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Preschool Indoor Games to Play at School

Preschoolers' attention spans are short, which is why younger children can benefit from frequent activity changes. Three- to 5-year-olds can build motor skills by playing indoor games while practicing their listening skills. Encourage preschoolers to use their imagination or incorporate body parts, numbers or other pieces of information they are learning, while they play. This will help reinforce their studies.
  1. Red Light, Green Light

    • Line the children up along a wall. Stand on the opposite wall, or make a finish line at least 20 feet away, with your back turned to the kids. As the acting traffic cop, when you say "green light," all the players start to run to you. When you say "red light," flip around to face the players; everyone has to stop moving. If a player takes a step after you say "red light," that child has to return to starting line. The first player to cross the finish line is the next traffic cop. Instead of walking or running, you can have the class crawl or hop to the finish line when you say "green light."

    Indoor Golf

    • Create an indoor golf course by placing pieces of construction paper on the floor to act as holes. Golf clubs can be made from newspaper and masking tape. Roll up several sheets of newspaper for each club. Tape them securely, bending approximately 3 inches of the bottom at a 90-degree angle. Using the homemade golf clubs, have preschoolers take turns hitting a ping pong ball towards the holes. The class can be split into teams. Award a point each time a player's ball lands on a piece of construction paper.

    Zoo Keeper

    • Have all the preschoolers stand in front of you. Call out a type of animal. Everyone has to act like that animal until you say "feeding time," then they come back in front of you and wait for another animal to be called out. This game can become loud, but it is a good way to expend excess energy.

    Follow the Leader

    • Play this classic game to different types of music, such as polka, classical or hip hop. The leader listens to the rhythm of the music and starts to move around the room, followed by all the other preschoolers. Begin by having them follow you while you change from regular walking to taking big or small steps, walking on your toes or bouncing to the beat. This will give everyone a better idea of what they can do when they have a turn to lead.

    Fishing Game

    • Cut several fish shapes from card stock. On each fish, write an activity such as, "Touch Your Toes," "Skip in a Circle" or "5 Jumping Jacks." Attach a paperclip to each fish and set in a small plastic pool or tote. Attach a string to a yardstick or dowel. Tie a magnet on the end of the string. Have the class take turns fishing and performing the activities listed.

    Front to Front

    • Pair up the preschoolers and have them stand face-to-face. Call out different instructions, such as "stand shoulder-to-shoulder," or knee-to-knee, back-to-back or elbow-to-elbow. Mix it up by calling out "change," for the preschoolers to switch partners.

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