Cooperative games for preschoolers

Child Care Lounge - Online Training

Games are first and foremost an outlet for fun. Many active children's games also help develop motor skills, problem solving and language skills. However, competition is often the focus of young children's games. When there is an emphasis on winning and losing children can frequently be left on the sidelines with a sense of failure and incompetence.

Musical Chairs is a prime example of a game the does more to exclude children rather than involve them. This popular game often becomes a pushing battle for the few remaining competitors while the other children are left as bored spectators. Fortunately, there are many games that focus on fun rather than competition. These games promote a sense of teamwork and cooperation that reaches well beyond the playground. I have included some of my favorites, including a new twist on Musical Chairs.

Cooperative Musical Chairs

This game is very similar to the original version, with the same setup of two lines of chairs back to back. Make sure there is one chair LESS than the amount of players. Began playing music while children dance or march around the chairs. When the music stops everyone needs to find a seat. The goal is ensure everyone has a place! As the game continues remove an additional chair after each round. With a smaller amount of chairs available, children will find the need to work together and cooperate in order to find room for everyone. This may mean sitting on laps and sharing chairs. Please note: no one is eliminated or asked to wait in this version.

Sharks in the Water

This game operates on the same premise as Cooperative Musical Chairs. Outline a large square on the floor with either masking tape or chalk. This area is the safe island and the area surrounding the square is the ocean. When the music begins children "swim" around the island. The stopping of the music indicates that sharks are coming and all player must retreat to the safety of the island. With each round the lines are altered making the island smaller and smaller. Players must make work together to make sure everyone has a safe place to get away from the sharks.

Mirror Mirror

The is a game that can be played with partners or with a larger group. A leader is chosen to initiate movements the others are to try to mimic as quickly as possible so that it appears they are a mirror image of the leader. A more challenging version for older children is to eliminate the leader. Players are to both move and simultaneously mimic each other.

Keep it Up

Blow up one or more balloons depending on the number of players. The simple goal is to work together and keep the balloon in the air. For younger children you may to have them stand or sit in a circle. You can add challenge for older children by restricting how they may elevate the balloon not allowing them to use their hands or only their elbows etc.,

Ball Bounce

You can use a parachute or large sheet for this game. Players hold and stretch the edges of the parachute. A ball is placed in the center. By all players gently tugging up and down they can cause the ball to bounce. Players can see how long they can keep the ball going without it bouncing off the surface. More balls can be added for additional challenge and fun.

Dragon Tail

Players form one long line or train by holding onto the waist of the child in front of them. The child in the front becomes the dragon head. The child in the rear is the dragon tail and a colorful scarf is attached into a belt loop. The "head" is to try to catch the scarf flapping behind the "tail". All of the other players, members of the "body", are compelled to work together with both ends and both the goal of the head and the tail at that same time. The main objective throughout is to keep the dragon intact with no players letting go. This game is best for older children and requires a large area.

Human Pretzel

Players form a circle. Each player reaches into the circle with their right hand and clasps hands with anyone across from them. Then each player clasps their left hand with a different player. Two people are then designated to be the ends. One end player is to release their right hand from whoever has a hold on it and the other end player is to release their left hand. By stepping over, under, and around each other; the group needs to work together to untangle their big human pretzel. Again, players are to try to accomplish this without releasing their hands.

40 Cooperative Games For Kids

Cooperative games are a wonderful way to build a wide variety of transferable learning skills including communicating clearly, problem-solving, overcoming challenges, time management, decision-making, following instructions, and thinking on your feet. While they may require more coordination and group cohesion than competitive games, the added effort is sure to be worth it.

This collection of 40 fun and exciting team-building activities, board games, and physical activity ideas focus on promoting empathy while ensuring children have a great time! 

1. Lego Copycat Game 

In this simple game, kids are divided into groups of builders and messengers. The messengers can see what the first group of builders is creating and has to communicate it to the other group to see if they can copy it by listening to the directions. 

Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys

Spud is a fantastic game for practicing throwing skills and improving balance while also building spatial awareness. All you need is one playground ball and you’re ready to go! 

