These fun and engaging circle games in this article are designed for kids in primary school (5–11). However, some of them, which demand more teamwork and problem-solving, are better suited for adults. The exercises listed below can all be modified by teachers to meet the demands and specifications of their particular classes. Some of these games might be appropriate for young children as well!
Each activity includes a list of the game’s learning goals and any required resources. These are worth printing, cutting, and storing in a drawer for circle time. Then you can dive in and start having fun whenever you have 20 minutes to spare or a rainy day. There will be a lot of laughing, so be careful!
Check out: Ghost in the Graveyard Game | 2023 | Fun things | How it works
30 Fun and engaging circle games for Kids and Adults
Snap
Give each youngster a card, then ask them to discover the classmate who has the corresponding card without revealing their cards. Play the game once more, but they must choose their partner silently this time.
Materials: snap cards or photo cards
Learning Objectives: Cooperation, communication, and problem-solving
Advantage: physical exercise
All Aboard
They were divided into groups of five to ten kids each. Each category has many openings. Are they all able to stand upright? See if the kids can still fit on the remaining spots if you remove one, two, three, etc. slots. Ask the children to remain motionless for 3 seconds without touching the ground. You can also get the entire class to stand in a hoop or use hoops.
Materials: a few places to stand (anything from paper or plastic circles to hula hoops)
Learning Objectives: Cooperation, communication, and problem-solving
Advantage: physical exercise
All Change
The teacher touches one of the kids on the shoulder as they all stand in a circle. The others must imitate the child’s behaviour (such as clapping), which the child initiates. The youngsters switch to the new action that the student suggests after the teacher touches another kid on the shoulder. Sound can also be used to do this!
Learning Objectives: Leadership, creativity, improvisation, cooperation, communication, and problem-solving
Handwriting
In pairs, each youngster uses a finger to sketch a shape on their partner’s hand. To determine the shape, their companion must close their eyes.
Children should pass the shape around in a circle without speaking, then check to see if it is still the same at the end. Similar to a telephone!
The learning objectives are problem-solving, collaboration, communication, teamwork, leadership, self-assurance, and decision-making.
Whose Voice Is That?
Kids are arranged in a circle. A kid with blinders stands in the centre. The blindfolded child must identify the child who created an animal noise when it comes from the outside circle.
Materials: a blindfold
Among the learning objectives are problem-solving, collaboration, communication, teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, decision-making, trust, creativity, and improvisation.
Jigsaws
Each child should receive a piece of a puzzle or picture. To complete the puzzle, the child must determine which other kids have the missing pieces. Then, they must cooperate to finish the puzzle as soon as feasible.
Materials: a variety of puzzle pieces or laminated photographs
Among the learning objectives are problem-solving, collaboration, communication, teamwork, leadership, self-assurance, and decision-making.
Through the Hoop
- Make a large circle out of the kids standing.
- By placing the hula hoop between two circle members and selecting one to go first, the teacher decides where to begin.
- Can everyone go through the hoop, starting with that first child?
- Repeat the task while everyone is clasped together.
- The procedure is repeated, but the kids are not permitted to use their hands this time.
- See whether they can finish the task with just one person touching the hoop for the ultimate test.
- You can even increase the number of hoops or split the class up into smaller groups and have them compete to complete the circle of hoops first.
Resources: hula hoop (s)
Among the learning objectives are problem-solving, collaboration, communication, teamwork, leadership, self-assurance, decision-making, and creativity.
Portrait
- Each youngster should write their name in the corner of the page after receiving a sheet of paper and a writing implement.
- Make sure they all trade documents.
- Give them a minute in the first round to sketch the head of their companion.
- Now ask them to exchange papers with another pupil.
- Now they must locate the individual whose name is written in the paper’s corner and proceed with the remaining rounds of the drawing: round 2, hair; round 3, eyes; round 4, nose; round 5, mouth; and round 6, ears (switching papers with a new person between each round).
- Ask them to return the paper to its original owner once they have finished all the rounds. Laughter will ensue!
Materials: writing implements and paper
Jingle Bell Pass
The jingle ball must be passed silently by hands around the circle by the kids. Next, ask them to pass it side to side, over their heads, and so on.
Materials: a ball with a jingly or rattling internal component
Among the learning objectives are problem-solving, collaboration, communication, teamwork, leadership, self-assurance, and decision-making.
