9 Classroom Games for Kindergarten That Run with Almost No Prep

Classroom games for kindergarten work when the rule fits in one sentence and a round lasts about 3 to 10 minutes. At Chalkbox, we build free classroom tools and write guides a teacher can use the same day, so each game below lists its players, time and materials. Start with Simon Says, Red Light Green Light, Mystery Bag and Letter Hunt.

This list is for kindergarten teachers, first-grade teachers in the first weeks of the year, and aides or subs covering a kindergarten room. If you teach older grades, our Fun Classroom Games Sorted by Prep Time and Purpose page covers the whole range of grades and is organized by prep time.

Simple Classroom Games for Kindergarten

Nine simple classroom games for kindergarten have a rule that fits in one sentence, and the table below sorts them by the skill each one practices. All times are approximate suggestions.

Simon Says, Red Light Green Light, Mystery Bag and Letter Hunt cover listening, self-control, describing words and letters. Simon Says needs no materials at all, so run it first. Letter Hunt can use the labels already on your walls, and Mystery Bag needs one cloth bag and 6 to 8 familiar objects.

Two things to adjust:

• No clear floor lane. Run the seated version of Red Light Green Light, where students clap or tap instead of walking.
• A class still learning to stop on a signal. Red Light Green Light and Shape Freeze Dance both practice stopping on a signal.

We leave elimination out of every game on this page. When a student slips in Simon Says, the whole class keeps playing and the leader counts smiles.

Listening and Movement Games

Three listening and movement games need nothing beyond a clear floor lane, and two of them need no materials at all.

Simon Says

Players: whole class. Time: about 3 to 5 minutes. Materials: none. Skill: listening and following directions.

1. Act as the leader.
2. Give a command with a classroom action, such as touch your toes, tap your head or find the door.
3. Students do the action only when the command starts with "Simon says."
4. Mix in commands without "Simon says" and watch who stays still.

Watch for: a student who slips. Keep the whole class playing and count smiles.

Red Light Green Light

Players: whole class. Time: about 5 minutes. Materials: a clear floor lane. Skill: stopping on a signal.

1. Line students up at one end of the lane.
2. Say "green light," and students walk (walking only, never running).
3. Say "red light," and students freeze in place.
4. Switch between the two signals.

Variation: add "yellow light" for slow-motion walking.

Follow the Leader Parade

Players: whole class. Time: about 3 to 5 minutes. Materials: none. Skill: imitation and taking turns as leader.

1. Line students up behind a student leader.
2. The leader makes a motion, and the line copies it.
3. Change the leader every minute.
4. Pick each new leader from a name-stick can so the turn order is settled before the parade starts.

Variation: run a seated parade, where the leader claps or taps a pattern and the class copies it from their carpet spots.

Letters and Counting Games

Three games on this list practice letter recognition, letter sounds, counting in order and beginning sounds.

Letter Hunt

Players: whole class or pairs. Time: about 5 to 10 minutes. Materials: letter cards or the room's labels. Skill: letter recognition and letter sounds.

1. Call a letter and its sound.
2. Students find the letter and point to it on the word wall, a label or a book cover.
3. Add a sticker when a student finds the letter.
4. Call the next letter.

Variation: build the hunt around your word wall; see our Word Wall Words page.

Count and Pass

Players: the class in a circle. Time: about 5 minutes. Materials: a beanbag or soft ball. Skill: counting in order.

1. Seat students in a circle and hand one student the beanbag.
2. Students pass the beanbag around the circle while the class counts aloud from 1.
3. Say "stop."
4. The student holding the beanbag tells you the next number.

Watch for: a count that climbs too high. Keep the count within the range the class knows.

Colors and Sounds Bingo

Players: small groups. Time: about 10 minutes. Materials: blank 3-by-3 boards and counters. Skill: colors or beginning sounds.

1. Before the game, fill each blank 3-by-3 board with pictures yourself, and hand out counters.
2. Call a color or a beginning sound.
3. Students cover a picture that matches.
4. Stop when time is up or when a group has covered every picture.

