Captain’s Orders is a great group game for kids as it get’s children moving and thinking…fast!

Fun Games For Preschoolers
Simon Says Activities For Toddlers
Games Like Simon Says For Preschoolers Kids
Simon Says Game

Tags: kinder, kindergarten, listening, PreK, preschool, simon says, TEFL, TESOL Simon Says is a classic game, beloved by many young children. It’s also a super effective way to get children moving, listening and following directions. The perfect start to a preschool drama class. Simon Says is a classic game, beloved by many young children. It’s also a super effective way to get children moving, listening and following directions. The perfect start to a preschool drama class. You can also use it as a listening activity for ESL students!

For example, Simon says point to your nose. If the teacher doesn’t say Simon says, and the student still completes the action, they are out. For example, point to your nose. No Simon says means you have to freeze. This gets surprisingly challenging once you start speeding up the game. Sing the missing word. May 16, 2017 Simon Says – Children have to perform an action only when the leader says “Simon Say do”. For example, if the leader says “Simon Says touch your toes” and all the children touch their toes. If the leader says “Touch your toes”, no one should touch their toes. Check out the complete Simon Says game here.

The faster the game commands are called, the faster (and funnier!) the actions become!

The game can be easily adapted by reducing or increasing the number and complexity of the commands, which makes a great game to play with children of all ages (and even adults) – in fact, I remember playing it at youth group many, many years ago!

Number of players: 5+

Recommended Age: 4+ years (it is easy to adapt this game according to the age and abilities of the players)

Equipment needed: None

To play:

Fun Games For Preschoolers

1. Select one player to be the captain. The captain stands at the front of the designated play space. Alternatively, with younger children an adult should play the role of captain.
2. All other players line up single file, facing the captain.
3. Introduce the various commands and actions to be used in the game.
4. When ready for play to commence, the captain calls out a command. The players do the action associated with the command.
5. Play continues with the captain calling and the ‘crew’ responding. The faster the actions are called and performed, the trickier (and funnier) the game becomes.

Simon Says Activities For Toddlers

Basic commands:

To the island: run to the left boundary (can also be a command of ‘port’)
Scrub the deck: crouch down and make a scrubbing motion with hands
Hit the deck: lay on your stomach
Clear the deck: everyone must have their feet off the floor
Up periscope!: lie on back with one leg raised straight in the air. Twist the raised foot as if a scanning periscope
Captain’s coming: stand to attention and salute
Climb the rigging: pretend to climb a rope

Partner commands:

Abandon ship!:players must pair up, sit face to face and pretend to row a lifeboat
Love boat: players pair up and dance together
Crow’s nest: players pair up and the lightest player rides on their partner’s back (piggy back)

Tips and hints for playing Captain’s Orders:

Keep the game fun and flexible to keep the kids moving, especially for young children.
If you wish to add a competitive element to the game, players that perform the wrong action are out and the last player standing becomes the new captain. Be mindful that this version will mean that the eliminated players will not be actively involved in the game, which I personally think is a shame. Alternatively, those players who are eliminated could just stand out for a count of ten star jumps before re-joining the game.

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Games Like Simon Says For Preschoolers Kids

Simon Says Game