child likes. Assign roles and arrange a theatrical performance. Children really like to try on the roles of their favorite characters, so remembering the script will not be difficult. Such an activity will teach the child not only to memorize and retell the text, but also to make the speech expressive.
  2. "Letter from a forest dweller". For five year olds, playing with an imaginary animal will be a fun way to imagine how this or that character feels. Prepare a set of pictures with a story, for example, how one day in the life of a hare goes. Invite your child to make up a story from the pictures or complete their own version.

Tips for parents

  1. Discuss the rules before you start playing games.
  2. To avoid injury during outdoor play, instruct and inspect the play area for safety.
  3. Games with children 5-6 years old form behavior patterns, so choose useful options.
  4. Use every opportunity for the development of the child: at home, on a walk, in developing circles.
  5. Sincerely rejoice in the victories of the baby and do not focus on failures. Parental support is important for a child's development.

Read also: what a child should know and be able to do at 5 and 6 years old.

Conclusion

Playing with a child at home is a great pastime for adults and children. Unfortunately, there is not always time and opportunity to pay enough attention to this.

Children's clubs and kindergartens "Baby Club" offer parents general developmental and additional programs for children from 8 months to 7 years. Classes are held in a playful way, suitable for the age of the child. The developing environment of the groups is built on the principles of accessibility, safety, saturation with learning tools.

If you want your baby to develop in a free atmosphere, joy and care, choose our club or kindergarten in your city.

30 educational and entertaining games

Every mother of a five-year-old often feels the same as the heroine of the cartoon "Go Monkeys!". Preschoolers simply have inexhaustible reserves of energy that need to be directed in the right direction. As the well-known song rightly says, every small child must “run and jump, grab everything, kick with his feet, otherwise he will explode: bang bang - and he’s gone.” Therefore, we suggest that parents study games with a child of 5 years old - firstly, the baby will be busy with work, and secondly, it is in the process of playing that children develop and learn something new. In addition, joint classes contribute to the creation of close contact between parents and children. Time spent together is the best gift you can give your child.

What kind of games for a child of 5 years to choose? If your kid is active and regularly puts the whole house on his ears, then dance or sports games will come to the rescue. Does your five-year-old like to sing, dance, and put on home theater performances? Here you need fun that will help develop creativity. Diligent kids who love to think, read, learn, intellectual entertainment (for example, board games, games in English, psychological games, etc. )

Kidpassage will tell you what games with children aged 5 should be adopted by parents. With our tips, every adult can easily entertain a bored child, teach him something new and just have fun together.

Contents

  1. Games with a 5-year-old child at home together
  2. Games for children 5 years old at home
  3. Didactic games
  4. Music games
  5. Board games
  6. Games for a group of children aged 5
  7. Logic games
  8. Educational games
  9. Math games
  10. Christmas games
  11. Speech therapy games
  12. Attention Games
  13. Role play
  14. Outdoor games for children 5 years old

Games with a 5-year-old child at home together

You don't need a big company to have fun. There are many educational and interesting games for two. It can be a game of a mother with a child of 5 years old or joint activities of two children.

Quiet games for two - checkers, chess, Sea Battle, Tic-Tac-Toe and more. However, it is recommended to alternate calm and active games, because children cannot sit still for a long time, they definitely need to move around, throw out excess energy.

1. "Fish, birds, animals"

Props : rubber ball.

This is a game that is very similar to "Edible - Inedible", but in a new, unhackneyed interpretation. The leader throws the ball to the participant and says one word: “fish”, “birds” or “animals”. The participant must answer the corresponding name of the representative of the fauna. So, the leader says “fish”, the participant answers “pike” and returns the ball.

2. "Sumo Tournament"

Props : two large home t-shirts, rope, two pillows, two straps.

This game is suitable for two children of about the same age. A rope is made into a circle, and with the help of pillows, straps and T-shirts, children turn into sumo wrestlers. The task of young sumo wrestlers is to push the enemy out of the circle.

Interesting games for two at home are easy to come up with on your own: it can be tug of war, and basketball with a wastebasket and hand-made balls from A4 sheets, and entertainment with dressing up, and dancing.

