Seventy ways to play, for children from birth to twelve, using things you already have. Written for parents, carers, and teachers. Each one says what it builds and why, and takes a couple of minutes to read.
The evidence has been clear for decades. Too many children still do not get enough of it.
Hundreds of studies, across dozens of countries, point the same way. When children play, they build the skills that matter most for the rest of their lives: how to solve a problem, how to get on with other people, how to manage their feelings, how to move their bodies, and how to think of something new. They do not learn these from being told. They learn them by doing, and play is how children do.
The best play has a few things in common. It is enjoyable. It connects to something the child already knows. The child is in charge and fully absorbed. It can be tried again and improved. And, more often than not, it is shared with someone else. Not every game needs all five, but the more of them it has, the more a child takes from it.
This library is a starting point: seventy simple activities, grouped by age, that need little or nothing you do not already own. Our co-founder Euan Wilmshurst spent several years at the LEGO Foundation, where this kind of material was his daily work, and the Foundation's research on learning through play shaped how these are written. The wording is ours, and many are traditional games played around the world. All are free for anyone to use, adapt, and share.
Filter by age, time, where you are, and what you have. Open any card for the steps.
Pull an animal from a box, then move and sound just like it.
Stomping like an elephant or hopping like a rabbit gets small bodies moving and builds balance and coordination. Naming the animal and copying its noise supports early speech and language. Waiting for a turn, and watching someone else perform, is good practice in patience for the very young.
A simple aiming game with bottle caps and a target on the floor.
Aiming and throwing help with hand and eye coordination. Deciding how hard to throw, and adjusting after each go, is early problem solving. Taking turns and accepting a near miss builds patience.
Clap, tap and chant along to a simple rhyme together.
The steady beat of a rhyme helps children hear the rhythm and sounds of language, which supports early reading. Matching claps to words builds coordination, and remembering the pattern exercises memory. Doing it face to face is warm, shared fun.
Drip colour onto cotton wool, then post the balls through matching holes.
Squeezing a dropper and pushing a soft ball through a small hole both strengthen the small muscles in a toddler's hands. Naming and matching the colours of the rainbow supports early language. Waiting for the colour to soak in is a quiet lesson in patience.
A single sheet of paper becomes a kite, a hat, a ball, and a story.
Following playful prompts gets toddlers moving and listening. Naming body parts and describing shapes builds early language. Imagining the paper as something new, then weaving it into a shared story, is creative thinking in its simplest form.
Hide your face, then reappear. The oldest game there is, and still one of the best.
Babies learn that people and things still exist when they cannot see them, an early step in understanding the world. The build-up and the surprise teach them to anticipate, and the shared laughter is a back-and-forth conversation long before words arrive.
Fill bottles with different things and listen to how each one sounds.
Shaking and listening helps young children notice differences in sound, the first step towards hearing differences in words. Filling and sealing the bottles is good fine motor practice, and guessing what is inside is early science.
A gentle balancing puzzle that uses the edge of any table.
Young children test weight and balance with their hands, learning by feel what tips and what holds. Each wobble invites another go, which builds persistence and focus. Fitting blocks together also strengthens small hand muscles.
Flip a letter, then race to find something in the house that starts with it.
Matching objects to initial sounds is a playful route into phonics and spelling. The running about burns energy, and thinking of what might begin with a tricky letter like Q or X stretches vocabulary and creativity.
Describe your model clearly enough for a partner who cannot see it.
The person building has to put a picture into words, which stretches vocabulary and clear speaking. The person listening has to follow instructions without visual clues, which trains attention. Comparing the two results afterwards opens up a gentle conversation about what went well and what was confusing.
Turn a pile of books into a winding road for toy cars.
Lining up books and balancing hardbacks into tunnels works gross and fine motor control together. Deciding where the road goes, and what to do when a book will not stay up, is simple problem solving. Because there is no right answer, children lead the design and build confidence in their own ideas.
A memory game using two sets of numbered bottle caps.
Remembering where numbers were seen a moment ago gives working memory a workout. Taking turns, and handling the disappointment of a wrong guess, is good emotional practice. Reading the numbers aloud reinforces number recognition.
Can your bridge let a boat pass under and carry a truck across?
A bridge with two jobs to do forces children to test, fail, and adjust, which is the heart of problem solving. Building as a group means negotiating whose idea to try first and sharing the blocks. Fitting pieces together securely also strengthens fine motor control.
Build a secret word out of blocks and let the others work it out.
Turning a word into a shape with your hands is a creative leap, and guessing it stretches vocabulary and flexible thinking. Answering only yes or no, and waiting while others guess, is good practice in self-control and taking turns. Not every build will be recognised, so children also learn to handle a little frustration with good humour.
