Top 16 Games to Help Preschoolers Stay Focused and Avoid Side Conversations During Circle Time

Five little kittens

Line up in a row

Run to the left

Then run to the right

Stand up and stretch

Under the morning sun

Jump like a little dog

Wagging its tail, ready to make friends

Meow meow meow

Woof woof woof

The five little kittens run away

Leaving only one little dog

It tucks its tail and heads home

How to Play:

"Five crabs climb up the tree

Eating delicious little bugs

Suddenly, one crab falls into the water

Leaving only... four crabs

Four crabs climb up the tree

Eating delicious little bugs

Suddenly, one crab falls into the water

Leaving only... three crabs..."

Teacher and children read together:

Snail, snail, snail

You will be a princess

You dance, let me watch

I will sew red and black clothes for you

Sing a line and spin one circle with your arms.

How to Play: The game leader raises one finger and sings while counting: 'One finger wiggles (twice). One finger wiggling is enough to make us happy.' Then, raise two fingers and sing the same counting song for two fingers. For one finger, wiggle twice; for two fingers, wiggle four times... Continue until all fingers on the hand are counted – if players miss the count, they will be penalized.

How to Play: Sing along and follow the actions together:

Hold hands and walk, let's see who's shy

Hold hands and walk, let's see who's scared

We are siblings, there's nothing to be shy about

Come on, hold hands

Touch ears... Tickling under the arms...

Game Rules:

• Children can only catch the ducks outside the circle.
• If a child taps the shoulder of a duck, the duck is considered caught.

How to Play:

• The teacher draws a large circle representing a pond where the children act as ducks inside.
• Three to five children are chosen as the duck herders and stand outside the circle.
• When the duck herder calls 'Quack, quack, quack' and waves their hands, the ducks come out of the pond and approach the herder.
• When the ducks get close, the teacher signals 'Catch the little ducks!' and the herder chases the ducks. The ducks must quickly run back into the pond, quacking 'Quack, quack, quack' as they go.
• If a duck touches the herder, it is considered caught and must leave the game temporarily.
• After a few rounds, the teacher will switch roles. Remind the ducks to regularly run out of the pond (outside the circle) for the game to be fun.

(100 Preschool Games - NXB Tre)

Preparation: Teach the children the nursery rhyme before organizing the game. The rhyme goes as follows:

Nu na nu nong

Drum beats, flag waves

Starting a race

Whose feet are clean

With rosy red heels

Not a speck of dirt

Can enter the drum contest

Or another version:

Nu na nu nong

The ditch is inside

The bee is outside

Sweet potato dipped in honey

The Buddha sits and cries

The frog jumps out

The chicken clucks

The old woman blows rice cakes

My house makes sweet porridge

Spread your hands, curl your feet

How to Play: Players sit in a row, stretch out their legs, hold hands, and tap their thighs while chanting the rhyme. Each word in the rhyme is lightly tapped on a leg, starting with the first word 'nu' tapping on the first leg, 'na' on the second leg of the first player, then continuing along the line of players. After reaching the last player, the tapping goes back in reverse order until the word 'drum' is reached. Whoever has their leg tapped when 'drum' is called must fold that leg. The first player to fold both legs wins first place, the next to fold theirs wins second, and the last to fold theirs loses. The game then starts over.

How to Play: One child faces away, while the teacher gives a rattle (or any other object that produces sound, like a shaking drum or percussion set) to a child. When the teacher signals, the child with the rattle shakes it loudly and hides it. The child who is facing away (or with eyes closed) must then identify the source of the sound by pointing to where the noise came from.

How to Play:

"The goldfish swims, it’s the goldfish swimming.

The snail curls up, it’s the snail curling up.

The shrimp jumps, it’s the shrimp jumping.

The crab crawls, it’s the crab pinching."

How to Play: The child rotates their hands in a circular motion in front of their chest following the teacher’s instructions: rolling the ball to the left, rolling the ball backward, rolling it forward, rolling it to the right... When the teacher calls out "kick", the child responds with "in".

How to Play: The children will pass an object to one another while singing a song. Once the song ends, the child holding the object must follow the group’s instructions.

How to Play: The leader sings the song 'If you’re happy and want to show it, clap your hands twice!' and the children follow the actions, such as stomping feet, laughing, or making a funny sound. As the game progresses, you can combine multiple actions like clapping, stomping, laughing, and making a sound together, creating a fun and lively activity.

How to Play: The leader sings a line from the song and demonstrates an action. The children then follow the leader's movements. As the leader changes the actions and increases the speed, the children try to keep up until it becomes too fast to continue. This game keeps the children excited and engaged as they try to follow the leader's pace.

Form a circle and have the children recite the rhyme: Beautiful hands

One beautiful hand

Two beautiful hands

Three beautiful hands

Hands weaving fabric

Hands planting vegetables

Hands casting a fishing line

Hands chopping wood

Hands building a mountain

Hands digging a river

Hands shaving bamboo

Hands slaughtering a pig

Hands catching monkeys

Hands catching elephants

Hands cracking a whip

Hands fighting a tiger

Count together with the children, and then encourage them to clap loudly (initially, have them clap softly).

How to Play:

1 finger is a buzzing mosquito
2 fingers are a cute rabbit
3 fingers are a meowing cat
4 fingers are a crab crawling sideways
5 fingers are a monkey climbing a tree

Game Rules: Guide the children to follow the movements in rhythm with the poem:

"Sowing seeds, a fragrant smell,

Sprouting up, a lovely scent,

One tree, one fruit,

Two trees, two fruits,

One bud, the wind blows,

Two buds, the tree drops,

One flower, leaves fall,

Two flowers, many leaves…"

How to Play: The teacher will lead the children to hold hands in a circle, performing the actions while reciting each line of the poem.

Sowing seeds: Children sit down slowly, waving both hands close to the ground to imitate planting seeds.

Sprouting: Children stand up slowly.

One tree: Children raise their left hand high.

Two trees: Children raise their right hand high.

One bud: Children lower their left hand and turn the palm down.

Two buds: Lower the right hand and turn the palm down.

One flower: Children open their left hand with fingers spread wide.

Two flowers: Children open their right hand with fingers spread wide.

Lovely fragrance: Children gently press both hands to their noses and deeply inhale, imitating smelling flowers.

One fruit: Children position their hands in front of their chest, with their left palm facing upwards.

Two fruits: Children position their hands in front of their chest, with their right palm facing upwards.

The wind blows: Children stretch both arms upward in a V-shape, leaning to the left.

The tree shakes: Lean to the right.

Leaves fall: Children squat down.

Many leaves: Children shake their wrists and then loudly shout: A!..A..A..