Preschool Games

Autumn Games for Learning and Play 

Games are an integral part of the preschool experience, because they are a great way of integrating learning into play.  When looking for preschool games, try selecting games that are incorporate themes with the current or upcoming season.  For example, autumn is a great time to select preschool games on the theme of Thanksgiving or games that focus on foods specific to autumn, such as vegetables.      

Turkeys and Cornucopias 

These first two preschool games are a perfect way to teach the children about two of the most prevalent images of Thanksgiving: turkeys and cornucopias.  Children love this game, called “Gobbling Turkey”, and it will help them develop deductive reasoning skills while allowing them a chance to play pretend.  

One child is selected at random to play the role of “farmer”.  To begin the game, the farmer player leaves the room so that the “gobbling turkey” can be chosen, also at random.  After the turkey is chosen, all the children use their hands to cover their noses and mouths to resemble the beak of a turkey as the farmer reenters the room.

The object of the game is for the farmer to determine which player is the turkey.  While all the children waddle around like turkeys, the gobbling turkey makes gobbling noises from time to time.  The farmer has two guesses to determine the identity of the true gobbling turkey.  

The next Thanksgiving game, called the Cornucopia Catch, requires a basket and at least five small plastic pieces of fruit or vegetables.  The instructor stands with the basket in their hands while the children take turns throwing the pieces of produce into the basket, one at a time.  This game is an excellent opportunity to practice hand-eye coordination, basic counting skills, names of fruits and vegetables and colors.  

Vegetable Soup Memory Game 

Memory games are one of the best types of preschool games to incorporate into the curriculum, since memory is a vital skill for children to develop.  This memory-building game called Vegetable Soup provides a great opportunity to learn the names of vegetables while working on teaching and building memory skills. 

To begin, the instructor sets out a large cooking pot while the children stand in a circle around the pot.  The instructor begins by saying “we are going to make some vegetable soup but we need your help”.  The child to the left of the instructor says the name of a vegetable and walks towards the pot, miming the action of putting the vegetable in the pot.  

The next child must say the names of all the vegetables in the soup before adding their own to the pot.  For example, if the first child adds carrots, the second adds broccoli and the third adds celery, the fourth child must say “we’re making vegetable soup today and we’re adding carrots, broccoli, celery” before adding the name of their vegetable to the list.