Do you have children aged between 3 and 12 and want to find some indoor or outdoor games to keep them occupied? This article is for you, because most of these games have very simple rules that children can easily learn.
These games are an excellent way of fostering social relationships, improving the mind and intellect, staying active and, in general, developing in a positive way.
Discover 17 little games for children aged 3 to 12 for family fun. Teach them to your children and enjoy them with them.
1. The Gabaky
It's a precision game that's suitable for young and old alike. The aim of the game is to aim at the target while pointing or shooting the ball at the opponent.
The team with the best-positioned balls and the first 13 points wins the game.
The rules are really easy to understand, and children over 6 have no trouble playing this game.
2. Sitting ball
You need a big enough pitch to play this game. The best thing about this game is that there is no team and anyone can play. You simply pass the ball to one player and he tries to hit another player using the ball without making any movement with the ball in his hand.
If a player is hit, he sits on the ground where he was hit and tries to catch a ball that passes within his reach without moving.
3. The snowball
This is one of the most interesting little games for exercising children's memory. The children sit in a circle.
The first child says his name out loud, the child to his right repeats that name, then follows with his own name. The third child tries to repeat the name of the first and second child and adds his or her own name, and so on.
4. Chance and knowledge
The children need a dice to play this game. They roll the dice and make a quick presentation based on the number that comes up. Each number corresponds to a certain group: their name, their age, their favourite song, their favourite book, their favourite animal, what they hate most.
5. The caterpillar race
Ideal when you need to organise a large number of children, for example at a birthday party in the park.
The team that gets there first without dropping any balls wins.
6. Tidy up! A game for disciplined children
This game is ideal for camping trips or family outings. Children are asked to line up according to the alphabetical order of their first names, shoe size and shoe number.
This is one of the most effective little games for testing children's speed of execution.
7. Hide and seek, the ultimate children's game
Who hasn't heard of hide-and-seek? It's not a classic indoor game, but it doesn't require many players - 3 or 4 are enough. All you need is a place with enough hiding places to get into the mood.
8. Photo game for young and old
This game is one of the favourite outdoor games for children aged 3 to 12 because it lets them play and learn how to handle the camera.
What's more, they never run out of things to photograph: the landscape, fruit and trees, not to mention the insects and animals around them.
9. The tic-tic detective game
It's one of those little games that remind us of childhood, because we love the idea of being detectives. If you have enough time to play, try this game, which involves finding pairs with the same tic.
All you need is more than 7 players aged between 6 and 12 to play this game.
10. Three-legged race
This is a game where coordination is more important than speed. Divide the participants into pairs or threes and have them stand next to each other. Then tie one leg of each member with a scarf or jacket. The first pair to reach the finish line is the winner.
11. The intruder
This is an activity for children aged 3 to 5 that helps them compare, differentiate and recognise the objects around them.
To play this game, all you have to do is put together a few objects from the same category and introduce an intruder. It's up to the child to find the odd one out and point it out. More than 2 players are needed to play this game.
12. The king of silence
If you're looking for a quiet game, this is the one to choose. All the children sit in a circle around the king, who sits on a chair.
One player tries to fetch a sound object on the leader's command and returns to his place quietly, making sure that the king does not hear him. This game encourages children to listen and concentrate.
13. Morse code in alphabet
Here's a little children's game that's sure to liven up your family evening, because it's so easy to do. All you have to do is find the name of an object using a Morse alphabet card.
The first player to decipher the object takes it back to the host. You need more than 2 players aged 9 to 12 to make this game more fun.
14. The handkerchief game
Form two teams of at least 4 players each. Each member of a team must be identified by a number: 1,2,3... So, when the person with the handkerchief in the middle line says the number, the child in each team must run to get the handkerchief and return to the starting point.
15. The hidden whistle
It's an ideal game to entertain children over 6 at the end of the day. You can ask your children to do it in a quiet environment.
When everyone is lying down, they have found the whistle and can be asked to point to it with their arm. This game is much more fun with more than 4 players.
16. The marble game
Everyone loves to play marbles, because there are no specific rules to apply. All you have to do is choose the game that best suits your children aged 6 to 12, as there are many ways to play this outdoor or indoor game.
17. One, two, three, Soleil
One of the children is asked to turn around and say out loud "One, two, three, sun". When he/she has finished his/her sentence, he/she will turn around to look and the rest of his/her classmates will have to stand still. The others must move forward as quickly as possible, but if they do not freeze when the player turns around, they must return to the starting point.
What little game can you play with children?
Despite the boom in video games, smartphones and new technologies, there are still some fun games that today's generations can play with each other and with their parents. You've already seen some of them in this non-exhaustive list of little games for children aged 3 to 12.
All that's left is to choose the right one, taking into account the age of your child and the number of players you have.
