Games to play with kids
Games for two
| Game | Who plays | Minutes | You need | Room | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirror Me | two of you | 5 | a friend | a bit of floor | 4 to 14 |
| Copy the Pose | two of you | 5 | a friend | a bit of floor | 5 to 14 |
| Keep It Up | two of you | 6 | a soft ball, a friend | a room | 5 to 14 |
| Rock, Paper, Scissors, Squats | two of you | 6 | a friend | a bit of floor | 6 to 14 |
| Pass and Move | two of you | 7 | a soft ball, a friend, a shoe | a hallway | 6 to 14 |
| Shadow Me | two of you | 5 | a friend | a room | 5 to 14 |
| Steal the Sock | two of you | 6 | a beanbag, a friend | a room | 6 to 14 |
| Wheelbarrow Walk | two of you | 5 | a friend | a room | 7 to 14 |
| Two Balls at Once | two of you | 6 | a soft ball, a friend | a room | 8 to 14 |
Games for a group or the whole family
| Game | Who plays | Minutes | You need | Room | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeze Dance | a group | 6 | nothing | a room | 4 to 11 |
| Animal Tag | a group | 7 | nothing | a room | 4 to 11 |
| Jump the River | a group | 7 | chalk | a room | 5 to 12 |
| Simon Says Moves | a group | 6 | nothing | a room | 4 to 12 |
| Traffic Lights | a group | 7 | nothing | a room | 4 to 11 |
| Hold It Till It Comes Back | a group | 6 | a soft ball | a room | 7 to 14 |
| Roll an Animal | a group | 6 | nothing | a room | 4 to 11 |
| Everybody's It | a group | 6 | nothing | a park or a hall | 6 to 12 |
| The Relay With No Queue | a group | 8 | a shoe | a park or a hall | 6 to 14 |
| Captain's Coming | a group | 7 | nothing | a room | 5 to 12 |
| Pass the Pose | a group | 5 | nothing | a room | 5 to 14 |
Games for one child
| Game | Who plays | Minutes | You need | Room | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat Your Own Time | one child | 5 | nothing | a bit of floor | 5 to 14 |
| Dice Workout | one child | 8 | nothing | a bit of floor | 6 to 14 |
| Card Deck Workout | one child | 10 | nothing | a bit of floor | 7 to 14 |
| The Floor Is Lava | one child | 6 | a cushion | a room | 4 to 12 |
| Build an Obstacle Course | one child | 12 | a cushion, a chair, chalk | a room | 5 to 14 |
| Sock Basketball | one child | 8 | a beanbag, a basket | a room | 4 to 14 |
| Balloon Keep-Up | one child | 6 | a soft ball | a room | 4 to 12 |
| Line Hops | one child | 5 | chalk | a bit of floor | 6 to 14 |
Sitting-down games
| Activity | What kind | What a child does | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charades | Play | Charades words by age, for a living room game with no board. | 5 and up |
| Trivia | Play | Ready trivia rounds, or build your own, for the whole table. | 7 and up |
| Game Night | Play | A phone score sheet for family dice games where the child does the adding. | 6 and up |
| Riddles | Puzzle | Riddles to read out at the table and guess together. | 6 and up |
| Chess | Play | A daily puzzle, a game to play and the openings explained. | 7 and up |
Paper games for the table
| Game | Players | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Tic-tac-toe | 2 | A printed grid and a pencil |
| Connect four | 2 | A printed grid and two colors |
| Memory match | 2 or more | The cards, printed and cut |
| Word guess | 2 or more | A pencil |
| Riddles | Any | Someone to read them out |
None of the active games keeps score and nobody is ever out. Everything here is free through the end of 2026, with no ads, no sign-up and nothing to download.
Questions parents ask
What games can I play with my kids with nothing at all?
Freeze dance, Simon says, mirror me, charades and riddles need only the people playing. The You need column says "nothing" for every game like that.
What is a good game for a parent and one child?
The games for two, such as mirror me, copy the pose and keep it up. The Minutes and Room columns say how long each takes and how much space it needs.
What games work for kids of different ages together?
Charades with picture cards for the youngest, freeze dance, and any game in the group table whose ages cover everyone playing. The Ages column shows the range.
Are these games free?
Yes. Everything here is free through the end of 2026, with no ads, no sign-up and nothing to download.
Teacher? Share this page to Google Classroom. Children open it with no sign-up.
Checked against how Peabody works on 6 November 2026. Written with help from AI, from Peabody's own code and library. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: if you're worried about your child's learning, talk to their teacher. How Peabody's pages are made.