Learn more: Playworks

In this cooperative board game, players work in teams as spies and have to figure out their opponent’s secret identities through careful reasoning, uncovering clues, and deciphering code books. 

Learn more: Board Games

The classic party game of flashlight tag is best played in the dark. Kids are sure to love tagging their friends and shining their flashlight beams before calling out their names. Like all variations of tag, this one builds emotional resiliency and social skills as well as self-regulation and effective communication. 

Learn more: Petoskey Provisions, Gifts, & Wisdom

In this simple cooperative game, the chaser tries to tag the last person in the caterpillar line. The caterpillar will try to stay in the way of the chaser, protecting the last person in the line. This is a fantastic game for developing gross motor skills such as agility and balance. 

Learn more: Fit Kids, Healthy Kids

This team game puts players’ communication skills to the test as they work together to survive on an imaginary deserted island. Apart from problem-solving and critical thinking skills, it’s an easy way to develop creativity and cooperation. You get to decide what kind of resources the island will have and can make this game as easy or challenging as you like! 

Learn more: Mrs. Fintelman Teaches

Whether they are scientists, dispatchers, or researchers, players must work together to save the world from a deadly pandemic. This is a wonderful game for developing reading skills while devising survival strategies and basic math skills to understand the various charts and tables of data. 

Learn more: Z-Man Games

In this fun game for kids, teams are tasked with constructing a hut with a limited number of hula hoops, before finding a way for their entire team to pass through the hut, one at a time. Why not throw in an additional hoop or challenge players to move backward for added fun? 

Learn more: Lead by Adventure

Master Word makes a great cooperative family board game for fostering engaging discussions among fellow players. The game time and vocabulary used can be increased or decreased depending on the age of the children playing. It’s an excellent game for increasing inference skills and developing word recognition and reading fluency. 

Learn more: Coopgestalt

This team-building game encourages creative thinking and physical activity as it challenges players to pass a tennis ball between a group as quickly as possible. Players are sure to enjoy finding clever shortcuts to increase their speed! 

Learn more: World of Work

Duck, Duck Goose has been a classic kid’s game for decades and with good reason: It requires no equipment and helps develop balancing and spatial awareness skills while making for plenty of laughs and excitement! 

Learn more: Kid Spot

Red Rover is a classic team game, requiring no equipment. One team decides who they want to call over from the other team and the chosen player has to run and attempt to break through the row of students holding hands. Whether or not they succeed, everyone is sure to have a great time! 

Learn more: The Genius of Play

Why not transform your home into an escape room fit for an Alice in Wonderland adventure? This kit includes riddle sheets, suspect cards, challenging clues, and even background music to create a truly immersive experience. Escape games are a great way to develop productivity, improve memory and strengthen emotional bonds. 

Learn more: Escape Kit

Castle Panic is a fantastic cooperative game where players must band together to achieve a series of goals in order to protect their caste against threatening monsters. The catch is that players can only succeed by contributing to the welfare of their team. 

Learn more: Board Game Geek

In this simple arts and crafts-based activity, one student begins drawing a picture of an object of their choice and the others have to add to it, taking turns until they’ve told a complete story. This is a fantastic game for teaching the elements of narrating such as plot, setting, and characterization, and at the same time, encouraging creative self-expression. 

Learn more: The Inspired Treehouse

In this physically-demanding game, players have to cooperate to make it through an obstacle course. You could try adding trampolines, bikes, tunnels, balancing challenges, and slides, or just use what you have around the house or classroom such as tables and chairs. 

Learn more: What Can We Do With Paper and Glue

Players have to work together to get Max, the bobcat home safely before he is caught by other animals. This game is simple enough to be played by primary students and can be a starting point for a discussion about food chains and animal habitats. 

Learn more: Family Past Times

Who will get to the treasure first- you or the ogre? Players have to use cunning thinking and ingenuity to quickly build a path toward their pot of golden treasure. This award-winning game encourages players to strategize and develop their social skills to win! 

Learn more: Mastermind Toys

All you need for this classic team-building game are some interesting questions and a timer. Everyone has fifteen seconds to answer a question about a subject of the leader’s choice, such as their favorite films, foods, or hobbies. While simple, this is a great game for quickly building rapport between players and creating a more cooperative learning environment. 

