Developmental Children's Games

Playing is an important part of child development. When your child plays with others, he is learning important skills that will enable him to form relationships and participate as a valuable member of a team. Games encourage cooperation and development of self-esteem and will also allow your child to grow physically and cognitively.

It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a game that requires children to partner up and work together to accomplish a task, says Rae Pica, author of "Great Games for Young Children: Over 100 Games to Develop Self-Confidence, Problem-Solving Skills and Cooperation," As children work together they are developing social skills that allow them to act as part of a team and are also learning to cooperate. Two children form a team and are required to stay connected while moving around. Children can start by connecting with their hands and discovering how many ways they can move with their hands connected. As the game progresses, children connect more challenging body parts, such as their legs or their backs. Winning teams are those that remain connected for each round. This game also teaches cognitive development as young children learn to identify different body parts while they play.

Balloon Float

Balloon Toss promotes healthy development by teaching children to work together to keep a balloon in the air. Children can also learn concepts related to floating and gravity as they try to prevent the balloon from touching the ground. To play, children are divided into teams of two and each team is given an inflated balloon. Teams are challenged to keep the balloon in the air by batting it, hitting it or tossing it. If a team's balloon hits the ground, they are out. Play continues until one team is left. They become the winners. To make the game more challenging, have children hit the balloon with body parts other than their hands. Using their elbows, legs or heads will promote physical development as well as problem-solving skills.

Blob Tag

Children use games to develop self-esteem and create their own identity. Blob Tag is a game that requires teamwork and cooperation. One player is chosen as "it" and the remaining players begin running around trying to keep from being tagged. When a player is tagged, she joins hands with "it" to form a blob. Each time another player is tagged, she also joins the "it" blob. The last player to be tagged is the winner. As children play, they learn problem-solving skills and cooperation as they must work together to move in the right direction to tag the remaining players.