Games for children 5 years old at home

Parents often have a question about what to do with their child at home. Bad weather on the street, holidays at school or quarantine in kindergarten - and now the baby is already bored in the apartment or entertains himself with gadgets. However, as soon as parents turn on their imagination and involve the child in the gameplay, boredom disappears instantly! Sofa cushions and blankets turn into a fairy-tale palace, a mop becomes a knight's sword, and a house cat becomes a fire-breathing dragon. After a while, the laundry basket already turns into a basketball basket, and an old T-shirt stuffed with padding polyester into a soft ball, safe for mirrors and furniture. What to do at home with a child of 5 years old is not a problem for creative moms and dads!

3. "Border on the castle"

Props : blanket, soft toys.

The room should be divided into two parts with a blanket - the "border". On one side is the child, on the other is the parent. Each participant in the game has the same number of toys. On command, the players must transfer as many of their "shells" as possible to the side of the enemy.

Important: use only soft toys (hollow rubber balls, balloons) to avoid injury, damage to furniture and mirrors in the house.

4. "New life of old items"

Props : box or bag with various household items.

Various items are placed in the box: cubes, a broom, kitchen utensils, pens and pencils. The child pulls out one item at a time and, together with his parents, comes up with how it can be used again. So, a broom can turn into a bouquet if you decorate it with beads and ribbons, and pots make good helmets for motorcycle racing.

Didactic games

Didactic or educational games are the main tool for kindergarten and primary school teachers, but parents can also use educational games to not only have fun, but also spend time with their children in a useful way.

As a rule, educational games involve the use of various visual materials. These can be story cards, cubes with letters, numbers or image fragments, cards and much more.

5. "Detective and robbers"

One of the participants is assigned as a robber who needs to hide from the detective. The host should come up with some kind of detective story in advance. In order for the robber not to be seen through, he needs to properly disguise himself. The rogue leaves the room and changes something about his appearance, and investigators need to notice and point out these changes. The game perfectly develops imagination, associative thinking and memory.

6. “True or not true”

The facilitator names different facts, some of them are true, some are not. If the children hear the truth, they clap their hands; if they hear a lie, they stomp their feet. To make it more interesting, facts can be thought up in poetic form, for example:

  • Daisies bloom in the garden in winter ( not true ),
  • The iron will iron your shirts ( true),
  • In winter, hares have black fur ( not true ),
  • The lion in Africa is the most cowardly of all ( not true ).

Music games

This category includes two types of entertainment - dance games and singing. Musical games are good because they allow you to reveal the creative abilities of the baby, as well as spend extra energy. Every hyperactive child will appreciate the fun, where you can dance to your heart's content.

7. “Invented song”

Props : task cards, backing tracks of various melodies.

Singing is a great way to cheer up, especially if you sing funny funny songs of your own composition. The child draws a card with a task written on it (“a song of a hungry wolf”, “a foreigner who does not speak Russian well”, “sad bells”, etc.). The task of the participant is to complete the task either to the backing track of a well-known melody, or a cappella, without musical accompaniment.

8. “Aram-zam-zam”

At the beginning of the game, the parent shows the movements:

  • “aram-zam-am” – claps on the knees, three times, with repetition;
  • "ghoul-ghoul-ghoul-ghoul" - rotations in front of the chest with arms bent at the elbows, clenched into a fist;
  • “arafik-arafik” - forward bend with arms crossed on the chest, first from left to right, then from right to left.

When the child remembers the movements, you can move on to the game. The essence of the game is to correctly repeat the dance when the song is turned on. The catch is that the tempo of the melody gets faster each time.

9. "Guess the performer"

Requisite : a record of songs performed by various cartoon or fairy-tale characters, and cards with images of these performers.

This game perfectly develops the musical memory of five-year-olds. The rules are quite simple: the parent plays a fragment of a song from the cartoon to the child, and the child must choose an artist card. You can complicate the task and take songs and characters that are not familiar to the young player so that he can guess the artist according to the meaning of the song. For example, include a fragment of the song "Chunga-Changa", which will correspond to a picture of funny little islanders. You can also let them listen to the line “And then my girlfriends are leeches and frogs,” and the child must guess that it is Vodyanoy who sings.

Board games

Properly selected board games may well replace full-fledged developmental activities. "Monopoly" will teach you how to count, "Erudite" (aka "Scrabble") - to compose and learn new words, "Alies" will pump up the acting abilities of children. First of all, board games help to improve mathematical skills, because in any game you need to keep track of moves and points earned. Not to mention that it is an excellent training of perseverance, thinking and attention.

