Don't underestimate the importance of play in a child's life. Games for children – it is not just entertainment and a cure for boredom, but also an important tool for the formation of personality. During the game, the child develops psychological and physical skills, speech, thinking, memory. Psychological games help the child find himself in this world, make friends with his inner “I”. and learn to coexist with the environment and other people. Outdoor fun strengthens health, makes the baby strong and resilient. Games in English are needed for those who want to easily and simply master a foreign language.
In addition, a game for a child is a way to convey their emotions, anxieties, and experiences to an adult. In the course of joint entertainment, parents and children become closer to each other, the child feels care and attention, knows that they are interested in him, they listen to him. Therefore, it is extremely important for moms and dads to find time for joint games with their children.
In order for games to be useful, effective for development and simply interesting for a child, you need to select entertainment according to age. So, games for a child of 7 years old are radically different from fun for preschoolers. What to do and captivate a seven-year-old? Read this KidPassage article.
Games with a 7-year-old child at home together
Children rarely know how to occupy themselves on their own, many begin to indulge and misbehave out of boredom and lack of any activities. To protect the apartment from destruction, and the child – from longing and monotony, moms and dads should have several games in their arsenal. What interesting games can you play with a seven-year-old together?
1. “Drawing a map and searching for treasure”
Props:paper, colored pencils, treasure (it can be toys, sweets).
First, draw a map of your apartment with your child. Moreover, you need to draw not just squares symbolizing rooms, but a detailed plan that depicts furniture, things, or even pets. Next, the parent hides the “treasure” and marks its location on the map. You can make several of these “treasuries” and invite the child to find them all in a certain time. After the treasure is found, you can switch roles – now the child hides the toys while the parent looks for them.
2. “Make up stories from pictures”
Props: several cards with different images (animals, people of different professions, seasons, objects, etc.).
This simple, at first glance, game is able to captivate children and adults for several hours. In addition, it is difficult to imagine an activity that would better develop the imagination and speech of a seven-year-old. The game is extremely simple – Players take turns pulling out cards and coming up with a story related to what is depicted on them. It is desirable that this be a complete story, but if it is difficult for a child to come up with a story, then one sentence can be assigned to each card without linking them together in meaning.
Games for children 7 years old at home
Each parent has repeatedly wondered what to do at home with a child of 7 years old at home. School holidays, quarantine, illness – at different periods, the child receives a “respite” away from school and stay at home. So that the baby does not get bored, moms and dads need to figure out how to keep him busy at home.
Games at home will also be needed for those who organize a children's holiday. For example, parents who decide to arrange a children's birthday in their apartment, and not in a playroom or cafe. A group of seven-year-olds indoors is like a small but incredibly active hurricane. This indefatigable energy must be directed in the right direction, outdoor games will help with this (“Leapfrog”, “Pillow Fight” and others).
3. “Day-Night”
This is a popular game that our parents probably played. However, despite its advanced age, the game “Day-Night” does not lose popularity, every new younger generation is happy to play it. The rules are quite simple: when the host gives the command “Day”, all players do what they want – dancing, jumping, running, or making bizarre poses. As soon as the command “Night” sounds, the players need to freeze immediately. The one who misses the command and moves at night will lose.
The game will be more interesting if the host will confuse and deceive the participants. For example: “Now it’s a warm, fine day outside, everyone is walking and having fun, but soon a but… resident» or “The night is long, but the sun is slowly rising and de… Raven dawn» etc. Children really like these tricks, usually they can't help laughing.
4. “Find the Color”
If you (or your neighbors with sensitive hearing) prefer quiet games, then offer your child this simple but exciting fun to develop attention. The parent calls the child a color, and he must find an object of this shade in the room. You can complicate the task and keep track of time.
Another version of this game: the parent calls a letter instead of a color, and the participants need to find as many items as possible whose names begin with this letter.
Music games
Many children love to sing and dance, in this way they not only show their creative abilities, but also just have fun and fool around. A hyperactive child will take any musical game with a bang, as this is an effective way to throw out energy. In addition, dance games develop a sense of rhythm, coordination of movements, and plasticity.
5. “Composers”
The leader, together with the children, teaches a short poem (you can choose any quatrain known to everyone). The task of the participants – pick up a melody for the lines and sing a song. When the motive is chosen and the song is sung, you can proceed to the next stage of the game – selection of accompaniment.
It's great if the presenter has some musical instruments at hand. If not, then they can be made from improvised means: baby rattles, pot lids, bells, squeaker toys, etc.
6. “Merry tambourine”
For this game you will need a tambourine or any other simple musical instrument. The first child comes up with a rhythm or melody and plays it on the tambourine. Then passes it to another player, who must repeat the composition. The one who repeats the melody correctly comes up with a new one, and the game is repeated.
