Duck, duck, goose is a classic kid's game that allows lots of movement and can introduce the class to everyday animals found on a farm. Sit the children in a circle on the floor (works best on carpeting so children don't slip) in a large, open space. Choose a child to be "It." Have "It" walk around the circle tapping each child's head saying, "Duck....duck....duck," and eventually choose another student to be "Goose." When a goose is chosen, he must chase "It" around the circle and tag her before she reaches the goose's seat. If "It" is tagged, she must sit in the center of the circle until the next person is caught, and she may return to the circle and the new tagged "It" sits in the center. The game can continue as long as you like, but make sure to supervise at all times as the children might slip and fall playing running games.
Teaching Old MacDonald to students learning about the farm is an essential part of any farm unit for small children. Teach the class the traditional song: "Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O! And on his farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O! With an oink-oink here, and an oink-oink there, here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink-oink." You can replace the animal and the animal sound with any animal one might find on a farm such as a chicken, cow, goat, cat, horse or dog. To make the game more interactive, ask half the children to act out the animal and sound and the other half to sing. Rotate with each animal and continue until you have sung about every farm animal.
The chicken dance is an energetic option when you need to fill indoor classroom time. The chicken dance is available from several different sources online and on kid songs compilations. Teach the students the dance steps: make beaks with your hands, flap your elbows like wings, then twist down and clap four times. Kids love moving around in silly ways and dancing to music, so add a small competitive element to the chicken dance. Play the song and pause it at random intervals. When the music stops, the children must sit down on the floor as quickly as possible. The last child to sit down is out and the game continues until there is one child left.
A farm unit teaches kids where milk, cheese and eggs come from, and the animals that help produce what we need to make these common food products. Using plastic Easter eggs, explain to the children what's inside a real egg and how we use them in daily life. Put the children into teams (the number of members can vary depending on your class size), and assign each team a color of egg to find around the classroom or playground. Each team will have a set period of time to find their eggs and the team who finds the most wins.