Watch for: boards that are too big for the class, so use 3-by-3 boards for kindergarten. See our free Bingo Card Generator and our Classroom Bingo Games guide.

Describing, Matching and Shape Games

Three games on this list build describing words, memory and shape names, and each one needs a few materials.

Mystery Bag

Players: small groups or a circle. Time: about 5 to 8 minutes. Materials: a cloth bag and 6 to 8 familiar objects. Skill: vocabulary and describing words.

1. Put the objects in the bag out of sight.
2. One student reaches in and feels an object without looking.
3. The student says one describing word at a time, such as soft, round or bumpy.
4. The class guesses the object.

Watch for: guessing that runs on, so set a limit of three guesses per object.

Memory Match with Picture Cards

Players: pairs or small groups. Time: about 8 to 10 minutes. Materials: 8 to 12 pairs of picture cards you made or drew. Skill: memory, matching and taking turns.

1. Turn the cards face down in rows.
2. A student flips two cards.
3. If the cards match, the student keeps the pair.
4. If they do not match, turn both cards back over and pass the turn.

This game needs prep: make or draw the picture cards before class. Variation: start with 6 pairs and add pairs as the class learns the game, up to the 8 to 12 pairs in your set.

Shape Freeze Dance

Players: whole class. Time: about 5 minutes. Materials: a music source and paper shapes taped around the room. Skill: shape names and stopping on a signal.

1. Tape the paper shapes around the room before the game.
2. Play music while students dance.
3. Stop the music.
4. Each student walks to the nearest shape and names it.

Watch for: crowding at one shape. Tape shapes in several spots so every student has one close by.

How to Teach a Game Rule to Kindergarteners

Teach every kindergarten game rule with the same four steps:

1. Say the rule in one sentence.
2. Model it with two student volunteers.
3. Run a practice round with no winners.
4. Play the game.

Pick one call-and-response signal to stop any game, such as a chime, a clap pattern or a quiet hand, and use it every time. Have students sit on carpet spots before you start, so the line forms quickly for movement games.

Turn-Taking and Waiting in Kindergarten Games

Use four habits to manage turns and waiting in any kindergarten game:

• Keep groups to four to six students.
• Give waiting students a job, such as counting aloud or holding the cards.
• Pick turns from a name-stick can or our free Random Name Picker so no one argues about order.
• End a game while students still want more.

For a five-minute game such as Count and Pass or Shape Freeze Dance, start our free 5-Minute Timer before the first round.

Adapting Classroom Games for Kindergarten English Learners

English as a second language (ESL) students can play these games with four changes we suggest from classroom practice:

• Model every rule with gestures and a demonstration before play starts.
• Pair a new English speaker with a patient partner.
• Use picture cards instead of words, as Memory Match and Colors and Sounds Bingo already do.
• Repeat the same few action words (stop, go, point, touch) across games so the language builds.

Inclusion and Safety in Kindergarten Games

Use four inclusion and safety rules in the games on this page:

• Offer a seated version of every movement game, where students clap or tap instead of walking.
• Keep a clear lane for any game with walking.
• Never use elimination.
• Do not make students perform alone in front of the class unless they volunteer.

In Mystery Bag, ask for a volunteer to feel the object instead of calling on a student who has not offered.

Related Chalkbox Resources for Kindergarten Classroom Games

Chalkbox has more free kindergarten pages and classroom tools to pair with these games:

• Brain Breaks: short pauses sorted by grade level.
• Morning Meeting Ideas
• Four Corners Game
• Anchor Charts for Kindergarten
• Kindergarten Worksheets
• Wheel Spinner and Dice Roller: two more free classroom tools.

Bottom Line

Keep every rule to one sentence, keep rounds to about 3 to 10 minutes, and leave elimination out of every game. Pick Simon Says from the table, teach its rule with two volunteers and a no-winner practice round, and run it tomorrow.