Sort the Cards
Give a card to each child. First, ask them to separate into the four sets of “clubs,” “spades,” “hearts,” and “diamonds.” Have them rank themselves in descending order to add complexity: Ace through Ten, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, and King.
Resources: a deck of cards
Learning Goals: Cooperation, following directions, problem-solving, and communication
Blindfold: Follow Me
Put blindfolds on the class and have them stand on the opposite side of the hallway. Everyone moves in the direction of the teacher’s voice (or a young volunteer). Once the class has begun to move, you are free to move and go on speaking.
NB: To ensure everyone’s safety, have half the class complete the assignment while the other half serves as unblinded safety monitors. They are tasked with “redirecting” their classmates who could otherwise run into a wall, table, etc.
components: blindfolds
Learning Objectives: Cooperation, communication, problem-solving, following directions, and responsibility
Advantage: physical exercise
My Rules!
One student leaves the room. The other kids come up with a new rule while they’re gone, such as crossing your legs when responding to questions or only using words that begin with your name’s first letter. Once a rule has been established, the youngster is asked to rejoin the group and must use questioning and observation of the other kids playing to determine the hidden rule. (This is also possible in smaller groups.)
Among the learning objectives are self-assurance, teamwork, problem-solving, following directions, cooperation, communication, and creativity.
Cat and Mouse (a.k.a. Duck, Duck, Goose!)
Make sure everyone is standing in a circle. The “mouse” circles the perimeter of the circle. Before the cat can grab him or her, the Mouse touches the cat on the shoulder and needs to return to its location.
Learning Goals: Communication, teamwork, following directions, problem-solving, and self-assurance
Advantage: physical exercise
Tangled Circle
Ask the kids to form a circle and stand there. Everyone positions their hands in the centre and grabs hold of the hands of two separate individuals. Can the group untie itself without letting go if they cooperate?
Learning Goals: Cooperation, following directions, problem-solving, and communication
Advantage: physical exercise
Elephant Lines
Have the kids place their hands between their legs to form a line. Then, can they form a circle? Divide the group into two teams, and have them compete in a race to increase the difficulty.
Learning Goals: Cooperation, following directions, problem-solving, and communication
Advantage: physical exercise
Sit on My Knees
You will require a sturdy chair for this activity. Divide the class into six-child groups (preferably of similar sizes). Invite the first individual to take a seat. The following person then takes a seat on their knees, the following on theirs, and so forth.
Chair made of durable materials
Learning Goals: Communication, teamwork, following directions, problem-solving, and self-assurance
Bench Boat
Sort the kids into groups of six to eight. The kids should sit on a bench (Make sure it’s strong first! ), one group at a time. Can everyone reorganize into height order without falling off? Repeat the process using any other order you can think of, such as age or alphabetical order. Repetition with one kid wearing blinders.
NB: If feasible, add soft mats to the sides of the bench to prevent children from hurting themselves if they fall. This is crucial for the child who is wearing a blindfold.
Materials: a strong bench and supple mats
Among the learning objectives are self-assurance, teamwork, problem-solving, listening to others, cooperating, communicating, and trust.
Advantage: physical exercise
Balloon Keepie Uppie
Place the kids in groups of four to eight on the floor to sit. One balloon should be thrown above each group to begin. The objective is to keep the balloon aloft. Try it with every body component, without hands, with the head alone, etc., and then repeat with different balloons for every group! You can also practice this as a big group, but ensure the pupils stay seated to prevent tripping hazards.
Materials: balloons
Learning Objectives: Cooperation, communication, trust, and problem-solving
Advantage: physical exercise
Around the World
On the four sides of your classroom, hang signs that read “North,” “South,” “East,” and “West.” The teacher screams out instructions for where to sail the ship as the kids start in the middle. The kids had to go to all four walls and return to the centre if the teacher yells, “All around the world.”
NB: If you’re worried that the “all around the world” part will get too boisterous, inform the kids that they can only go so fast.
Learning Goals: Cooperation, following directions, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making
Advantage: physical exercise
Wink Murder
While the other kids choose a culprit, one child—the detective—leaves the room. The murderer winks at the kids to kill them off while the investigator isn’t looking when he returns to the room. (They can pass away dramatically.) Who the murderer is must be conjectured by the detective.
