Socializing with other kids teaches children important life rules like cooperation and sharing, claims the website Child Development Info. The site adds that playing with others prepares children to function in the adult world. One of the best ways for children to socialize is to play games. Games with rules, especially, help children develop from thinking egocentrically to understanding the importance of people around them and socializing nicely.
A fun animal game to play with your toddler or preschooler is animal charades. You can play this alone with your child or invite her friends or siblings to play. For this game, Family Education suggests putting several stuffed animals in a pillow case. Have your toddler pick out one animal without showing it to you or the other players. Her challenge is to act out that animal so that someone can guess what the animal was. If several children are playing, the child who guessed correctly gets to pull out a stuffed animal next. Once someone has guessed the right animal, it is fun for all the children to walk around the room acting like that creature.
Toddlers are just learning the alphabet while 5 years old are learning how to read. One game that teaches your youngest his A-B-Cs and teaches your oldest how to spell involves cutout alphabet letters. Cut out every letter of the alphabet or use letters you may have from magnet sets or puzzles. Put all the letters in a bag. Pull out a letter. Your toddler must say what letter it is. The older child says a word that begins with that letter. The child who yells his answer first wins.
Throwing the Smile
Disney’s Family Fun website claims Throwing the Smile will have children of all ages giggling wildly. Tell the children to sit in a circle. Designate one child to be “it.” That child smiles while the other children sit solemnly. “It” uses her hand to pretend to wipe the smile off her face and throw it to another player. The designated catcher pretends to catch the smile and put it on her face. After smiling as long as she’d like, she then pretends to wipe the smile off of her face and throw it to another player. The object of the game is for nobody to smile or laugh except “it.” According to Family Fun, the youngest kids tend to laugh the hardest and enjoy this silly game the most.