Board games
Preschoolers love board games. A seven-year-old child can be offered not just “walkers”; with chips and dice, and more complex tabletop options. So, at the age of 7, children learn to read, the game “Scrabble” is perfect for developing reading skills. (another name for – Scrabble), in which you need to make words from a certain set of letters. Card games are good for developing thinking and math skills. Seven-year-olds will also like the role-playing card game “Munchkin”. Some board games can be made by yourself.
7. "Fleas"
Props: an even number of beans, a coin, a playing field.
This is a fun game for two. You need to press the edge of the bean with a coin so that it bounces like a flea. The player needs to get a flea into the opponent's goal. If the flea hits the goal, the player gets a point, and the flea is removed from the playing field. If the flea enters its field, then the point is not counted, but this flea can be used for the next move. If the flea hits its own gate, the score is given to the opponent. The game continues until one of the players runs out of fleas.
The playing field can be made from a candy box. The inside of the box can be painted or pasted over with colored paper, a gate can be drawn on both sides, and a partition made of fabric, cardboard, thread or other material can be made in the middle.
8. “Hometown walker”
Props: city map, chips, cube.
Before the start of the game, you need to prepare the field. You can take a map of your hometown and put a route on it, or you can print city sights or places known to your child (school, kindergarten, playground, etc.) and stick them on paper. The course of the game is the same as that of all the other “walkers”; – you need to roll the die and take the appropriate number of steps. When the token lands on a landmark in the city, the parent can tell about it in detail.
Games for a group of children 7 years old
Group games can be both active and calm intellectual orientation. It all depends on the interests of the players – Smarties and bookworms will be captivated by a quiz or a board game, while fidgets will like the quest or “Cossacks-robbers”.
If you need to occupy a group of seven-year-olds for a long time, it is recommended to alternate the types of games. When the guys get tired of running and jumping, you should offer them some quiet entertainment.
9. “Earth, water, air”
Children line up. The host walks around the row, touching each participant with his hand and saying “Earth, water, air” hellip; Then the host stops in front of one of the participants. If he stopped at the word “air”, then the player who was touched by the presenter at that moment must name the bird. If the word «earth» – animal that walks on earth, “water” – a fish or a creature living in the water. Names must not be repeated. If the player does not say the word before the leader counts to three, the participant is eliminated. The game continues until the last participant, he becomes the new leader.
10. “Spoiled Fax”
Props: paper, pen.
Children sit on a bench in a row. The last one in the row picks up a pen and paper. The facilitator comes up with a picture, such as the sun, and “draws” with her finger on the back of the first player. The player tries to guess the image and repeats it on the back of the next participant. This continues until the last participant, who must draw the hidden word on a piece of paper.
Logic games
Logical thinking allows you to look at the situation from different angles, think outside the box. Developing logic is no less important than memory or speech. Logic tasks, rebuses, puzzles, associations will help parents and teachers with this.
11. “Fables”
Props: ball.
The host comes up with a fable and throws a ball to the child. The child responds by saying the correct version of the phrase. For example, the leader says: “The crocodile flies in the clouds”, and the child answers: “The crocodile swims in the water.”
The second version of the game: the leader says different statements and throws the ball to the child. If it's not true, the player hits the ball, if it's true – catches.
12. “What is this?”
The host calls adjectives, and the child selects nouns for them. You can start with one word, then move on to three or more adjectives. For example, the host says: “Round, sweet, red.” or “Long and wooden”, and the child needs to figure out what it could be.
Educational games
“Oh, how many wonderful discoveries the spirit of enlightenment is preparing for us!” – wrote a classic, and it is rather difficult to argue with him. There is no less amazing on our planet than on the pages of fantasy. It is parents and teachers who should guide children to the magical world around them.
It is hard to find someone more inquisitive than small children. As soon as a child learns to speak, he immediately brings down a million questions on his parents, and this interest in everything in the world does not disappear even at the age of seven. Therefore, younger students enthusiastically perceive various educational games: about dinosaurs, space, the underwater world.
13. «Rare Names»
Props: a sheet of paper and a pen/pencil.
The game perfectly develops erudition, and also expands knowledge in the field of geography and biology.
Each of the participants receives a piece of paper and a pen. The leader guesses a letter. The task of the players – write the following names on the sheet, which must begin with a given letter. These are the titles:
- country;
- city;
- body of water;
- plant;
- animal;
- bird;
- professions.
When all participants have written their names, they begin to read them aloud in turn. Matches are deleted. The player who can come up with more original names wins.
