Occasionally you may find yourself in a situation where you need to find the perfect group game for preschoolers.
That’s where we come in, with a vast selection of games you can pick including fun novelty board games and entertaining active games to be played outside.
We have such an array of games to pick from, you will definitely find something to keep preschoolers entertained, no matter the circumstances.
Make sure you have a tasty treat or prize for the winners of the games ready to go before starting, and have a look at our guide to 46 fun yet simple group games for preschoolers.
46 Fun and Simple Group Games for Preschoolers
1. THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR
Game Objective: Letter finding fun, kids spin a spinner and look for letter cards that match their space. A great game to encourage kids to develop their alphabet skills as well.
Buy it: The Very Hungry Caterpillar got made to celebrate the children’s book of the same name for its 50th anniversary.
2. MUMMY WRAP GAME
Game Objective: Perfect for Halloween, the Mummy Wrap game is a simple yet hilarious concept. Split teams into two, and give each team a couple of toilet rolls each. Play a spooky song and have both teams wrap up one person in toilet roll as much as they can. Most wrapped up wins.
RELATED: Learn how to play the Mummy Wrap Game.
3. OVEN MITT UNWRAPPING GAME
Game Objective: The Oven Mitt Unwrapping Game is self-explanatory, unwrap a carefully wrapped present whilst wearing oven mitts. The fastest player wins, or whoever unwraps the presents the quickest.
RELATED: Learn how to play the Oven Mitt Unwrapping Game.
4. SEQUENCE FOR KIDS
Game Objective: Match 4 of a kind in a row before any other player. Sequence for Kids is incredibly straightforward for kids to pick up and start playing.
RELATED: Learn how to play Sequence for Kids.
Buy it: Many versions are available, with this Sequence for Kids by Jax using animals that kids will enjoy.
5. CANDYLAND THE BOARD GAME
Game Objective: Become the first player to reach the end of Candyland. Race other players head-to-head and draw cards so that players can increase their lead over other players.
RELATED: Learn how to play Candyland
Buy it: The standard board game Candyland is the recommended version to buy, but a Disney Princess version is also available too.
This Disney edition Candyland board game by Hasbro with its fantasy characters and set-up is sure to fascinate the kids.
6. MEMORY GAME
Game Objective: In the Memory Game, players match 2 cards the same that get laid out faced down. Using a standard 52 card deck, shuffle the cards and place them in a grid, players take turns to pick two cards to try to match 2 numbers. If unsuccessful, put them back in the same space so players can remember where they are if needed. Whoever has the most pairs at the end wins.
RELATED: Learn how to play Memory Game
7. SHOPPING LIST
Game Objective: A memory game, Shopping List requires kids to remember the placement of different shopping items. Place items face down and kids can claim them if the item they pick is on their shopping list. Fastest to get every item needed wins the game.
Buy it: The Shopping List board game has a base pack to begin playing, with different expansions available as well.
8. FRUIT SALAD GAME
Game Objective: Play Fruit Salad until there is only one kid left at the end of the game. Sit all players in a circle sitting on chairs, and a kid in the middle without a chair to begin. Ask the others a question, and if a player answers the question ‘Yes’ they must move to another seat. Whatever kid is chairless gets eliminated from the game.
RELATED: Learn how to play the Fruit Salad Game.
9. THE LADYBUG GAME
Game Objective: Make sure that the Ladybugs make their way home, whilst avoiding the Praying Mantis. Helps kids with their reading and counting skills whilst playing the game.
Buy it: Developed by Zobmondo, the Ladybug Game is available through their store.
10. DIGGING DINO BONES
Game Objective: Find and swap cards with different dino parts to be the first to form a full dinosaur fossil. A great way to test kids memory and thinking skills
Buy it: Get your own copy of Digging Dino Bones through Continuum games store.
11. SILENT BALL
Game Objective: All players start by standing in a circle. An adult starts the game by shouting ‘SILENT’ and throwing one player a ball. Players must throw the ball to one another without either dropping it or making a noise. If the ball gets dropped or a player makes noise, then the offending player is out. Continue until there is only one left.
12. HEADS DOWN, THUMBS UP
Game Objective: Pick between 3-5 kids to be ‘it’ first. Everyone else places their heads onto a table with their eyes covered but with one of their thumbs pointed upwards. One of the players who are ‘it’ pushes down the thumb of someone at random. Once everyone who is ‘it’ has chosen, the player who has had their thumb pushed down must guess who did it. If they succeed, they get to be it on the next go.
13. POP THE PIG
Game Objective: Feed the Pig until he bursts. In Pop The Pig, players feed hamburgers equal to the amount that gets rolled on a dice. The loser of the game is the person who feeds the Pig the hamburger that makes its belly burst.
RELATED: Learn Pop the Pig Game Instructions and Rules.
Buy it: You can buy the game of Pop The Pig through the Goliath store.
14. DRAGON SNACKS GAME
Game Objective: Be the first player to steal the Dragon’s treasure from his belly. With a wave of a hand, a clue will magically be available to the player in this unpredictable preschool game.
