Cooperative Games for Kids: Why Cooperation Beats Competition in Childhood Games & Play by Lark Sontag

Many children don’t like to lose when playing childhood games, and it’s not because they didn’t win. It’s because in order to win you have to be a little mean, and when you lose you have to be OK with people being a little mean to you or you’re a bad sport. It doesn’t have to be that way! Here are a few cooperative games to play with kids:

Cooperative Musical Chairs: The object is everyone getting a seat, even as chairs are taken away. Children have to work with others, share space, get a buddy to share a chair, and the introverts have to help or the game is over.

Hula Hoop Challenge: The objective is everyone being able to fit in a hoop. Start with five hula hoops (or more or less depending on the number of children). The music starts and the children walk around the hoops. When the music stops every child gets in a hoop – they can share a hoop and one foot in the hoop counts.

Keep It Up (Keep Up the Balloon): The objective is keeping the balloon in the air. You hold hands in a circle and use your body parts to keep the balloon up in the air.

Remember, they are just games. Let’s work together so that children can win by being kind and working together.

What do you think about kids losing at games? Do you let your kids win?

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community. Inspire and be inspired.