dog bone.
Tell the child who is “It” that he is the doggie and that he should pretend to nap by closing or hiding his eyes.
While “It” is pretending to nap, the rest of the players chant this rhyme:
“Doggie, Doggie, Where’s your bone?
Somebody took it and ran away home
Wake up Doggie!”
While the children are chanting, remove the bone and give it to one of the children to hide behind his back. All the children should pretend that they are also hiding the bone.
When the children say, “Wake up doggie,” the child who is “It” rises and tries to guess who is hiding the bone.
The child with the bone becomes the new doggie.
Hot and Cold
Help your child develop his listening skills and problem-solving abilities with this game.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Small toy that can be easily hidden
When your child is out of the room, hide a small toy somewhere out of sight.
Have your child return to the room to look for the object. Guide him with verbal cues. When he is approaching the object, tell him, “You are getting hot.” If he moves away from the object, tell him, “You are getting cold.”
This game is most successful if you are expressive and emphatic in your responses. For example, as your child moves closer and closer to the hiding spot, you might say, “Ooh, you are getting warm. Okay, now you are hot. Wow! When you go by the couch, you are even hotter. Now you are burning up!”
Duck, Duck, Goose
The beauty of this traditional party game is that you can adapt it for any theme or occasion.
Is it Easter? You can have the children play Bunny, Bunny, Chick. If they’re learning about colors,
the game can become Green, Green, Yellow.
Activity for a group
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Have children sit cross-legged in a small circle on the floor. Be sure that there is plenty of room around them.
Choose one child to be “It.” That child walks around the outside of the circle, gently tapping each child on the shoulder.
When “It” taps a child, he also calls out, “Duck.” At a random point, “It” selects a child and calls out, “Goose!”
The goose must stand up and chase “It” around the circle.
“It” tries to run and sit in the vacant spot before the goose tags him. The goose then becomes the next person to be “It.”
Cooperative Games
Many games that are played in elementary schools, playgrounds, and birthday parties encourage competition. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, young toddlers have very diverse abilities, and they become easily frustrated when
measured up against someone else. These games have the added benefit of helping young children learn positive social skills.
Keep It Up
You can adapt this activity according to the number of participants by simply adding more balls.
You can also use balloons for this activity, but be vigilant with popped balloon pieces
because they can be a choking hazard.
Activity for a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
3 or 4 beach balls
To start the game, have participants stand in a circle.
Toss a few beach balls into the air.
The object is to bat, kick, or tip the balls to keep them from touching the ground.
When a ball hits the ground, it is removed from play. The game continues until all the balls are grounded.
Shrinking Island
This game can be played with children of all ages.
It is best for outdoors as it requires a lot of space.
Activity for a group
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Old blanket or sheet or several lengths of rope
You will need to define the boundaries of the island. You can use an old picnic blanket or sheet. Alternatively, you can set the boundaries with lengths of rope. Be sure that the area is large enough for all the players to comfortably stand.
Have participants circle around the island without stepping inside. You may wish to play music. Tell
Tell the child who is “It” that he is the doggie and that he should pretend to nap by closing or hiding his eyes.
While “It” is pretending to nap, the rest of the players chant this rhyme:
“Doggie, Doggie, Where’s your bone?
Somebody took it and ran away home
Wake up Doggie!”
While the children are chanting, remove the bone and give it to one of the children to hide behind his back. All the children should pretend that they are also hiding the bone.
When the children say, “Wake up doggie,” the child who is “It” rises and tries to guess who is hiding the bone.
The child with the bone becomes the new doggie.
Hot and Cold
Help your child develop his listening skills and problem-solving abilities with this game.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Small toy that can be easily hidden
When your child is out of the room, hide a small toy somewhere out of sight.
Have your child return to the room to look for the object. Guide him with verbal cues. When he is approaching the object, tell him, “You are getting hot.” If he moves away from the object, tell him, “You are getting cold.”
This game is most successful if you are expressive and emphatic in your responses. For example, as your child moves closer and closer to the hiding spot, you might say, “Ooh, you are getting warm. Okay, now you are hot. Wow! When you go by the couch, you are even hotter. Now you are burning up!”
Duck, Duck, Goose
The beauty of this traditional party game is that you can adapt it for any theme or occasion.
Is it Easter? You can have the children play Bunny, Bunny, Chick. If they’re learning about colors,
the game can become Green, Green, Yellow.
Activity for a group
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Have children sit cross-legged in a small circle on the floor. Be sure that there is plenty of room around them.
Choose one child to be “It.” That child walks around the outside of the circle, gently tapping each child on the shoulder.
When “It” taps a child, he also calls out, “Duck.” At a random point, “It” selects a child and calls out, “Goose!”
The goose must stand up and chase “It” around the circle.
“It” tries to run and sit in the vacant spot before the goose tags him. The goose then becomes the next person to be “It.”
Cooperative Games
Many games that are played in elementary schools, playgrounds, and birthday parties encourage competition. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, young toddlers have very diverse abilities, and they become easily frustrated when
measured up against someone else. These games have the added benefit of helping young children learn positive social skills.
Keep It Up
You can adapt this activity according to the number of participants by simply adding more balls.
You can also use balloons for this activity, but be vigilant with popped balloon pieces
because they can be a choking hazard.
Activity for a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
3 or 4 beach balls
To start the game, have participants stand in a circle.
Toss a few beach balls into the air.
The object is to bat, kick, or tip the balls to keep them from touching the ground.
When a ball hits the ground, it is removed from play. The game continues until all the balls are grounded.
Shrinking Island
This game can be played with children of all ages.
It is best for outdoors as it requires a lot of space.
Activity for a group
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Old blanket or sheet or several lengths of rope
You will need to define the boundaries of the island. You can use an old picnic blanket or sheet. Alternatively, you can set the boundaries with lengths of rope. Be sure that the area is large enough for all the players to comfortably stand.
Have participants circle around the island without stepping inside. You may wish to play music. Tell
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