Buy it: The Dragon Snacks Game comes with an adorable model Dragon in which the game is played with.
15. FREEZE FRAME
Game Objective: Have all kids run around an area in the same direction. At random points, shout out an object that the kids have to stop and form their body into, like a tree. Anyone still moving or not successfully becoming the object is out of the game. Keep playing until just one child remains.
16. 4 CORNERS
Game Objective: Played in a room where all 4 corners are accessible. One child starts in the middle with their eyes closed. Mark each corner 1-4, and the other children stand in whichever corner they would like. After 10 seconds, the child in the middle shouts out a number of a corner, and all those standing there are out. Keep playing until there’s only one player left.
17. HI-HO CHERRY-O
Game Objective: Another classic kids game that develops preschooler’s numerical skills. Players take it in turns to pick fruit off of a tree, with the player who fills their basket first becoming the winner.
RELATED: Read our Hi-Ho Cherry-O rules guide.
Buy it: Another game that has a variety of versions, we suggest the traditional version of Hi-Ho Cherry-O if you’re unsure which one to buy.
18. KERPLUNK
Game Objective: Kids use their forward-thinking abilities to avoid letting marbles drop out of a tower. The player who manages to let the least amount of marbles to drop through is the winner.
RELATED: See our guide on KerPlunk rules.
Buy it: Kerplunk is available to buy from the game developer Mattel’s store.
19. GARBAGE CARD GAME
Game Objective: A game that is ideal for encouraging kids with numbers, the Garbage Card Game requires players to be the first to get a sequence of numbers in the correct order.
RELATED: Learn how to play Garbage
20. PITTY PAT CARD GAME
Game Objective: The easiest form of Rummy to play, the Pitty Pat Card Game requires players to form pairs by drawing from the deck. The winner is the player who forms all of their cards into pairs first.
RELATED: Learn how to play the Play Pitty Pat Card Game
21. HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPOS
Game Objective: Participants compete to quickly gobble up as many marbles as possible. The player who’s hippo manages to eat the most marbles at the end is the winner.
RELATED: See our guide on Hungry Hungry Hippos rules
Buy it: Hasbro makes Hungry Hungry Hippos, and they even develop a smaller travel edition with just 2 hippos as well.
22. THE SNEAKY SNACKY SQUIRREL GAME
Game Objective: A color matching game perfect for preschoolers. Spin the spinner and pick up the acorn if it matches what is on a player’s log. The player who fills their log first wins.
RELATED: See our guide on The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel game rules
Buy it: Purchase the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game through the Educational Insights Store.
23. RUN THE LINE
Game Objective: Successfully get from one side of the line to the other by correctly guessing if the next card is higher or lower than the previous card. Mix it up by having different, harder requirements as players go along the line, like guessing the suit too.
24. BEGGAR MY NEIGHBOUR
Game Objective: All kids get dealt cards faced down. They take turns placing cards in the middle without looking. If a player places down an Ace, King, Queen, or Jack they can then put down another card. The first player to get rid of their cards first is the winner.
25. CHUTES AND LADDERS
Game Objective: Players spin the spinner and move their token the number of spaces that get spun. If they land on a chute or a ladder, they either climb or fall down the board. The first player to reach the end wins.
Buy it: Buy the updated, modernized version of Chutes and Ladders from developers Hasbro.
26. OLD MAID
Game Objective: Take all but 1 Queen card out of the deck the remaining Queen becomes the Old Maid. The goal is to match cards into pairs, with the first to get rid of their cards being the winner. The loser is also the person left with the Old Maid at the end of the game too.
27. STUCK IN THE MUD
Game Objective: Stuck In The Mud is a simple kids game played in teams. Played like tag, if a player gets tagged then they must stand still with their legs slightly apart. To get freed from being stuck, a teammate must crawl under their legs without getting caught themselves. Play for a couple of minutes and if the tagging team gets their opponents all stuck before the time is up, they win.
RELATED: Learn how to play Stuck In The Mud Game.
28. BOGGLE JUNIOR
Game Objective: An ideal game to help preschoolers develop their reading and spelling skills. Boggle Junior edition requires players to spell out 4 letter words, with card prompts to help kids as well.
Buy it: Boggle Junior is the ideal way to introduce kids to word games before moving on to the usual Boggle.
29. BANANA BLAST
Game Objective: Roll the dice to see how many bananas a player has to pull off of the tree to earn points. At random times, the monkey attached to the tree will jump out, whoever manages to catch the monkey gains bonus points. Whoever has the most points at the end is the winner.
Buy it: Drive your kids bananas by purchasing Banana Blast through the Goliath store.
30. UNO JUNIOR
Game Objective: The first player who manages to get rid of all their cards is the winner. Match cards by their color or number, with different cards included so that players can really hinder their opponents.
Buy it: Uno Junior features cartoon animals on them so that preschoolers who are yet to read can also join in on this game.
