50 Nursery Games and Activities

On Sundays I go to church. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I get to hang out with all the children that are 18 months to 3 years old for two hours while their parents attend other classes. I love being in the nursery with all the kids.

Sometimes those two hours can feel very long so I came up with some ideas to keep the time flying and to have fun with the best group of kids there are! These are also good preschool or babysitting activities.

Toys. Every nursery is pretty well stocked with toys. Sometimes the children get sick of the same old thing. Try to be creative. Have the children sort the toys, count the toys, or have them clean them. (Give the children baby wipes to clean the toys or a clean sponge with a little soapy water. Have other children dry them.)
Sing action songs that get the wiggles out.

Do As I'm Doing
Popcorn Popping
Once There Was a Snowman
Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Eensy Weensy Spider
The Wheels on the Bus

Do puzzles. If you don't have puzzles, make some by cutting up some big pictures that have been mounted on card stock.
Look at pictures around the room (or in the Gospel Art book/kit, or in the nursery teaching manual). Ask questions or tell stories that relate to the pictures.
Coloring. Color the handout from the lesson, coloring books, or plain paper.
Trace hands and/or feet of the kids. They love to see their hands on paper.
Read books. One of our very favorite books is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. The children LOVE this book. We also love to read HUG by Jez Alborough.
Play "Ring-Around-The-Rosie."
Play "Duck, Duck, Goose."
Play "Motorboat." Have the children hold hands in a circle like you would for Ring-Around-The-Rosie. Say "Motorboat, motorboat, go so slow" while you walk slowly in a circle. Continue saying "Motorboat, motorboat, go so fast" while you walk quicker. Then say, "Motorboat, motorboat, step on the gas!" Everyone falls down.
Play "Follow the Leader."
Play "Freeze." Have the kids move around and have them stop when you say, "freeze!" They must freeze like statues. You can do it with or without music.
Play "What Did I Change About Me?" One leader leaves the room for a second, or have the kids close their eyes. The leader changes something about him/her- takes off shoe, changes hair style, etc.) Leader returns to room (or children open their eyes) and try to guess what is different. We decided to have a bag of props outside the door. Inside the bag I included socks, glasses, gloves, a scarf, different shoes, lipstick, hair bow, and a belt. The children like this game too.
Play "Red Light, Green Light." You can substitute the words "Stop" and "Go" to make it easier for the younger children.
Play "Snake in the Grass." Lie a jumprope down on the floor. Take one end of a jumprope and move it back and forth to imitate a moving snake. Have the kids jump over the snake without touching it.
Floor shapes. Use masking tape to create large shapes on the floor. Children must walk/balance on the tape shapes.
Play-doh. Use a disposable plastic mat (like the ones you put under a high chair). Make sure the play-doh stays on/over the mat.
String cereal onto yarn. We use Froot Loops because the holes are bigger and they taste good. Tape one side of the yarn with a little piece of masking tape (kind of like the end of a shoelace) to make it easier to thread the cereal. This is a good activity for your older children.
Flashlight stomp. Turn off the lights. Hold a flashlight so it makes a light on the floor. Have the children try to stomp on the light.
Flashlight shadows. Turn off the lights and hold a flashlight up to the wall. Show the children how to make shadows on the wall.
Sing "Old Mac Donald" with puppets or pictures of different animals. Have the children choose a puppet or picture before you start. They will be excited when you sing "their" verse.
Singing with rhythm sticks. Sings songs while the children click their sticks together like "Follow the Prophet" or "Book of Mormon Stories." If you don't have rhythm sticks, you can use wooden dowels (found at any craft store) or PVC pipes, cut to about 10"-12".
Rhythm sticks beat. Pick a beat for the children to follow or drum with the sticks on the floor.
Camping with rhythm sticks. Pretend you are camping. Use the sticks to build a "fire." Reserve a few sticks for the children to hold to "roast" pretend marshmallows or hotdogs. Sing a couple of songs around the "campfire."
Play "Peek-a-Boo" with scarves. Have the children put the scarves over their heads. Say, "Where's (name)?" The children love to pull it off their heads and reveal their cute little faces.
Scarf play. Have the children pretend that the scarves are a hat, apron, cape, and a scarf. You can sing "My hat has 4 corners" or just play. See scarf song at end of post.
Butterfly Wings. Have the children pretend they are butterflies. Give each child two scarfs to use as "wings." See butterfly rhyme at end of post.
Stickers. Have the children decorate plain paper with stickers.
Bubbles. Blow bubbles for the children. The children will want to blow bubbles themselves. It is a good idea to hold the bubble wand for them so it doesn't drip everywhere. See bubble song at end of post.
Bean bag toss. Bring several bean bags and big plastic bowls or sand buckets. Have the children toss the bags into the bowls or buckets.
Hot Lava. Set out several carpet squares, pieces of fabric or beach towels on the floor. Pretend the floor is "hot lava." Have the children jump from one square/fabric piece/towel to the next without touching the floor.
Cars, Sleds and Magic Carpets. With your carpet squares or towels, have the children pretend they are riding in a car, sled or on a magic carpet. "Ride" to different places (church, school, Grandma's house, grocery store, etc.)
Music! Sing songs with the children. Bring some kid-friendly instruments or have them clap along. You can make your own instruments with recycled containers and cardboard tubes. Make a drum with a big yogurt container or oatmeal can. Make a shaker by taking a toilet paper tube and fill it 1/3 full with dried beans. Staple or duct tape the ends shut. Make rhythm sticks with PVC pipe or wooden dowels.
Blanket (or parachute) Toss. Bring a blanket (or a child's play parachute, if you've got one). Have the children hold onto a corner/side of the blanket. Put a soft ball or stuffed animal in the middle and lift the blanket together. See how high you can toss the ball/stuffed animal.
Play a big game of memory. Prepare memory cards and place them on the floor. Let the kids take turns flipping the cards over to get a match. If you want to get fancy, take pictures of the kids and create memory cards with the pictures. Remember to print 2 sets of pictures. Mount the pictures onto some cute card stock and laminate the pictures. The kids love to see themselves.
Dress up. Clean out your closet or bring in some old costumes. Let the kids dress up. Make sure the clothes are modest, and clean. No masks.
Play "Choo Choo Train." Have the children form a line and hold onto the person in front of them, either on their shoulders or waist. Pretend you are a train. Stop at various "stations."
Punch balloons/balls. Bring in some punch balloons/balls. Let the children play. These are nice because they don't pop very easily.
Balloons or beach balls. Blow up a balloon or beach ball and let the children pop them up.
Pop! Have the children hold hands in a circle. Bring the children in very close together so the circle is very small. Have the children blow at the same time like they are blowing up an imaginary balloon. Every time they blow, take a step backward to make the circle bigger and bigger. When the circle is at it's biggest without letting go of hands, say "Pop!" Everyone falls to the floor.
Musical Carpet Squares. Arrange carpet squares into a circle. Designate a special square as the "winning square." We have one bright red carpet square that we designate as the winning square. Have the children walk in a circle on the square while music is playing. When the music stops, the children stop. The child who lands on the "winning square" wins that round. Carpet squares are NOT removed after each round and no child "loses."
Do a Trick. Older children like to show off what they can do. Have the older children sit in a circle and take turns showing everyone what they can do.
Do some rhymes with actions. See ideas at end of post.
Play with ribbon dancers. Order a few online or create your own. Click HERE to see how to make your own.
Shadow. Create movements with your body and have the children follow what you do. (Stand on one foot, touch the floor, stand up, turn around, clasp hands together and touch the sky, etc.)
Play "I Spy." This is a good game with the older children. Sit the children down on the floor or at the table. Pick an obvious object in the room without saying what it is and say, "I spy something (color)." Name the color of the object. The children must guess what the object is that you are thinking of. Have the children take turns "spying" something. You might need to help them a little until they get the hang of it.
Do an Age-Appropriate Craft. (paper bag puppets, spoon puppets, handprint/thumbprint art, etc.)
Easy Hand Sewing. Click HERE for instructions.
Have an Indoor Snowball Fight. Click HERE for instructions.
Senses Activities. Create guessing games using the senses.