Learn more: Fun Attic

Codenames is a classic word game that challenges players to reveal all the top secret agents without hurting any bystanders or alerting the undercover assassin. It’s a twist on charades that requires more concentration and strategic focus. 

Learn more: Ultra Board Games

Students are sure to enjoy building a tower of cards by sharing ideas and working together towards a shared goal. This STEM-based activity can easily be incorporated into a math or science lesson as students discuss the elements of engineering and architecture. 

Learn more: Education World

In this fun, active game, players stand in a circle and hold hands. They are challenged to see how many times they can tap the balloon into the air while continuing to hold hands. While simple, it is sure to captivate players and encourage cooperative play! 

Learn more: Responsive Classroom

A bandit is trying to escape through underground tunnels. Will your team be able to band together to stop him? The rules are intuitive enough to be understood by younger players, making it a great way to build observation and strategy skills. 

Learn more: Walmart

Four students (Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville) have to save Hogwarts from the forces of evil. Fighting villains, gaining health points, and joining forces are the only ways to beat the masters of the Dark Arts at their own game. 

Learn more: Best Buy

A group of psychic mediums has to solve the crime by banding together. They have to communicate with a ghost to determine all the details of the murder including the weapon, the location, and the motive. Will they succeed? Only time and a little mysterious intrigue will tell. 

Learn more: Ultra Board Games

Smaug’s Jewel is a classic P.E. game that can be played indoors or outdoors and helps develop group communication and strategic thinking skills. One player is designated as Smaug and has to protect the jewels, which could be a ball or pylon, while the other students try and steal the treasure without getting tagged. 

Learn more: The Physical Educator

The object of this classic P. E. game is to get onto the iceberg with the correct number of team members. Students will practice organization and group cooperation skills all while getting a challenging workout. 

Learn more: Active Superstars

The object of this game is to get everyone from one side of town to the other without touching the toxic waste. It’s a fun game of strategy, hand-eye coordination, and agility. 

Learn more: Playworks

The goal of the Caterpillar Riot is to collect as many objects as possible by moving the caterpillar forward with a hula hoop. It’s a deceptively simple-looking game that requires a great deal of collective strategizing. 

Learn more: Stef’s Phys. Ed Games Binder

This space-themed game involves hula hoops, placemats, and a galactic storyline that is sure to get players excited! The interstellar planet is almost out of resources (beanbags) and students need to use hovercrafts (hula hoops) to move around collecting fuel.  

Learn more: S&S Blog

Can young players join forces to get all the owls safely back to the nest before sunrise? Only time and group ingenuity will tell. Kids will learn how to follow directions and take turns while building their self-esteem and creating a sense of community. 

Learn more: Board Game Geek

This imaginative storytelling game consists of animals who can sing and dance and allows for an infinite number of creative new stories to be told each time. Why not have them write the story down or read it aloud for added practice? 

Learn more: Eeboo

In this inventive game, players have to work together to put on a spectacular fireworks show. They are sure to love launching the rockets in their final ensemble performance! 

Learn more: Games.ca

Wheelbarrow race is a classic game that encourages kids to work together to get to a designated finish line. Having a common goal helps develop empathy and makes the game a lot more fun!

Learn more: Party Games 4 Kids

The Human Knot is a popular cooperative game that has been around for a long time. Team members have to untangle themselves from a knot of hands without breaking their grip. It makes for a tricky challenge no matter how many times you play!

Learn more: Team Building

The objective of this fun, outdoor game is to catch the water balloon before it hits the ground. Participants continue to move further and further apart until someone finally drops the balloon!

Learn more: Fit Kids Healthy Kids

This easy-to-organize game has many variations, but the basic premise is that students must work together to get a frog around the circle as quickly as possible using different body parts such as hands, elbows, or knees. 

Learn more: The PE Specialist

38. Feed the Woozle 

Kids are sure to love feeding silly snacks to this ferocious monster. This is an excellent game for building fine motor skills, dexterity, and body awareness as well as developing verbal communication, counting, and basic numeracy skills. Building self-esteem and a growth mindset couldn’t be easier! 