Entertaining games in this category can be of different topics: about animals and plants, dinosaurs, fairy-tale worlds, connected with history or literature, etc. It is important to choose exactly the topic that the child is keenly interested in - then it will be much easier for him to learn the rules and join the gameplay.

Tables also come with cards, chips, dice, puzzles. The simplest ones are “walkers”, where you need to roll a die and move a chip on the playing field for the number of steps that have fallen out. The most difficult type of board games are strategies, where you need to calculate your every move and think about what consequences it may have. Five-year-olds are also very fond of funny games, such as Twister.

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10. "Puzzles"

Props : pre-prepared puzzle pieces.

You can buy a ready-made puzzle, but it's much more interesting to make it yourself. Parents together with their children can draw a picture on a sheet of cardboard, and then cut it into several parts, or approach the task more creatively and apply their own drawing: for example, on several ice cream sticks, pebbles, cotton pads, and so on.

11. "Flea"

Props : chips, coin.

This is a popular game played by our mothers and fathers, grandparents. On the edge of the chip, the role of which can be played by a small stone, bean / pea, the player presses with a coin, as a result of which the chip bounces like a flea. The essence of the game is that as many player's fleas as possible "jump" onto the opponent's playing field. The playing field can be made from a box of chocolates by dividing it in the middle with a straight line.

Games for a group of children aged 5

Playgrounds, playrooms or parties tend to be crowded with children who also need to be organized and offered fun activities. Group games can be sedentary (quizzes, riddles, puzzles) or active (relay races, races). All children will definitely enjoy an exciting quest, which combines the moment of an intellectual game - the search for clues and clues, and an element of activity, because, as a rule, you need to run for clues. Five-year-olds love to compete, so you can offer them team games on the score.

12. "Human knot"

Children hold hands and, at the command of the host, begin to get tangled without disengaging their hands. After the “Stop” command, the leader must unravel this human knot without breaking the hands of the participants. You can complicate the game and limit the time of unraveling. If the leader does not meet the deadline, then the children unhook their hands and rush in all directions, and the leader must catch one of the participants. Whoever falls into his hands becomes the new leader.

13. Centipedes

This is a fun game for a group of children. Participants line up and hold the one in front by the belt, thus forming a long centipede. At the command of the lead centipede, it must simultaneously perform the following tasks:

  • raise the right paws;
  • raise the left legs;
  • run in circles;
  • move back;
  • catch your tail;
  • move forward by jumping.

In addition, you can arrange an obstacle course for the centipede or blindfold the “head” - the one in front.

Logic games

Games for the development of logical thinking are held in kindergarten and primary school, some tasks parents can take on board and deal with the child on their own. No kid is born with the ability to think logically, this is an exclusively acquired skill that must be developed from childhood. In this, the association game, puzzle, matching, quiz will help teachers and parents.

14. Trick problems

To solve trick problems, children need to be attentive and use their imagination. Such tasks also teach that sometimes you need to deviate from the usual algorithm in order to find the right solution.

Questions that can serve as an example of logical problems:

  • What is impossible to eat for breakfast? (lunch or dinner).
  • What is as big as an elephant but weighs nothing? (Shadow of an elephant).
  • The girl dropped her ring into the coffee, but the jewelry remained dry. Why? (Coffee was not a drink, but was in beans or ground).
  • What does half an apple look like most? (For the second half).
  • What invention allows you to see through walls? (Window).

15. "Guess the object"

The host hides a small object in his fist. The child must guess what it is by asking leading questions that can only be answered with “yes” or “no”. For each correct answer, the leader extends one finger until the whole fist is opened, or the child can simply guess until the end, until the answers lead him to a clue.

The same principle can be used to play theme games and guess, for example, animals, fairy-tale or cartoon characters, etc.

Educational games

The main goal of cognitive games is to teach a child something new, to expand his knowledge about the world around him, to replenish his vocabulary. These can be games about dinosaurs, space, the world around us, seasons and much more.

16. Orchard

Props : images of fruit and forest trees, cards with drawings of fruits.

