27 Group Games for Kids in 2026

27 Group Games for Kids

Playing games in a group is a wonderful way for kids to have fun and learn to work together. Here are 27 exciting games perfect for a group of children.

Animal Charades

In this game, one child acts like an animal without making a sound. The other children watch and try to guess what animal it is. The child who guesses correctly gets to be the next actor.

Musical Chairs

Set up chairs in a circle. You need one less chair than the number of children playing. Start the music. The kids walk around the chairs. When the music stops, everyone tries to sit down. The child left without a chair is out. Remove one chair and play again until only one player is left.

Duck Duck Goose

Children sit in a circle. One child is the “picker.” The picker walks around the circle, tapping each seated child on the head and saying “duck.” When the picker taps a child and says “goose,” that child jumps up and chases the picker around the circle. The picker tries to run around and sit in the goose’s empty spot before getting tagged. If the picker sits down, the goose becomes the new picker.

Capture the Flag

Divide the children into two teams. Each team has its own territory and a hidden flag. The goal is to run into the other team’s territory, find their flag, and bring it back to your own side without getting tagged. If you are tagged in enemy territory, you go to “jail.” A teammate can free you by tagging you in jail.

Relay Race

Make teams with an equal number of children. Mark a start line and a turnaround point. The first child in each team runs to the point and back, then tags the next teammate’s hand. The race continues until every team member has run. The first team to finish wins.

Parachute Game

Use a large, round parachute. All the children hold the edges. They can make waves by moving the parachute up and down. You can add soft balls on top and try to keep them bouncing. One fun version is “Sharks and Lifeguards,” where some kids crawl underneath as sharks and gently tag the feet of those holding the parachute.

Four Square

Draw a large square on the ground divided into four smaller squares. Number the squares 1 through 4. Each child stands in a square. The player in square 4 starts by bouncing the ball in their square and then hitting it into another square. The player in that square must hit the ball to another square after one bounce. If a player misses the ball or hits it out, they are out. The other players move up, and a new player joins square 1.

Sticky Popcorn

Children pretend to be popcorn kernels popping in a pan. They jump and move around a room. When two “popcorn pieces” meet, they link arms and stick together, moving as a pair. They keep collecting more kids until everyone is stuck together in one big group.

The Quiet Olympics

This is a series of fun, quiet contests. Events can include tossing a paper plate like a discus, gently pushing a balloon for shot-put, or a heel-to-toe walking race. The goal is to compete without making much noise, which is perfect for indoor play.

Feather Blow

Give each child a feather. The goal is to keep the feather in the air by blowing on it. They cannot use their hands. The child who keeps their feather from touching the ground the longest wins.

Hula-Hoop Pass

Children stand in a circle holding hands. Place a hula-hoop over the arm of one child. Without letting go of each other’s hands, the children must pass the hula-hoop all the way around the circle. They have to climb through it to pass it to the next person.

Obstacle Course

Create a course using things like cones, hula hoops, and ropes. Children take turns going through the course. They might have to crawl under a rope, jump through hoops, or zigzag between cones. You can time them or just let them have fun.

Treasure Hunt

Hide a “treasure” and create clues that lead to it. Split the children into teams. Give them the first clue. They must solve it to find the next clue, and so on, until they find the treasure. This game encourages teamwork and problem-solving.

Tug-of-War

You need a long, strong rope. Mark a center line on the ground. Divide the children into two teams, one on each end of the rope. When you say “go,” each team pulls, trying to drag the other team across the center line.

Bob the Weasel

Children sit in a circle. One child, “Bob,” stands in the middle and closes their eyes. The children in the circle pass a small object behind their backs. When you say “stop,” Bob opens their eyes and gets three guesses to figure out who is holding the object.

Three Things Theater

Divide the children into small groups. Give each group three random objects, like a spoon, a hat, and a book. The group has a few minutes to create a short skit or song that uses all three items. Then, each group performs for the others.

Hot and Cold

One child leaves the room. The others hide an object. When the child returns, they search for the object. The other children guide them by saying “hot” if they are close and “cold” if they are far away.

Get to Know You Balloons

Write questions on small pieces of paper, like “What is your favorite animal?” Put each question inside a balloon, blow up the balloon, and tie it. Children pop a balloon, read the question inside, and answer it for the group. This is a great icebreaker.

Flower Finding

Two children hold hands and raise their arms to form an arch or “roof.” The other children walk under the arch while everyone sings a song. When the song ends, the two children lower their arms to “catch” the child walking underneath. That child then replaces one of the catchers.

Wheelbarrow Race

Children pair up. One child gets down on their hands. Their partner holds the first child’s legs, like the handles of a wheelbarrow. The pair then races against other teams. The “wheelbarrow” walks on their hands while their partner guides them.

Cartwheel Race

Mark a start and finish line. Children line up. When you say “go,” they must do cartwheels (or forward rolls if they can’t cartwheel) to get to the finish line. The first one across wins.

No Hands Get Up

Children run to a spot, lie flat on their backs with arms crossed over their chest, and then stand up without using their hands. Then they run back to the start. The first to finish the whole task wins.

Cotton Ball Race

Put a dab of petroleum jelly on each child’s nose. Place a bowl of cotton balls in front of them and an empty bowl a short distance away. They must pick up a cotton ball with their nose, carry it to the empty bowl, and drop it in. They can do this as a relay race in teams.

Snakes

All but one child are blindfolded and form a line, each with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front. The last person in line is not blindfolded and is the leader. Soft objects are scattered around. The leader guides the line by tapping shoulders to steer them, without talking, so they can collect the objects and put them in a bucket.

Pop a Bag Race

Give each child an empty paper lunch bag. They place it on the ground. On “go,” they must run to their bag, sit on it to pop it, then run back. In a team version, they pop it and tag the next teammate to go.

Consecutive Jumps

This is a jumping challenge. Call out a sequence, like “five jumping jacks, then ten hops on one foot.” The children must do the jumps in the right order without stopping. You can see which child or team can do it the fastest.

The 100 Inch Dash

Mark a race course that is 100 inches long. Children must take steps that are only one inch long. They have to slide their feet carefully to the finish line. The first one to cross without taking a normal step wins.