Learning Goals: Collaboration, Coordination, Communication, and Self-Confidence
Who Am I?
Give each child a sticker with the name of a well-known character to wear on their foreheads. Make sure that it is a well-known character (e.g. Spider-Man). The kids have to ask yes-or-no questions to determine who they are in pairs or as a group (it’s much harder in a big group).
Learning Goals: Problem-solving, Collaboration, Communication, and Decision-Making
Conductor
- Children should be seated in a circle, and then a volunteer should leave the room.
- Select a different student to serve as the conductor while the volunteer is outdoors.
- Each youngster in the circle must imitate the first action that the conductor performs (such as patting their knees).
- Have the first volunteer come back into the room, stand in the centre of the circle, and start the game!
- The conductor will alter their course of action while the middle youngster isn’t looking.
- The middle youngster must correctly identify the conductor! (Only let the guesser make three attempts to make this game more difficult.)
The learning objectives are working cooperatively, problem-solving, nonverbal communication, and creativity.
Feely Bag
Put a variety of both commonplace (like a crayon) and unusual items in a bag (e.g. a Pez dispenser). Ask the kids to reach into the feely bag one at a time and identify the items within.
Don’t let them mention what they believe the things are out loud to make it more difficult. As an alternative, ask them to write it down, compare their responses with a peer, and then perform a big revelation in the middle of the circle.
Materials include a soft, cinch-top bag and various items—but no sharp objects, please!
Learning Goals: Cooperation, Communication, and Problem-Solving
Telephone
There’s a reason why this game is a classic: laughter is guaranteed! The guidelines are straightforward: have students line up in a circle and select one to start the telephone train (or start it off yourself). The person in front whispers something in the ear of the person next to them, who then whispers it to the person after them.
This continues until you reach the person who first provided the sentence and informs the class of both the first sentence and the updated version (presumably significantly different!).
Learning Goals: Cooperation, Communication, and Instruction Following
Add On
Children should choose a volunteer to go first as they sit in a circle. The volunteer decides which action to “pass” to the pupil sitting next to them (e.g. covering their ears with their hands).
The following pupil must then replicate that manoeuvre and add a brand-new one. Keep going around the circle this way, letting the sequence get longer and longer! Add noises to make this more entertaining and difficult!
Learning Goals: Creativity, memory, teamwork, instructions-following, and self-assurance
Alphabet Shopping
Gather the kids in a circle, choose a volunteer, and start the “shopping” process. Everyone in the circle will have to write a phrase about something they want to buy, but the item must begin with the same letter as their first name, starting with the first volunteer.
For instance, “Peter will buy a piata,” “Andy will buy an apple,” etc. Bonus points if they can think of a response that consists of two words that share the same first letter, such as “Holly will buy a hula hoop”!
Make sure your children don’t always utilize the same item if you frequently include this activity in your circle time. Encourage them to come up with fresh ideas instead! If more than one student shares the same initial letter of their name, the same rules apply.
NB: Although this game’s concept is straightforward, it can nevertheless be difficult. I advise against using it with students younger than 7 or 8 years old.
Learning Goals: Creativity, self-assurance, and obeying directions
Fruit Salad
One chair fewer than the total number of pupils in your class should be used to form a circle.
One volunteer should stand in the middle of the fruit groupings you’ve created for your kids.
The person in the middle then yells out the name of one of the fruits, at which point all of the kids whose fruit it is are required to leave their chairs and locate new ones.
Everyone in the room must stand up and search for a new chair if the person in the centre shouts “fruit salad.”
While the other kids are looking for a new chair, the goal is for the kid in the middle to take one of their seats. When this occurs, the person standing in the middle is the new “caller outer.”
Learning Objectives: working together, following instructions, cooperation
Bonus: physical activity
Conclusion
Your kids should occasionally completely unplug technology to reconnect with friends and family. Additionally, they are fantastic opportunities to show children how to respect and communicate with other players. Additionally, these fun and engaging circle games are ideal for picnics, family trips, and other events. Have fun playing!
Recommendation
- “150+ “who knows me better” questions game to play with loved ones.”
- Ghost in the Graveyard Game | 2023 | Fun things | How it works
References
- https://owlcation.com/academia/Circle-time-games-and-activities-A-must-for-any-teacher
- https://www.parentcircle.com/fun-circle-games-for-children-and-adults/article