The child needs to find exactly those trees that grow in the garden, and attach cards of the corresponding fruits to them. When choosing a tree, the child should pronounce its name and explain what helped him to recognize the tree (leaf shape, bark, fruits). Parents should be told how fruit trees differ from forest trees, what fruits can be seen on certain types of trees, and so on.

17. "Professions"

Children need to complete poems:

The pilot lifts the blue sky... (airplane).

The roof is being painted before the children's eyes... (painters).

Every day a newspaper is brought to our house by... (postman).

I have been treating dolls since morning, today I… (nurse).

The facilitator should be told about each profession, you can ask the child what he knows about it.

Math games

Useful mathematical games will strengthen the knowledge of oral and written counting among five-year-olds. Such fun will be an excellent preparation for school.

18. "Missing number"

Requisite : cards with numbers from 0 to 9.

The leader lines up the numbers in a row, first hiding one or several. The task of the child is simple - to find out which numbers are missing in the digital series. You can lay out all the numbers correctly, then ask the child to turn away and remove one card or swap several cards.

19. "Big construction site"

Props : 2-3 toy trucks, bricks, "Lego" and other "building materials".

Invite your child to play builders. The truck needs to take 12 cubes to the construction site. All of them will not fit into one car, the child needs to find a solution to the problem (use two cars, each of which will have six cubes; also ask the preschooler the question: “And if you take three cars, how many cubes will each of them have?”) .

In addition, you can perform various "building" tasks with the help of "Lego". For example, build a tower with seven blue blocks and three red blocks, then add three green blocks and subtract one blue block, etc.

Christmas games

New Year is the favorite holiday of all children. Every year, kids look forward to decorating a beautiful Christmas tree, hanging an advent calendar on the wall and counting down the days until Santa Claus arrives. But it is the parents, and not the fabulous red-nosed Grandfather, who give children a magical holiday. To make the New Year fun and memorable, you should carefully choose options for entertainment. It is recommended to alternate active fun and games at the table, dance competitions and quizzes.

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20. "Dress up the Christmas tree"

Props : bag, holiday paraphernalia, clothing elements, funny accessories.

For this game, you can split into two teams, then there will be two "Christmas trees" that you need to dress up. One participant from each team is designated as a “Christmas tree”, all other players take turns blindly taking one item out of the bag and dress up their “New Year's beauty”.

21. “Bring a snowball”

Props : cotton snowballs, spoons.

Guests are divided into two teams and lined up. Each first participant takes a spoon in his teeth, on which he puts a “snowball”. The player's task is to run to the Christmas tree and back as quickly as possible, without dropping his burden, and pass the baton to the next participant.

Speech therapy games

“No detectives. No giggles, but short and clear: fifks! - a phrase from the work of V. Dragunsky "Deniskin's story", which became an aphoristic joke. But in every joke, as you know, there is a fair amount of truth. Indeed, many preschool children have difficulty pronouncing certain letters, and in fact, beautiful clear speech is of great importance in adulthood. Parents can help their child practice pronunciation, but turn speech therapy exercises into an exciting pastime.

22. "Guess what sounds"

Phonemic games help preschoolers to distinguish sounds by ear and, as a result, pronounce them more correctly. In addition, correct phonetic perception affects the level of understanding of what was said.

The simplest version of the phonemic game is to choose a few objects that make sounds (squeaker toy, tambourine, pot lids, etc.). The child closes his eyes, and the parent uses one of these items, after which the kid must guess it.

23. “Feed the kids”

Props : a picture of the faces of a boy and a girl with slits in place of the mouth, cards with images of products and other items.

Word games, as a rule, are aimed specifically at the development and correction of speech. The game "Feed the kids" also develops thinking. There are several options:

  • The host calls the letter, and the child must “feed” the drawn boy and girl with food that begins with it (for example, the letter “P”, products: fish, rice, radish).
  • The host says: "Feed Masha with bakery products, and Misha with meat products." The child chooses products and at the same time says: "Masha ate a sandwich, and Misha ate a barbecue. "

The facilitator can also name the products (you can come up with a short rhyme from the names of the dishes), and the child must determine by ear which of the named products are among the cards given to him.

24. "Naughty doll"

The game is aimed at developing speech, gives children an understanding of what antonyms and synonyms are. The host invites the children to play with a capricious doll, which does everything the other way around, and even teases. The host says: “Doll, go to sleep, it’s already night outside the window!”, And the child answers for the doll: “No, it’s day outside the window!”; presenter: "Cover, otherwise it's cold", puppet: "No, it's hot now!"

