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Preschool Exercise Games

To keep little children healthy and fit, it is necessary to keep them active. For preschool children, exercise is not about becoming like bodybuilders or following a strenuous routine. It is about building personality, feeling free to move around, friendly competition and making friends. Exercise games help preschoolers release pent-up energy and stress. Most preschooler workout games can be played indoors and outdoors.

  1. Simon Says

    • One child is chosen to be Simon. The remaining children form a line facing him. Simon orders the others to perform actions, such as "Touch your toes" or "Hop on one foot." The key: Simon must preface each command with "Simon Says." If Simon does not say "Simon Says, touch your toes" and any child does it, he is out of the game. The last child remaining wins.

    Duck, Duck, Goose

    • Preschoolers sit in a circle. One child is chosen to walk around the outside of the circle, tapping each child on the head while calling her Duck. The walker, at will, chooses one child to tap and call Goose. Goose gets up and runs around the circle trying to tag the kid who tapped him. Goose's object is to tag the tapper before he reaches Goose's spot in the circle. If Goose tags the tapper, he gets to return to his spot and the tapper begins the game again. If the tapper gets to the Goose's spot, Goose becomes the new tapper and the game begins again. Every child waits for her turn to be the tapper and run the circle.

    Red Light, Green Light

    • Children usually enjoy a good race to the finish line. One person acts as the Stoplight, while the remaining children stand in a line about 15 feet away. Stoplight turns his back on the line of children and says "Green light." All the children on the line quickly move forward toward Stoplight. Anytime Stoplight chooses to turn around and say "Red light," everyone must stop and freeze--anyone caught moving is out. Play continues until everyone is either out, or someone reaches Stoplight and tags him.

    Hide and Seek

    • In this game, someone is picked to be It. That child stand on a base, hides her eyes and begins to count to 10 out loud while the other preschoolers hide. When the count is finished, It calls out a warning of "Here I come" and begins looking for her hiding friends. All hiding children run to base, trying not to be tagged by It before they get there. When a runner is tagged, he becomes It for the next round.

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