40 Amusing Games For Your Five-Year-Olds

By age five, your kids are probably forming complex sentences, reading independently, and engaging in group activities. We’ve compiled a list of fun-filled games and activities that are guaranteed to get your learners developing these key attributes while having a ball of a time doing it. From messy and colorful crafts to amusing physical games – these activities are perfectly tailored to your growing five-year-olds.

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1. Get Creative with Googly Eyes

This inventive craft makes for hours of classroom fun! Task your kids with drawing unique animals or creatures and once they’ve completed their drawings, prompt them to adorn their quirky doodles with googly eyes.

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2. Try a STEM Challenge

Engage your little learners in various STEM activities designed to challenge them in different spheres. Have them explore how magnets work with different objects or treat them to a colorful experience as you have them craft color-changing flowers.

Learn More: Taming Little Monsters

3. Make Your Own Kinetic Sand

Indulge your kiddos’ senses as you have them forge this sensory-rich craft. Invite them to mix corn flour, sand, and water together to create their very own kinetic sand. Then, prompt them to get their hands dirty as they shape and mold their sand into beautiful 3D art.

Learn More: Crafty Morning

4. Play a Game of Brain Freeze

Here’s a cooperative board game that will encourage your learners to develop their social skills. Start by having them partner up and sit opposite one another before prompting them to select a picture on their board. Proceed by encouraging them to ask their partner questions about their object to help them guess what picture they’ve selected.

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5. Bubble Wrap Hopscotch

This fun-filled game makes the perfect activity for rainy days spent in the classroom. Set up a game of hopscotch for your students by cutting out squares of bubble wrap and labeling each square with a number. You’ll then prompt them to skip and jump their way across the bubble wrap for a kinesthetic day of number learning.

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6. Egg Decorating Craft

Get your little hands decorating in this creative craft! Invite them to gather up a variety of small items such as gems, straws, colorful buttons, and wooden shapes before encouraging them to use their supplies to decorate an egg pattern mat.

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7. Scrabble Junior

Help your class build familiarity with the alphabet with a game of Junior Scrabble! It’s just like regular Scrabble, except in this version you’ll challenge them to match tiles to letters that have already been printed on the board. It’s a game that’s sure to capture their attention while allowing for plenty of practice in forming bonds with letters.

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8. Cookie Matching Game

What better way to develop basic math skills than with some cookie fun? Provide your kiddos with these adorable cookie shapes and then task them with matching each shape to its corresponding shadow displayed on a worksheet.

Learn More: Teaching Mama

9. Alphabet Phonics Hunt

Send your little ones on an exploratory phonics hunt! Simply place letters on objects around your classroom that begin with the corresponding letter sound. Then, prompt your kids to set off on a quest to find each hidden letter.

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10. Animal Charades

Let your kids’ imaginations run wild as they play this cheerful game of animal charades. Start by cutting and placing different animal cards into a basket. You’ll then prompt them to pick a card and act out the animal using sounds and movements, encouraging their classmates to guess the correct answer.

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11. Monopoly Junior

This iconic board game is sure to keep your class entertained for hours! Engage them in a game of Monopoly Junior, packed with kid-friendly places such as the Zoo and Ice Cream parlor. It’s a great way to teach them basic math skills like counting and organizing without them even realizing.

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12. Play a Balancing Game

Incorporate some creative movements into your little learners’ day with a balancing game! You’ll help them build motor coordination as you challenge them to walk on lines backward, with one foot in front of the other, or in a zig-zag pattern.

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13. Classic Card Games

Engage your class in cooperative play with a classic game of Old Maid. Simply start by explaining the basic rules of this game before prompting them to partner up and challenge their peers to see who can get rid of their cards the fastest by making matches.

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14. Bubble Wrap Body Slam

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Develop your kiddos’ love for colors with this ingenious activity! After wrapping them in bubble wrap, allow them to dip their bodies in paint and then apply the paint to a wall covered in canvas to create abstract art.

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15. Vocabulary Hunt

Add a literary twist to treasure hunts by having your learners seek out hidden words. You’ll provide them with a plastic bag filled with sight words that’ve been covered in rice. Then, prompt them to push around the rice to find the words hidden in their bag while encouraging them to repeat each word as they find it.

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16. Play an Educational Online Game

Engage your kids in a modern twist on learning as they play digital games! National Geographic has a whole host of educational online games to choose from. Try this leaf identification game where you’ll challenge your pupils to identify leaf types from real-life pictures, making for a creative resource that’s great for incorporating the natural world into lessons on science.

Learn More: National Geographic Kids

17. Sight Word Games

Indulge your little ones in sight words galore! Engage them in memorizing these words by having them paint, look for them in a book, or spell them out with Play-Doh. There’s no better way to help your tots develop the necessary skills they’ll need for Kindergarten!

Learn More: 26 Sight Word Games For Kids To Practice Reading Fluency

18. Number Bonds to 10 Egg Game

This egg-citing game makes a fantastic resource to practice your kiddos’ math skills without any pesky worksheets. Simply start by labeling plastic egg halves with various numbers before prompting them to match the halves to create the number 10. It’s a hands-on way to develop your learners’ understanding of number bonds to 10.

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19. Cutting Practice With a Princess Doll

Hone your little ones’ fine motor skills with this cute craft. Invite them to cut a princess doll out of a template before allowing them to use markers or crayons to add some color to their doll. Then, have them use a punch to create holes that they’ll use to thread through yarn – giving their princess beautiful locks of hair.