Invent a pet from cardboard tubes, sticks, and pipe cleaners.
Poking, threading, taping, and colouring all work the small muscles in the hands. There is no right answer, so children make their own decisions about legs, ears, and tails. Working alongside a friend or adult gets them talking about what they are making.
Pick a block, then hunt for three things in exactly that colour.
Matching shades carefully teaches children to look closely and sort by one feature. Searching a room or garden with a clear goal builds focus and persistence when the colour is hard to find. Counting to three and starting over with a new block folds in early number sense.
Turn the contents of your kitchen into a bar chart made of blocks.
Children count real objects, then see those numbers as towers they can compare side by side. That makes early maths concrete rather than abstract. Talking about which tower is tallest also builds language and reasoning.
Draw a card, draw a number, and do the action that many times.
Children get moving while practising reading numbers and following instructions. Waiting for a turn, cheering others on, and coping with a hard draw all help with managing feelings. Writing the cards together adds a bit of literacy too.
One counts, everyone hides, and the hunt begins.
Hiding means thinking about what someone else can and cannot see, an important social skill. Counting practises numbers, and keeping still and quiet while hidden is a real test of self-control. Seeking builds patience and problem solving.
Chalk a grid, throw a stone, and hop your way to the end and back.
Hopping on one foot and landing in a square builds balance and strong legs. Throwing the marker takes aim, and following the numbers practises counting and number recognition. Waiting your turn and starting again after a wobble build patience.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with..."
Thinking of the first sound of a word is one of the building blocks of reading. Guessing means looking carefully and holding a clue in mind, which builds concentration. It needs nothing at all, so it works on a bus, in a queue or at the table.
Take turns adding a block, but the tower must not climb straight up.
Placing each block so it overlaps the one below, without the whole thing toppling, demands steady hands and good judgement. Because everyone shares one tower, the group has to think about what their move means for the next player. When it falls, as it will, children practise shrugging it off and starting again.
An outdoor race where the real challenge is not dropping the lemon.
Carrying something wobbly while moving fast trains balance and steady hands. Children also learn to slow down, recover after a drop, and keep going. A race with friends adds a bit of healthy competition.
Pull two random clothes from a bag and invent the superpowers they give you.
Pretend play with an unexpected costume pushes children to think on their feet and explain their ideas out loud. It builds language, imagination, and a shared story that everyone contributes to.
Tape cardboard channels to a wall and send a marble rolling down.
Getting the marble from the top to the bottom takes trial and error. Children adjust angles, fix gaps, and learn from each failed run, which is problem solving in action. Building together means sharing ideas and agreeing on a plan.
Glimpse a stack of blocks for a few seconds, then copy it.
Holding a picture in your head and rebuilding it from memory is a workout for short-term recall. The tower grows by one block each round, so the challenge rises gently and children see their own progress. Getting it wrong sometimes, and trying again, builds resilience.
Draw a beast with five heads and two tails, one card at a time.
Reading a card and a number, then drawing exactly that many parts, brings counting and following rules into a silly drawing game. Describing what you are drawing while you draw it stretches speaking skills. Making up a story about the finished creature invites imagination and sharing with the group.
Build a cardboard character with arms and legs that really swing.
Drawing, cutting, and threading small connectors is good practice for fine motor control. Working out where joints go and why they stick is a design problem children solve by trying things out. Deciding what to make, and decorating it, gives plenty of room for creativity.
Dance while the music plays, then freeze the moment it stops.
Stopping the instant the music ends is a fun way to practise self-control, a skill children use all through school and life. Listening for the pause builds attention, and dancing is great exercise.
Furniture, cushions, and string become a course to crawl, climb, and dodge through.
Climbing over, crawling under, and balancing along things builds strength and coordination. Designing the course is where the creativity comes in, and children often add rules and stories of their own. Waiting for a turn and cheering each other on is good social practice.
Rainy day? Rebuild your favourite outdoor game in the living room.
Working out how to shrink a football pitch to fit on a table, or turn cushions into stepping stones, is flexible thinking in action. Talking about what you miss when stuck inside helps children name feelings. Using everyday objects in new ways builds creativity and resourcefulness.
Fold, fly, and improve a paper plane until it goes the distance.
A plane that nosedives is a problem to solve, and children learn by changing one thing and flying again. Folding neatly takes care and concentration. A plane that does not work the first time is a gentle lesson in handling frustration.
Three people, one folded sheet, and a character nobody planned.
