A box or trunk filled with clothing and accessories can allow children to have fun using their imaginations and dressing up in grown-up outfits or costumes. Allow them to create their own look with a large selection of dresses, skirts, shoes, hats, scarves, jewelry and wigs. These items can be picked up at a thrift store or donated by parents of the children. Ask the children to explain their outfit choice to you. This will encourage them to use their imaginations even more.
Both physical and mental, this game requires paying attention to "Simon" and doing as he says. The teacher can be Simon and call out commands such as, "Touch your stomach" and "Hop up and down." The children must follow the command only if it begins with "Simon says." If a child doesn't follow a command made by Simon, ask him to sit down or leave the circle. If a child does something that was not said by Simon, he is also out. With a younger age group you should give each child a few chances. If you notice him correcting his mistake immediately, allow him to remain in the game. The last kid standing wins.
Set up two rows of chairs back-to-back so the children can walk around them. Start with the same number of chairs as there are children, allowing everyone to get the hang of how the game works. Start playing music and tell the children to walk around the chairs. When the music stops, the children must scramble to find an empty spot in which they can sit. After the first round, remove a chair and play the music again. This time, there will be one child left without a seat. You can choose to play where the remaining child is kicked out of the game, or you can play where the kids must work together and find the remaining children a place to sit by sharing chairs or sitting on each other's laps. In the latter version, there is no winner and the children learn how to work together.
Test the children's brain power with this fun and easy word game. Choose a category and state a word that corresponds with that category, such as "food" and "apple." With the children sitting in a circle, select a child to go second and have him attempt to come up with a word that also fits the category. If a child is unable to come up with an answer in five seconds, he is removed from the game. Continue counterclockwise until there is one child remaining. This game works best for older children. A variation of the game includes having the students name words that start with a specific letter.