Learn more: Amazon

This barnyard-themed game features llamas, goats, rams, and alpacas who are running wild and need to be collected and brought back to the farm! 

Learn more: Unstable Games

In this creative team-building game, students have to stand together in a circle with their arms raised above their heads and lower the hula hoop to the ground using nothing but their fingers without dropping it. 

Learn more: Meraki Lane

Related posts:

List of cooperative games for kids

LittleBigPlanet 2

Released: 2011

Platforms: PlayStation 3

System requirements: unknown

Genre: sandbox, adventure, platformer, puzzle, for kids

The well-known platformer got its continuation with an even wider list of features, kindly invested by the developers. The current version of the platformer has become a platform where you can easily and naturally create completely diverse games... nine0003

84 /100

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

Released: 2013

Platforms: iOS, MacOS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, WiiU, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One

System Requirements: Low

Genre: comics, action, adventure, arcade, kids

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is a new story in the extraordinary world of Marvel comics. Favorite heroes: Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Hulk and a hundred other representatives of this universe, are united by the goal of stopping Loki in his quest to enslave the world, which managed to collude with the villains... nine0003

80 /100

Biped

Released: 2020

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One

System Requirements: High

Genre: Puzzle, Indie, Platformer, Adventure, Action, Kids, Strategy

The idea of ​​Biped is extremely simple: two players have to control two cute robots named Aku and Sila. These clumsy creatures are obliged to save the Earth. How? Just overcoming various puzzles... nine0003

80 /100

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Released: 2007

Platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, Xbox 360

System Requirements: Low

Genre: action, adventure, arcade, for kids

In 2007 George Lucas's sensational and won the hearts of millions cinema saga turns 30 years old. Back in 1977, the first part of an amazing trilogy was first released on the screens... nine0003

79 /100

Minecraft

Released: 2009

Platforms: Android, iOS, Java, Linux, MacOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, on PC, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Xbox One

System Requirements: Low

Genre: sandbox, open world, building, life, educational, simulator, adventure, indie, life simulator, for kids, survival

Minecraft is a popular sandbox game with a huge, auto-generated open world and survival elements. In its style, the entire game world consists of specific blocks (objects, landscape, the player himself and mobs), for the creation of which low-resolution textures were used... nine0003

79 /100

LEGO The Lord of the Rings

Released: 2012

Platforms: iOS, MacOS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii, PC, Xbox 360

System Requirements: Low

Genre: action, adventure, arcade, for kids

Hobbits are now in Lego! We present to fans of the cult trilogy the latest game development - LEGO The Lord of the Rings. The platformer will be appreciated by both experienced venerable players and novice gamers... nine0003

78 /100

Plant vs Zombie: Garden Warfare

Released: 2014

Platforms: iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One

System Requirements: High

Genre: shooter, action, castle defense, for kids

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is a third-person shooter video game developed by PopCap Games with tower defense elements.

In Garden Warfare, you can play as one of two teams of plants or zombies fighting each other... nine0003

78 /100

LittleBigPlanet 3

Released: 2014

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4

System requirements: unknown

Genre: sandbox, adventure, platformer, puzzle, for kids

LittleBigPlanet 3 is a corporate video game developed for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 gaming platforms. nine0003

78 /100

Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2

Released: 2017

Platforms: Android, iOS, MacOS, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One

System Requirements: Medium

Genre: sandbox, open world, building, life, educational, simulator, adventure, rpg, life simulator, for kids, survival

Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2 - continuation of the adventure sandbox, which includes five episodes. Among the innovations is Crowd Play, a management feature that allows friends to contribute to the passage of the game through mobile devices. .. nine0003

77 /100

Moving Out

Released: 2020

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, MacOS, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One

System Requirements: High

Genre: puzzle, indie, simulation, action, kids

Moving Out is a reckless transport company simulation that takes orders to transport things in a small town choking on a lot of furniture...