31. SNAP
Game Objective: Players take turns placing cards face up into the middle. Once a card gets laid that is the same number as the previous, then players slap their hands onto the deck shouting ‘Snap’. Whoever hand is on the bottom wins the deck. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins.
32. GO FISH
Game Objective: Another game where the player wins by forming pairs and getting rid of their cards first. The difference with this game is that players ask their opponents if they have the card that they need. If they do, they hand it over but if not they say ‘Go Fish’ and the player asking for the card has to pick another up from the deck.
RELATED: See our rules guide on Go-Fish!
33. HOPSCOTCH
Game Objective: Draw a standard hopscotch diagram on the floor. Have a kid throw a marker onto the hopscotch area, where the marker lands in the area that gets avoided. The player then has to skip on one leg on each number of the hopscotch area, skipping the bit where the marker is. Failure to complete on one leg means that the player is out of the game.
34. DART FOR KIDS
Game Objective: Adult darts but made safe and fun for kids. Lower the starting score to a number like 300, whoever manages to get down to 0 the quickest is the winner.
Buy it: There are different dartboards for kids available, but when they’re just starting out buy this dartboard from Yesmarks.
35. WHAT’S THE TIME MR WOLF?
Game Objective: One child starts as the wolf on one side with their back turned, and the other kids are on the other side lined up. One kid asks ‘What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?’ to the kid with their back turned, and they respond with a time. So if they say ‘3 o’clock’, all kids playing will take 3 steps. At a random point, ‘the wolf’ will answer ‘It’s dinner time!’ and will chase all the other players trying to catch one. If they succeed, the caught player becomes the wolf.
36. OCTOPUS TAG
Game Objective: All kids line up on one side of the playing area. Nominate a child to be ‘the Octopus’ who stands in the middle. All the kids need to run to the other side of the area, but anyone tagged by ‘the Octopus’ has to link arms to become part of the Octopus. Kids run back and forth until there is only one left.
37. BRITISH BULLDOG
Game Objective: Similar rules to Octopus Tag, all kids except one line up on one side of the area. One kid starts in the middle, and it’s their job to tag other players as they run past to attempt to make it to the other side. Once tagged, they join the ‘bulldogs’ in the middle, except this time they don’t have to link hands. The last kid left is the winner.
38. GIANT TUMBLING TIMBERS
Game Objective: Exactly like Jenga, except super sized! Played outdoors, players take turns removing the blocks trying to avoid the tower falling. The person who topples the tower loses the game.
Buy it: Purchase Giant Tumbling Timbers the game through the Giantville store.
39. HIDE AND SEEK
Game Objective: A traditional classic, play in an area where there are lots of options for kids to hide. Have the ‘seeker’ count to 100 and then try to find everyone where they’re hidden.
40. PASS THE PARCEL
Game Objective: Wrap a present up with several layers of wrapping paper. Have all children sit in a circle with music playing. The children pass the parcel clockwise around the circle, and when the music stops whoever has it can unwrap the parcel. Whoever manages to unwrap the final layer gets to keep the prize.
41. SIMON SAYS
Game Objective: A proper schoolyard classic, Simon Says is a game where children follow the instructions of the leader, but only when the instruction starts with ‘Simon Says’. If someone follows the instruction when ‘Simon Says’ isn’t said, then they are out.
42. THE TREASURE HUNT GAME
Game Objective: Hide treasure around the area, and then give kids clues to find the treasure in the form of a map. Give clues such as pictures of an obscure area where the prize gets hidden to help the kids, with the winners being who finds it first.
Buy it: Create your own prize and treasure hunt, or use a Treasure Hunt Game to get you started.
43. THROUGH THE HOOP
Game Objective: Kids need to throw a ball through a hula-hoop to another player on the other side. Form two queues on either side of a hula-hoop and kids throw the ball through and run to the back of the opposite queue. If they miss or fail to catch the ball, they are out. The last child standing wins.
44. THE SLEEPING SONG
Game Objective: Start by singing the words ‘Sleeping, sleeping, all the children are sleeping. And when they woke up, they were all —.” Fill the blank with an animal that the children have to act like, the last one to act like the animal gets eliminated.
45. SLEEPING LIONS
Game Objective: All kids except for 2 ‘Hunters’ have to lie down with their eyes shut and stay as still as possible. The ‘Hunters’ goal is to attempt to make the ‘Lions’ move or laugh without touching them. If a ‘Lion’ moves, they then join the ‘Hunters’, with the last remaining child being the winner.
46. STORY GO-ROUND
Game Objective: All kids start by sitting in a circle. The adult starts a story in any way that they wish, and the players have to expand upon it clockwise around the circle. There are no winners and losers in this game, but it’s great fun to see where the story ends up.
Wrap Up
Whether you’re a teacher or you’re organizing a party that is for a group of preschoolers, there should be at least a couple of games you can use that will delight the children.
For more ideas on indoor group games for kids, we have plenty more options for you to check out to hopefully give further inspiration.
Or if you need ideas for games to play for different age groups, check out our guides to both big group games and small group games that include games for all ages.