14. “Space Journey”
The game is like a quest that takes place not in reality, but in the imagination. The facilitator invites the children to travel around our galaxy, asking them riddles about the cosmos:
Hot yellow ball
Brings warmth as a gift to us. (Sun)
The first planet from the Sun,
It is small and hot.
Compared to the usual in summer
A candle seems cold. (Mercury)
Very bright planet
Light yellow color.
For Earth – dear sister,
Only not alive at all. (Venus)
There are miracles on the planet:
Oceans and forests,
Oxygen is in the atmosphere,
People and animals breathe it. (Earth)
This minor planet
Follows the Earth,
Bright flame color.
And no one lives here. (Mars)
Take a quick look through the telescope –
He walks in orbit.
There he is the boss over all,
More than all other planets.
In our solar system
Nobody is bigger. (Jupiter)
Magnificent gas giant –
Jupiter's brother and dandy.
He loves to be near were
Rings of ice and dust. (Saturn)
The seventh planet from the Sun,
Rotates, always lying on its side.
Cold , large and blue.
I can't give you any more hints. (Uranus)
This ball is the coldest,
The most windy and strange.
The ocean reminds you,
It arouses interest. (Neptune)
And the last blue ball,
It's called a “dwarf planet”. (Pluto)
It is recommended to print out illustrations or make a presentation with pictures to show children what the named planets look like.
In addition, you can introduce children to space inhabitants:
The astronaut is sitting in the rocket,
Cursing everything in the world –
In orbit, as luck would have it
Appeared… (UFO).
A UFO flies to its neighbor
From the constellation Andromeda,
It howls like a wolf out of boredom
Evil green… (Humanoid).
You can ask the children to draw the aliens the way they imagine them. After that, each participant can think about how to make contact with aliens.
For each correct answer to the riddle, the participant receives an asterisk. After all the riddles have been guessed, the presenter suggests picking up the word “star” for the word “star”. related words. You can give the following hints:
- What is the name of the person who counts the stars?
- What is the name of the spacecraft that flies to the stars?
- Large and Small Ursa, Orion, Alpha Centauri, Cassiopeia – this…
- What do you call a sky without stars?
Math games
Everyone knows about the importance of mathematics in human life, so children begin to learn the basics of mathematics in kindergarten. However, mathematics – not such a simple subject, for many children, especially with humanitarian inclinations, examples and tasks cause difficulties. To get around this stumbling block, you can use – with them, the study of counting will take place in a fun way, which will facilitate the understanding and perception of new complex information.
Mathematical games are also useful because they develop thinking, attention and other cognitive abilities of the child.
< h3>15. “Palm”
Props: checkered sheets of paper and pens.
Each player picks up a piece of paper in a cage and traces his palm. In the resulting palm on paper, you need to place numbers from 1 to 60. It is important to write the numbers not in order, but in different places. After all the numbers are entered, the players change hands.
One player names a number from 1 to 60, his opponent must quickly find what was hidden on the palm. While he is looking for the indicated number, the first player draws free cells on his sheet. When the player has found the number, he says “Stop!”. After this signal, the enemy needs to stop drawing cells, now it is his turn to look for the given number.
The winner is the player who quickly fills all the free “palms” cells.
16. “Account on the road”
This game is suitable for a walk or a long trip. Agree in advance with the child that each of you will count. For example, a child considers big houses, a parent – small. Or the child counts green cars, the parent – red, while the blue car – an additional bonus of 50 points, which is credited to the first person who notices it.
Christmas games
At the age of seven, many children still believe in Santa Claus and look forward to the most magical holiday of the year. Parents will certainly want to meet the expectations of the child and make the long-awaited fairy tale come true. New Year themed games will help create a magical festive atmosphere.
17. «Get dressed for the holiday»
Props: several pairs of socks, mittens, hats, scarves and other accessories.
Things are laid out in front of the tree. Two players run around the Christmas tree from different sides. The first child to run the lap and run to the things puts on something and runs to the second lap. If the child puts on socks or mittens, then you should do this one thing per circle. The winner is the one who puts on the last remaining piece of clothing first.
18. "Christmas trees are""
The host says “Christmas trees are” hellip; and adds any adjective – fat, thin, tall, lush, elegant and so on. Players show the named word. The host can confuse the players and show the exact opposite. During the game, the Christmas trees can be replaced with other words: “Santa Claus”, “Snow Maiden”, “snowmen” can also be very different.
Speech therapy games
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Word games are needed not only for children with speech defects. Such fun allows you to make speech lively and figurative, and also contribute to its development. With speech therapy games, children perceive sounds, words, sentences better by ear, which positively affects the perception of oral speech. Even if your seven-year-old clearly pronounces all the letters, does not burr and does not stutter, you should not give up word games – they will only benefit the child.