For smells, use extracts, perfumes or spices. Soak up some extract or perfume with a cotton ball and place each one in a separate, clean baby food jar. Or, bring in some different spice bottles and let the children smell the jars/bottles. See if they like what they smell or not. Can they guess some of the smells?
For touch, place different objects in a bag. Make sure the bag isn't see-through. Have them pick out an object that is rough, smooth, sticky, scratchy, soft, hard, etc. Or, place one item in the bag at a time without the children seeing it. Have them take turns putting their hand in the bag. See if they can describe how it feels or guess the item.
For listening, fill 3-6 similar containers with different objects. Make sure they cannot see inside the container. You can use empty Play-doh jars, or plastic Easter eggs, etc. You can do this two ways:

Fill 3 containers, each with a different object inside. Display a duplicate of the objects on the floor or table. Have the children shake the container and listen. Have them guess which object is in which container according to the choices given on the floor/table.
Fill 3 containers with different objects (rice, beans, pennies, cereal, nuts and bolts, golf tees, paper clips, marbles, etc.) Fill 3 more with the same objects as the first 3 so there are 3 pairs of containers. For example, fill 2 containers with rice, 2 containers with golf tees, and two containers with pennies. Have the children shake the containers and try to match the sounds. Try to make it trickier by using similar materials.

For sight, have the children sort different objects by color, shape, size, etc.

Songs and Rhymes

My Hat, It Has Four Corners

My hat, it has four corners,

Four corners has my hat.

And if it there weren’t four corners,

It wouldn’t be my hat.

*Substitute the word hat for apron, cape, scarf, etc.

BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies, butterflies, flapping around.

Visiting flowers, not making a sound.

Flapping your wings, as you go.
Flapping your wings, up high, then low.
Butterflies, butterflies, flapping around.
Visiting flowers, not making a sound.

*Pin two scarves to the middle of each child’s back.
Have them hold onto an outer corner to create wings.
Recite the poem, as your children fly around the room.

BUBBLES (to the tune of "Where Is Thumbkin")

Hello bubbles, hello bubbles,

Come and land, come and land

Right in the middle, right in the middle

Of my hand, of my hand.

Good-bye bubbles, good-bye bubbles

Time to go, time to go,

I will help you, I will help you,

With a blow, with a blow.

I’M TOAST IN THE TOASTER

I’m toast in the toaster (squat down)

I’m getting very hot

Tick tock, tick tock (sway side to side)

Up I pop! (jump up)

MY FUZZY CATERPILLAR

My fuzzy caterpillar,

(wiggle finger along opposite arm)

Made his cocoon one day.

(cup hands together)

He turned into a butterfly,

(link thumbs together)

And quickly flew away!

(wave fingers and move hands upward as though flying away)

TOMMY THUMBS

Tommy Thumbs up!

(bounce thumbs up)

And Tommy Thumbs down!

(bounce thumbs down)

Tommy Thumbs dancing

(bounce thumbs back and forth)

All around the town!

Dance them on your shoulders!

(bounce thumbs on shoulders)

Dance them on your head!

(bounce thumbs on head)

Dance them on your knees!

(bounce thumbs on knees)

Then tuck them into bed!

(tuck thumbs under arms)

Please share your nursery ideas!