Heads Up, Seven Up is a game that is perfect for the classroom setting, because kids can play it from their desks. Have seven students stand at the front of the class. Instruct the rest of the students to put their heads down on their desks, close their eyes and place their hand out in a fist. While these students are not looking, the seven from the front of the room will walk about and each will tap one seated child's hands. When their hand is touched, students put their thumbs up. All students return to their places while those seated open their eyes. Students who were chosen must stand up and take turns guessing who touched their hand. If they guess correctly, they switch places with that person and get to be a tagger for the next round.
The bean bag toss is a fun game that helps kids to work on their coordination skills while having fun in a team setting. Separate kids into groups of five or six. Find a variety or containers, such as garbage bins and bowls. Set up the containers, creating one course per team. Place tape lines on the floor, dictating where students must stand when attempting each toss. Place five or six bean bags beside each container and have the teams line up behind their assigned course. When you tell them to start, one child from each team must begin the course, attempting to pick up one beanbag from beside each container and throw it in from the designated line. They have one try at each one and then run to tag the next member of their team. Kids must race against the other teams in order to complete the course first and get the most bean bags in.
A scavenger hunt allows kids to put their intellect to the test for a prize. Hide a number of objects around an allotted space. Create a list of clues that leads to each object. Have kids separate into teams of two or three and give each team a copy of the list. They will work together to solve the clues and find each object before the other teams. In the end, the team that finds the most hidden objects wins. The prize can be to keep the hidden objects, or it may be something else.
Charades has children practicing their nonverbal communication skills. Separate kids into groups of two. Have one partner pose the other a question. The child must answer his partner's question without speaking. He can use actions and hand gestures in order to get his point across, but no written or verbal methods. Once the partner correctly guesses the answer, they switch roles.