77 /100

LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars

Released: 2011

Platforms: MacOS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, PC, Xbox 360

System Requirements: Low

Genre: action, adventure, arcade, for kids

Fans of the fantasy world of LEGO Star Wars are waiting for new adventures in the universe, constructed from LEGO. The updated mechanics will allow you to experience even more pleasure from participation in the construction and epic battles of Star Wars... nine0003

76 /100

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4

Released: 2010

Platforms: iOS, MacOS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, PC, Xbox 360

System Requirements: Low

Genre: action, adventure, arcade, for kids

The story of the little wizard Harry Potter has captivated the whole world and is familiar to everyone, from a child to an adult. LEGO decided to recreate the famous fairy tale from a colored construction kit... nine0003

76 /100

ModNation Racers

Released: 2010

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable

System requirements: unknown

Genre: sandbox, racing, arcade, for kids

Undoubtedly, ModNation Racers is not just a game, but also a bright way of self-expression. Creativity is unleashed when creating your own unique character, map and race tracks...

76 /100

The Simpsons nine0003

Released: 2003

Platforms: Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox

System Requirements: Low

Genre: action, adventure, arcade, for kids

The Simpsons Hit and Run - which can literally be translated as "kick and run", an exciting adventure genre computer game based on the notorious animated series "The Simpsons"...

76 /100

Super Mario Bros.

Released: 1985

Platforms: GameBoyAdvance, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, on PC

System requirements: unknown

Genre: action, adventure, platformer, arcade, kids

Super Mario Bros is without a doubt the game of all time. They play it and will continue to play it, because it is a classic platformer. For many, Mario is the "platformer of childhood", and it's so nice to be in childhood! As many as thirty bright and colorful levels, many obstacles and enemies, everything is permeated with a special atmosphere of the game... nine0003

76 /100

World of Tanks

Free
server

Release year: 2011

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One

World of Tanks is a team tactical MMO game, the main combat tool and vehicle of which is a tank. More than 150 armored crumbs from American, German and Soviet tank factories are available for selection... nine12 answers So, getting to know our cooperative games. First of all, I would like to note the delightful game from Haba "Orchard".

The game is amazing! Starting from the design and ending with the very ideas of the game. So, the goal of the game is to collect fruits faster than the crow arrives. Actually, the crow itself is drawn in the center of the playing field and a crow puzzle has been added to the game. Now, if a crow falls on a die, then we take one piece of the puzzle. If a certain color falls on the cube, then we take the fruit of this color and put it in our basket. If a basket falls out, we can collect any two fruits. The fewer players play, the more likely it is to collect a crow, although playing in three or four there is no guarantee that you will fall on the die. nine0239 The game is quite dynamic, my children always worry and try to pick fruits faster)

The fruits themselves are quite large, pleasant to the touch. Moreover, you can learn colors and counting with them. For example, "how much and what kind of fruit did you manage to pick?"))

A giant cube, I have never seen such a cube)

The game is easy, even our guests, who are already schoolchildren, like to play it. If you have a baby in the house - this game will be a great start to attract a child to the "board game lovers" club. nine0003

And now the no less interesting game Hop! Hop! Hop! by Djeco. First of all, I also want to pay attention to the quality of the game. The game consists of four squares - a field, a village, a river, a sheepfold. Each edge of the field has its own color, this is to make it easier for the child to figure out what goes in what sequence and correctly decompose the game.

Wonderful lambs, a shepherd and a dog are going home, having eaten grass, they will have to go home through the village, along the bridge. But there is a danger .. wind. The wind is so strong that it blows off the bridge supports, and then the sheep can fall into the river. nine0239
So, you guessed it, the goal of the game is to move everyone to the sheepfold. And don't lose anyone. With us, the shepherd always goes first, then the sheep and the dog will drive everyone).

Different meanings (actions) fall out on the die, go down the mountain to the village, go to the bridge, go home, wind, any action and translate any two figures. Sometimes players are faced with a choice of what is best to do now, let someone else down to the village, transfer to the bridge, or send someone home.

Learn more

• 
  Ways of teaching vocabulary
• 
  Pre k mathematics curriculum
• 
  Dra reading test
• 
  Baby maths games
• 
  Winter scavenger hunt ideas
• 
  Free children short stories
• 
  Finding lexile levels for books
• 
  Birthday color pantone
• 
  Classic children bedtime stories
• 
  Good short bedtime stories for adults
• 
  Spelling practice for kindergarten