Attention games

Games like Spot the Differences, tasks where you need to remember the location of cards, search for errors and inconsistencies are excellent for developing attention.

25. "Strange Beasts"

The leader reads the story, the children listen attentively. As soon as the child notices inaccuracies in the narration, he immediately claps his hands.

Example of a story:

Once in a hot winter, a hare with a long fluffy tail and short ears decided to build a hibernation den. He began to dig a deep hole and frightened off a fox, which was just nesting in a tree. Suddenly, a blue wolf jumped out at the hare, but the hare was not at a loss and decided to swallow it, then he grunted in fright and disappeared into the forest thicket. Then the hare picked up spruce branches so that he could sleep softly on them in the den. And all around - beauty: flowers bloom, butterflies fly, berries ripen, in a word - winter!

26. "Repeat the route"

The child is blindfolded and guided along an easy route. The task of the participant is to repeat this path as accurately as possible. The facilitator can give verbal prompts: "Three steps forward, turn right, four steps forward, turn left, etc." In the future, the exercise is complicated by additional actions or obstacles. “Three steps forward, now step over the obstacle. One small step back, turn around and take two steps forward.” You can also give deceptive hints - for example, the leader says: "Turn right", although there were no turns on the route to be repeated. The child should not fall for this bait.

Role play

Story games are of great importance in the development of five-year-olds, because it is through the game that children learn to interact in society. “Mothers and Daughters” shows the traditional family model, the hospital game illustrates the relationship between the patient and the doctor, teaches the rules of behavior in the clinic, and the kindergarten game can tell parents a lot about what happens to the child in the kindergarten group.

What kind of theatrical games can be offered to a five-year-old? Lots of options!

27. "Bunny's Birthday"

Props : toys, dishes (toy or disposable).

Invite the child to imagine that the Bunny (or other toy) has a birthday today. He invited his friends, and now Bunny needs to set a table for them. Guests also need to follow the rules of etiquette during the feast and prepare a gift and congratulations for Bunny.

During this game, preschoolers will learn the rules of courtesy, learn how to behave at a party and set the table, as well as expand their vocabulary (“name day”, “serving”, “service”, “meal” and others).

28. "Flight into space"

Props : illustrations of our planet from space, other planets and celestial bodies.

Almost every preschooler would be happy with the idea of ​​going on a space trip. But in order to become an astronaut, you need to undergo a medical examination, pass sports standards and learn many important points (what is gravity, how astronauts eat, etc.). During the "space flight" the parent or leader talks about the planets, celestial bodies, galaxies. It will be even more interesting if the astronauts meet with aliens - invite the child to establish contact with the inhabitants of Mars or Venus and tell them about the Earth.

Outdoor games for children aged 5

Every parent needs to know not only what to play at home with a 5-year-old child, but also how to entertain their child on the street. It is not enough just to bring the kids to the playground and leave them to themselves, you need to offer them examples of children's games, tell the rules and maybe even take part in children's fun.

Some children's games at the age of 5 are considered timeless classics and never go out of style. You can offer children entertainment from your childhood: "Classics", "Rezinochka", "Bouncer", "Hide and Seek", "Cossacks-robbers" and others. And you can also learn something new, parents are advised not to limit themselves to options from the past, but to regularly look for original ideas for games with a child of 5 years old.

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29. "Flight of the owl"

Parent/facilitator - "owl", child/children - "mice". When the host says "Day", the mice run and frolic, but as soon as the command "Night" sounds, everyone should freeze in random poses. At night, an owl comes out to hunt, the task of mice is not to move or make any sounds. To make the game more interesting, the owl may try to make the frozen mice laugh.

30. "Museum of wildlife"

Props : cards with the inscriptions "Grass", "Earth", "Tree", etc.

Invite the child to create a museum of wildlife and prepare interesting exhibits for this. The search for exhibits will be an exciting activity, during which the parent will tell the child a lot of interesting things about the world around them. When the exhibits are found, they need to be placed in the museum and put next to the corresponding card - this task is especially useful for five-year-olds, because usually at this age children learn to read.

Tips for parents: words should be written in large block letters.

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