Hey girl, are you looking for the best daycare games that will keep your kids engaged and entertained? These are the tested and approved daycare games you need to know about.
Trying to keep your daycare kids engaged and active can be tricky, and if you are anything like me, you bring out lots of daycare games to keep those kiddos busy.
As a home daycare provider for the past 8 years and a mom of 4, I am giving you the top daycare games that my kids and I swear by.
You are going to learn about lots of daycare games that will work for you like outside games, inside games, board games, what is on my daycare game wish list, and more.
After hearing about all of these daycare games, you will be able to keep your daycare kiddos entertained for hours.
Let's get started with the best daycare games you need to play with your daycare kids.
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Best Daycare Games
Outdoor Games for Kids
Making sure that all kids have outside time every day, weather permitting, is so important for them.
As much as the fresh air is good for everyone, it will not help the kids burn off energy and stay fit if they are just sitting around.
When I see my kids and daycare kids getting bored, I try to engage them in one of the following games. Most of the time it works and they are up and running for a long time.
I have found, the more you join in the longer the kids will play the game. You know you want to, and it is good for you too!
1. Color Game
This game of chase is so simple yet so fun. And all your daycare kids can play it.
Pick one person to be it, it may have to be you. The rest of the kids stand at a home/safe spot like a tree.
All of the kids at home will talk and each picks a different color. Don't let the "It" person know who picked what.
The "It" person then starts guessing colors. When they call out one that a kid picked, that kid will run to a certain spot, like a different tree, and back home without getting tagged by the "It" person.
If they do get tagged, they are the new “It” person. If they don’t get tagged, the “It” person has to keep guessing colors.
2. Tag Game
Our favorite kind is freeze tag.
If my husband ends up coming home while the daycare kids are still here, they talk him into being it. Yep, steel toe boots and all.
3. What Time Is It, Mr. Fox Game
You start off being the fox at one end of your yard with your back to the starting line. Have the kids line up on the “starting line” bit away from you.
The kids call out together "what time is it, Mr. Fox". This is when you call out a time, let's say 9:00. The kids will then move 9 steps.
You keep doing this until Mr. Fox says midnight. When this is called, the person who is the fox turns and chases the kids back to the starting line.
If a kiddo is caught, they are the new Mr. Fox.
4. Duck, Duck Grey Duck
Or Duck, Duck Goose (all depending on where you live, I personally like the gray duck)
5. Run a Race
A race is a great way to get those kids moving and burn some energy.
6. Kickball Game
Whether you want to play an actual game of kickball or just kick a ball back and forth, your kids will love playing this with you.
We do a ton of back and forth. And we love using this kickball!
7. Soccer
For us, soccer is more like kicking the ball back and forth. Eventually, the kids want to see how hard and far they can kick it.
This is the soccer ball we have and it gets a workout.
8. Football
When the kids want to play football, it is so fun to watch.
Right now I have way more boys than girls at my daycare so multiple footballs are out every day.
This Nerf Blitz Football holds up really well and you don't have to worry about pumping it up.
9. Baseball
We got this Little Tikes T-Ball set years ago and it is still holding up strong.
All the kids love taking turns at it.
Watch out for those crazy hits, there has been some unexpected kid/ball contact. Ouch!!
Inside Games for Kids
There will be those days when you are stuck inside for one reason or another. Believe me, girl, I know these days well and try to only let it happen due to the weather.
I have a small house and the noise on these days can be deafening.
Before the kids start climbing the walls or getting on your nerves, suggest a game for them to play.
This has worked so many times for me, and they all want to join in on the fun. Currently, I have a daycare age range of 1 – 10, 7 kids.
10. Guess the Animal Sound
There are lists of animal sounds you can find by typing the phrase animal sounds into Google.
I play the animal sound and the kids have to guess which animal it is. We have played this game so many times but it never gets old.
11. Hangman
This is a great game to help with spelling.
We have a giant whiteboard like this that we play on.
There has also been many days that this board has been used to have a coloring party.
Expo markers work the best of all the whiteboard markers I have tried.
Sometimes cheaper just isn't better you guys.
Of course, you could use anything from a giant whiteboard to scrap paper to play.
12. Simon Says
This game is great for teaching your younger daycare kids about listening and following directions.
13. Freeze Dance for Kids
I love freeze dance way better than any version of musical chairs/pillows. The kids are less likely to end up hurt!
14. Puzzles
Puzzles are a great way to pass the time. They teach kids problem-solving, perseverance, and develop finger strength. And there are puzzles made for every age.
We have these wooden puzzles for the younger daycare kids.
They get so excited when they complete them.
My daughter picked out this 1000-piece puzzle for us to work on. It has been a great way to pass the time and bond with her.
Our boys love getting in on the fun as well.
Thankfully my husband is really handy and built us a puzzle tray. We can slide it under my daughter's bed when we are not working on it.
Let me know in the comments below if you want to see a picture of it.
Board Games
(For The Littles)
These board games are great for teaching fundamentals to the littles like counting, colors, and taking turns.
Even though these games don’t last very long, there is a good chance that your young daycare kids are going to want to play them over again or choose a different one.
We have a few board games for young kiddos, but these are the games that get played with the most!
My favorite is Candy Land with Hi Ho Cherry – O as a close second.
Board Games
(For The Older Ones)
If you are taking care of older daycare kids, then these games are perfect to have on hand. You can play them if you are stuck inside.
These board games are also a great way to pass the time if the older kids have to be quiet during rest time. During the summer, we love to take these games to our table on our deck during nap time.
The one that gets played with the most is Trouble. I love playing this game with my kids and daycare kids.
We play it the nice way, where we only get out other people if that is our only move.
There is also game on, which is so ruthless. People are getting out left and right and the game takes longer to play. Every time we play this way, there are lots of emotions. Fair warning!
My second favorite is Scrabble. I like that it helps the kids work on spelling and math. We aren’t afraid to help each other out with creating words if we get stuck.
I love to win but more so I want the kids to enjoy themselves and want to play it again.
Games Wishlist
As a daycare provider, I am constantly trying to come up with new ways to keep things fresh for daycare and my 4 kids, games included. To find these, I take to cruising Pinterest, Amazon, Target, Walmart, and on and on.
My kiddos love when I bring something new into my house.
Do you find this to be true as well?
The following games have pretty high reviews on Amazon and I am hoping to pick up a few of them in the next month or 2.
I need your help!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any of the following games and what you think of them.
I don’t want to end up picking something that is just going to sit on the shelf. My house is small and space is limited.
This post was all about the best daycare games.
Let me know in the comments below which games your daycare kiddos most like to play. There are so many out there and I am always looking for fresh ideas.
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for stopping by.