19. “Silent Movie”
This is a game for the development of articulation. The host silently pronounces the word, the child must guess it by the lips. If the participant correctly names the word, then he himself becomes the leader and he already guesses the next word for the parent.
This game has other variations. It is possible that the parent slowly tells the story (still silently), and the child then tries to reproduce it. The host can pronounce some famous fairy tale, and the player needs to guess the work.
20. “Snow Fairy Tale”
Props: cards with the image of various objects, figurines or pictures of the Snow Maiden and the Snowman.
This is a phonemic game for the development of thinking, imagination and pronunciation of hissing sounds. The host tells the children that the Snow Maiden and the Snowman are going on a long journey. And before they go on a trip, they need to pack their bags. The snowman collects only those things that have “Ж”, “Ш”, “Ч” in the name, and the Snow Maiden – things with the sounds “Z”, “S”, “SCH”. Children choose a picture and give it to either the Snowman or the Snow Maiden.
Attention games
It can be difficult for seven-year-olds to concentrate, so the development of attention should be given no less time than memory or speech. The effectiveness of the learning process directly depends on how well a student has developed attention. In addition, attentiveness – quite a useful skill for adulthood.
21. “Forbidden Movement”
At the beginning of the game, the host chooses one forbidden movement (for example, you can’t put your hands down or put them on your belt). Then the leader makes different movements, and the children repeat after him. Every movement needs to be voiced. From time to time the presenter confuses the players – for example, he says “Hands to the sides”, and he puts them on his belt. The one who repeats the forbidden movement is out of the game.
22. “Do not miss the profession”
The leader takes turns saying the words. Every time the children hear the name of the profession, they should jump in place (clap their hands, sit down or make another predetermined movement).
Example:
Lamp, scissors, < em>driver,
Architect, pencil,
Parrot, wagon, builder,
Nurse em>, boiler, luggage,
River, lake, fitter,
Camp, kindergarten, miner,
Sun, baker, astronaut,
Educator, fairy, treasure.
Role-playing games
Story games are of great importance in the formation of a child's social skills. So, the game “Mothers and Daughters” shows a model of family relations, «Shop» gives the child the knowledge of how to shop properly, while playing in the hospital helps to get rid of the fear of doctors and explains the importance of treatment.
Theatrical games also help develop children's creative inclinations. Who knows, maybe a new Humphrey Bogart or Audrey Hepburn is growing up in your family, so let your little diamond shine on the home stage.
23. “Sports competitions”
Props: certificates or medals, attributes for different types of games (hockey, volleyball), swimming caps, etc.
The host invites the children to take part in the Olympics. At will, the players choose judges or jury. Children compete in different sports, the jury assigns points, the judges determine the winners and award.
24. "Interview"
Props: cards with the names of different professions (surgeon, ornithologist, sailor, etc.).
The host, who is also a journalist, interviews one of the participants. Child's task – tell and show your profession without naming it. When one of the players guesses the profession, the leading journalist goes to him.
Games for children 7 years old on the street
Pediatricians from all over the world agree on one – fresh air is extremely important for a growing child's body. And to make walking on the street not only useful, but also interesting, children can be invited to play outdoor games.
It's great if there is a children's or sports ground near the house. But if there is none nearby, then even an ordinary courtyard or park can be turned into an excellent play area by connecting only imagination and enthusiasm. Not superfluous on a walk will be special attributes for outdoor recreation: a ball, a jump rope, “rubber bands”.
25. Help a Friend
Children become in a circle. The leader and the main player are selected. The task of the presenter – catch up with the player. If the evader feels that he is about to be “bashed” leader, he calls out the name of another child. The named player runs out of the circle, and the participant who ran away earlier takes his place. However, the vacant seat can be taken by the leader-catching up. If this happens, then the child who ran away before that will catch up with the named player.
26. "Deers and hunters"
Props: lots of colorful clothespins.
Children are divided into two teams – hunters and deer. Hunters receive clothespins (all given the same amount) and attach them to their clothes. After the signal, the hunters catch deer. Having caught a deer, you need to attach one clothespin to it and let it go. The hunter who first uses up his clothespins wins. The rest of the hunters can be awarded a “penalty” for each remaining clothespin: crow, sing a song, do five sit-ups, grunt, etc.
Children's games at 7 years old are just as important for development as they are at 2 & ndash; 3 years or at preschool age. Of course, your child is no longer a baby and bears the proud title of a schoolboy, but the game still remains the main activity of a seven-year-old. Now you know what to play at home with a 7-year-old and how to keep him busy outside.
Kidpassage also offers other examples of children's games in the article “Fun games and funny contests for children at home: 22 ways do not get bored within four walls».