Drawing within a set space, and lining up a neck or waist with the hidden part above, builds hand-eye coordination. Nobody knows how the picture will end, which makes the reveal a shared surprise and a springboard for storytelling. Taking turns and keeping a secret are small social skills with big value.
Cut up a family photo and piece it back together.
Rebuilding a familiar face from pieces helps children notice where things sit in relation to each other, which supports spatial thinking. Remembering what the whole picture looked like gives memory a nudge. Handling and turning the pieces is good fine motor practice.
Cut pictures from old magazines and arrange them into a story.
Choosing pictures and putting them in order helps children think about beginnings, middles, and endings. Telling the story out loud stretches vocabulary and sentence building. Cutting and gluing adds fine motor practice.
Set up a few targets and count the rings that land.
Throwing a ring at a target trains hand-eye coordination and judgement of distance. Taking turns and counting the hits adds a bit of early maths and a gentle introduction to friendly competition.
Trace the shadow of a toy, then decorate it however you like.
Tracing a shadow outline steadies the hand and builds pencil control. Deciding what the shape could become, and then colouring it in, encourages creativity and flexible thinking.
Build a torch projector and put on a show of shadows.
Telling a story through shadows is a low-pressure way for young children to speak up and perform. They practise language, take turns with the torch, and discover how light and distance change the size of a shape.
Only follow the instruction if Simon says so.
Children have to listen closely and stop themselves acting on instructions that do not start with "Simon says". That pause before acting is an important part of self-control and attention. It also practises body parts, directions and actions.
Stack six blocks end to end using one hand only.
Balancing blocks on their narrow ends with a single hand demands careful finger control and steady concentration. Towers topple often, so children also practise staying calm and trying again.
Hide something, then guide the hunters with clues about where it is.
Giving clues like under, behind, or next to teaches positional language in a way that sticks. The hiders practise explaining clearly, and the seekers practise listening and reasoning about where to look next.
Creep up on the wolf, but run when it's dinner time.
Counting out steps practises numbers in a physical way. Creeping slowly and then sprinting builds control of the body, and waiting for "dinner time" is a thrilling lesson in anticipation and self-control.
Blow, puff, and paint to find out what moving air can do.
Young children learn about force and movement by trying it out on light and heavy things. Blowing through a straw builds breath control and mouth muscles that support speech, and the paint prints give a creative payoff.
Discover how balance works, then hang a mobile that seems to float.
Shifting objects along a ruler see-saw until it levels out is a hands-on introduction to weight and balance. Designing a mobile and fixing it when one side droops is patient problem solving. Working in pairs means sharing ideas and holding things steady for each other.
Describe a mystery object by touch alone and help your partner name it.
The speaker cannot see or name the object, so they must find precise words for texture, weight, and shape. The guesser has to ask smart yes-or-no questions. Both learn to communicate carefully and to manage frustration when the message does not land.
One team bowls the bottles over, the other races to stand them up again.
This is a fast team game that gets everyone running and throwing. Children practise aiming, working together, and keeping their heads when the clock is against them. It also gives a gentle lesson in winning and losing gracefully.
Make a model of you, then tell the group what makes you special.
Building a self-portrait from blocks gives children something concrete to hold while they talk about themselves. Sharing it in a small group builds confidence, and hearing what others say about themselves strengthens friendships and respect for difference.
Write a piece of music where every block is a sound.
Each child takes on a different job, so the group only succeeds if everyone sticks to their role. That builds trust, cooperation, and the self-control to let others do their part. Turning a row of blocks into claps and stomps also links pattern, sequence, and rhythm in a hands-on way.
Listen for the number, then catch the right way before it lands.
Catching with one hand while placing the opposite foot asks the brain and body to do two things at once. Children have to hold a set of rules in mind and react fast, which sharpens concentration and reflexes. It looks simple, so a few drops along the way are a good chance to practise laughing at mistakes.
Fold a paper caterpillar, then puff it to the finish line.
Folding neat, even pleats takes careful fingers and patience. Blowing through a straw to steer a light object teaches cause and effect in a playful way. Racing against each other adds a bit of friendly competition and a chance to practise winning and losing gracefully.
Act out a word or title without speaking, while everyone guesses.
Getting an idea across without words makes children think about gesture, expression and how others see them. Guessing builds quick, flexible thinking. It is a game the whole family can play together, across a wide range of ages.
Turn the blanket over while everyone keeps both feet on it.
There is no obvious way to do this, so the group has to propose ideas, test them, and discard the ones that fail. Shuffling and balancing together builds body control and trust. Talking afterwards about who suggested what, and whether anyone fell out, helps children reflect on how they work with others.
