There is nothing like a song or music accompanying a game to get children moving. "The Hokey Pokey" is a classic, as is "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "The Eensy Weensy Spider." One favorite music game is called "Freeze Dance." In this game, children must dance and keep moving until the music stops. When it stops, they must freeze, and there is no giggling aloud. Singing games are also ideal for hand clapping and jump roping. Try "Miss Mary Mack," "Cinderella Dressed in Yellow," "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around" or "Bubblegum, Bubblegum in a Dish."
In preschool and kindergarten, circle time often features easy-to-learn games for little kids. "Duck, Duck, Goose" is a perennial favorite, and you can substitute different words for "duck" and "goose." "Simon Says" also works as a circle game. "Operator" or "Telephone," in which one person whispers a message to his neighbor and the message gets whispered around the circle, is fun. "Hot Potato" is an old game in which the children pass a ball around the circle as if it's a hot potato. When the music stops, one child is caught holding the potato. "Person to Person" involves the teacher or parent calling out two body parts such as "nose to knee" to children who are standing in partners. The children must touch the two parts. When the grown-up yells "person to person" everyone must run and find a new partner in the circle.
Outdoor and playground games are great for getting little kids running and developing their coordination. Try "Hide and Seek" for a classic, but lay the ground rules about proper boundaries for the game. Children love tag games such as "Freeze Tag" or the creative "Cartoon Tag," in which the child being pursued must yell a cartoon name to earn 10 seconds of safety from the child who is "it." "Red Light, Green Light" and "Mother May I?" are two other classic playground games. "Spud" is a playground game that uses a ball. The person who is "it" stands in the middle of the kids and throws the ball in the air, calling one child's name. Everyone scatters until the child whose name was called catches the ball and yells, "Spud," after which everyone must freeze. The child with the ball then takes three giant steps and rolls the ball at a child trying to tag him with it.