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20. Craft a Waterproof Boot

Create an interactive science investigation right in your classroom! Challenge your class with waterproofing a paper boot by having them stick different materials such as foil and fabric over it. Then, test their creations by spraying each material with water to see whether their designs are a success.

Learn More: Science Sparks

21. Salt Dough Heart Craft

For a beautiful keepsake or gift, have your learners put together this creative craft! Engage them in mixing flour, salt, and water together to create salt dough. Then, allow them to mold their dough together before pressing down firmly with bubble wrap and using a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out their shape.

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22. Egg Carton Flower Math

In this interactive game, your kiddos will solve addition problems using flowers. Start by crafting a paper garden, filled with addition problems and then provide them with colorful egg cartons that you’ve labeled with the answers. Challenge them to solve each sum and glue down the corresponding flower to bloom their math garden.

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23. DIY Bucket Ball

Invite your eager learners outdoors for some fun in the sun. Start by setting up two pyramids using buckets filled with water. Kick off the festivities by having them throw balls into the buckets, removing each bucket when they successfully sink a ball. The first player to remove all their buckets wins!

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24. Learn About Color Mixing

Inspire those budding artists in your classroom with a color-mixing activity. Introduce them to color theory by having them mix different color paints together to create new and unique colors. Engage their creativity by then prompting them to label their abstract color mixtures as they see fit.

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25. Make a Printable Five Senses Book

Explore the 5 senses with your kiddos as they craft their very own Senses Book. Simply start by providing them with a template and then task them with filling in the prompts and decorating their book with colorful doodles. It’s a great way to get them motivated to read, write, and learn about the world through their senses.

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26. Pirate Treasure Hunt

Invite your little ones on a swashbuckling adventure as you have them hunt for pirate booty! Equip them with maps containing clues that they’ll use to figure out the secret location of hidden treasures. They’ll sharpen their navigational skills, practice reading maps, and enjoy the thrill of this exciting hunt.

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27. Moon Rock Collecting

In this space-age activity, your class will become astronauts for the day as they hunt for moon rocks. Begin crafting these shiny rocks by wrapping plastic balls in aluminum foil. Then, hide them around your classroom or schoolyard before prompting your kiddos to search for these cosmic curiosities.

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28. Story Stones

Ignite your kids’ imagination by having them create vibrant story stones. Supply them with smooth rocks and then task them with painting or sticking characters onto their rocks. Their rocks can then be used during story time where you’ll prompt them to use them as aids to construct whimsical tales.

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29. Musical Chairs: Animal Edition

Crank up the tunes for a jungle jam! In this twist on musical chairs, you’ll label chairs with animal pictures. When the music stops, encourage your little learners to find a chair and mimic the sound of the animal displayed before sitting down.

Learn More: YouTube

30. Paper Plate Ring Toss

Transform your classroom into a bustling carnival with this ring toss game! You’ll create rings from paper plates and use a paper towel roll as a target pole. Then, kick off the fun by engaging your kiddos in this captivating game by having them aim and toss the paper rings onto the target.

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31. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Ignite your students’ curiosity by inviting them to explore Mother Nature. Simply provide them with a checklist filled with natural items that they can find outdoors. As they find each item, they’ll observe different types of leaves, flowers, and maybe a few wriggly critters.

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32. Indoor Obstacle Course

Don’t let a rainy day spoil your classroom fun! Create an indoor obstacle course for your children by setting out pillows, chairs, and tables around your class. Then, allow them to test their agility in this energetic activity by having them crawl, jump, and zig-zag through the course.

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33. Build a Snow Volcano

Take advantage of snowy days by engaging your young learners in a captivating chemical reaction. Task them with using snow to build volcanoes and then guide them in adding baking soda, food coloring, and vinegar to their structure to create an icy eruption.

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34. Grocery Store Dramatic Play

It’s time to get role-playing as your kiddos learn basic math. Simply set up a mini grocery store in your class using empty boxes and toy food items. Afterward, supply them with a grocery list and encourage them to shop around the store as they tick off the items they find.

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35. Popsicle Stick Puzzle

In this activity, you’ll challenge your littles to complete a crafty brainteaser! Engage them in drawing shapes on sets of popsicle sticks. Then, prompt them to shuffle them up and have them reassemble their crafty puzzle.

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36. Freeze Dance

Get your students grooving in this musical game. Begin by playing a melody for them before stopping the music and prompting them to freeze. They’ll have to pay close attention to the auditory clues because if they move when the music stops, they’re out for the next round.

Learn More: YouTube

37. Magnetic Fishing Game

This stunning game will make the most perfect addition to your children’s play corner. Invite them to pick up some magnetic sticks as you task them with catching as many ocean critters as they can. It’s a delightful way to teach them patience, concentration, and even a bit of physics!

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38. Rain Cloud Science

Add a touch of color to your science lessons by having your kids create a cloud in a jar! Guide them in filling a jar with water and topping it with shaving cream. Then, hand them plastic tubes that they’ll use to drop food coloring into the shaving cream. Encourage them to observe the process as they marvel at the “rain” falling through the water.

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39. Handprint Sun Catchers

Give your young learners the gift of sunshine by creating dazzling suncatchers! Simply start by inviting them to press their hands into salt dough. Assist them in cutting out their hand shape and filling the space with pony beads. You’ll then place their design in an oven to melt the beads and allow it to cool before encouraging them to adorn your windows with their stunning artwork.

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40. Chalk Constellations

Explore the whimsy of astronomy without the need for a telescope! Set out a constellation map for your kiddos by scattering star stickers onto your pavement or mini chalkboards. Then, arm them with chalk and encourage them to draw lines between each star to create a web of starry constellations.

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