Fill a box with small reminders of what makes you smile.
Naming the things that lift your mood is a simple habit that supports emotional wellbeing. Choosing or building an object for each one adds creativity, and talking about the choices builds language and listening between children and adults.
Build a small monster, then design a cart to carry it down a string.
Children have to think about weight, balance, and how things hang, then test their ideas for real. When the monster falls out, they go back and improve the design, which builds resilience. Working with a partner adds planning and shared decision making.
A bingo card to fill in while exploring the park or garden.
Hunting for specific things sharpens attention and keeps children looking closely at their surroundings. Deciding what counts as a match, such as which leaf or which bird, takes flexible thinking. Naming finds along the way builds vocabulary.
A group build where every player has a say and nobody gets to rush.
The rules force children to slow down, negotiate, and live with other people's choices. Removing someone else's block, or having your own removed, is a safe way to practise compromise. Agreeing when the model is done takes real discussion.
Three rounds of tower building, each one trickier than the last.
Standing blocks on end is wobbly work, so children must weigh the urge to go higher against the risk of collapse. That is risk-taking and persistence in miniature. Pairing up adds negotiation, and switching hands builds strength and control in both.
Fold a square of paper into a fortune teller and fill it with messages.
Following a sequence of folds builds fine motor skills, patience and an early sense of geometry. Writing the fortunes is creative writing in miniature, and playing it with friends involves counting, spelling and plenty of laughter.
Design a parachute that lands a small toy passenger gently.
Children have to think about size, string length, and weight, then test whether their design slows the fall. Each drop gives instant feedback, so they can tweak and try again. Sticking with a tricky build teaches concentration and patience.
Turn an old shoebox into a stage and give a puppet its own story.
Inventing a story and performing it through a puppet lets children explore feelings at a safe distance. Cutting, threading, and taping build fine motor control, and the show itself stretches language and confidence.
A quick dice game where the lowest score wins.
Every roll asks children to find different ways of making the same total, which builds mental arithmetic and flexible thinking. Keeping track of which numbers remain trains working memory, and the scoring gives a reason to care about the maths.
Build a wobbly little machine that makes its own drawings.
Wiring up a battery and a motor, then working out why the robot tips over or will not move, is real problem solving. Fixing the pens and tape in place takes patience and careful hands. Children also learn that tinkering and trying again is part of making anything work.
Build a story together, one sentence at a time.
Adding to someone else's idea means listening closely and thinking on your feet. Children practise sentence building and vocabulary, and learn that a good story needs a beginning, a middle and an end. The twists keep everyone laughing.
Make a paper rocket and launch it with a single breath.
Rolling, cutting, and taping a rocket that actually flies takes patience and careful hands. Testing and adjusting the design teaches children to problem solve and to keep going when the first attempt flops.
A twist on noughts and crosses where the counters keep moving.
Planning a line of three while blocking an opponent is early strategic thinking. Because the counters slide around once they are all placed, the game rarely ends in a draw, so children get plenty of practice at losing, winning, and trying again.
Red, amber, or green: how did that group task go for you?
Choosing a colour gives every child a simple way to share an opinion, including those who find speaking up hard. Explaining the choice, and hearing why others chose differently, builds reflection, listening, and better teamwork next time.
Pass a loop of string back and forth to make new shapes.
Each figure is a small puzzle that takes careful finger work and a clear sequence of moves. Passing the string between two players needs close cooperation and patience. String games are played in many cultures around the world.
Sow and capture seeds in one of the world's oldest board games.
Mancala games have been played across Africa and Asia for centuries. Moving the seeds one by one is counting practice, and planning which cup to empty is real strategy. Players learn to think ahead and to accept a lost round.
Cut a square into seven shapes and use them to make pictures.
Fitting the pieces into a picture is a hands-on puzzle in shape, space and angles. Children have to rotate and flip shapes in their minds, which builds spatial reasoning that supports maths. Trying again when a shape will not fit builds persistence.
Think of something. Everyone else has twenty yes or no questions to find it.
Good questions narrow things down, so players learn to plan, group ideas into categories and think logically. Keeping track of what you already know exercises memory. It needs nothing but conversation.
Everything on this page is free to use in homes, schools, nurseries, and programmes anywhere. Copy it, print it, translate it, and pass it on. If you do reuse it, a link back to this page is appreciated so people can find the latest version.
If you have an activity that works and belongs here, or you run a programme that uses play and would like to talk, get in touch. For the evidence behind all this, see our learning through play research digest.
Every child has the right to play. These activities are one way to make sure they get it.
