Give each child in your playgroup a piece of paper divided into four sections. Provide the kids with drawing pencils, markers and crayons. In each section, ask the kids to draw their favorite toy, person, food and animal. After they are finished, sit the children in a circle and place the drawings in the center. Ask them to determine who drew which picture. This is a good game for parties. Topics can include favorite place, favorite movie character, favorite musical instrument and favorite cartoon.
Give kids a picture of a bear from a coloring book and provide them with a variety of coloring materials. Ask them questions, and ask them to color in the book according to your questions. For instance, ask them if their bear has any sisters or brothers. If the bear has a sister, they could color the bear's tummy red, if the bear has a brother, they color color it blue, and if the bear has both a sister and a brother, they could color it purple. Ask the children to look at each others' bears and find the similarities and differences among them. This exercise is a powerful way of acknowledging individualism and creativity early on.
Blindfold one kid, tape a large piece of paper to the wall, and tell her to draw her favorite animal on the wall. While she is drawing, allow the other kids to call out suggestions as to things that she should draw, such as houses, people, plants, and abstract concepts. The finished product may not look anything like the items being called out, but will provide plenty of amusement at play dates and parties.
Divide your kids into groups of three. Blindfold two of the kids, and give the third a picture of a house. Give the other two drawing implements. Tell the third kid to describe to the other two, in great detail, how they should go about drawing the house, ie, colors, dimensions and other details. Have the other two execute the drawing to the best of their ability. This exercise truly works those teamwork and listening muscles -- and could be used just as effectively in adults.