20 English Games for Kids Aged 3 to 10

How can you teach English to children without boring them? The secret is to turn learning into a game! Through fun activities, songs, riddles and small challenges, children can become familiar with a new language in a spontaneous and engaging way.

English games are suitable for children who are just beginning to learn the language as well as those who already have a small vocabulary. They can be proposed at home, at school, during after-school activities or during time spent with a babysitter or an au pair.

Here are 20 English games to try with children aged 3 to 10 years, with instructions and practical examples.

English games for children aged 3 to 5 years

At this age it is preferable to propose short activities based on images, music, movement and repetition. It is not necessary for the child to know how to read: they can learn by listening and associating words with actions.

1. Simon Says – Simon Says

Objective: to learn parts of the body and movement verbs.

An adult plays Simon and gives commands in English. Children must follow them only when the sentence begins with “Simon says”.

Examples:

• Simon says: touch your nose!
• Simon says: clap your hands!
• Simon says: jump!
• Simon says: touch your head!

For younger children, you can eliminate the elimination rule and let everyone continue playing, focusing on understanding the words.

2. Colour Hunt – Colour Hunt

Objective: to learn colours in English.

The adult chooses a colour and invites the child to find an object of the same shade.

For example: “Find something red!”. The child must look for something red in the room.

You can use all the main colours: red, blue, yellow, green, pink, orange, purple and black.

To make the game more lively, you can organize a timed race or an outdoor colour hunt.

3. Animal Sounds – Guess the Animal

Objective: to learn animal names.

The adult imitates the sound of an animal or shows an illustrated card. The child must guess which animal it is and pronounce its name in English.

Examples:

• Dog: woof!
• Cat: meow!
• Cow: moo!
• Duck: quack!
• Lion: roar!

After guessing, the child can imitate the animal and move like it.

4. Musical Statues – Musical Statues

Objective: to learn words and commands through movement.

A children's song in English is played and everyone is invited to dance. When the music stops, you must remain still like statues.

Before starting again, the adult can give a command: “Stand on one leg!”, “Touch your head!” or “Make a funny face!”.

The game helps children associate English with gestures and makes the activity particularly energetic.

5. What's Missing? – What's Missing?

Objective: to memorize simple vocabulary.

Three or four familiar objects are placed on the table, such as a ball, a car, a book and a teddy bear.

The child observes the objects and repeats their names. Then closes their eyes while the adult hides one.

When they open their eyes again, they must answer the question: “What's missing?”.

For children aged 3 or 4, you can use only two or three objects, gradually increasing the number.

6. Hello, Goodbye! – The Greeting Game

Objective: to learn greeting expressions.

The adult and child pretend to meet in different places: at the park, at school, at the supermarket or at a party.

With each meeting, you use expressions such as:

• Hello!
• Good morning!
• How are you?
• I'm fine, thank you!
• Goodbye!
• See you later!

To make the game more fun, you can use puppets that greet each other.

7. The Teddy Bear Game – The Teddy Bear Game

Objective: to learn parts of the body and prepositions.

A stuffed animal is chosen and simple instructions are given in English: “Put the teddy bear on the chair”, “Put the teddy bear under the table” or “Touch the teddy bear's nose”.

The child must perform the correct action.

It is a particularly useful game for introducing words like on, under, next to and behind, through concrete situations.

English games for children aged 5 to 7 years

At this age, you can introduce slightly more structured rules, small dialogues and games that require remembering words or answering questions.

8. English Bingo – Bingo in English

Objective: to recognize and remember vocabulary.

A card is prepared with images of animals, colours, fruits or objects. The adult pronounces a word in English and the children must identify the corresponding image.

For example, if the adult says “Apple!”, the child covers the figure of the apple.

The winner is the one who completes a row first or the entire card.

For beginners it is preferable to use images; later you can introduce cards with written words.

9. Fruit Salad – Fruit Salad

Objective: to learn the names of fruits and listen to instructions.

Each child is given the name of a fruit: apple, banana, orange or strawberry.

The children sit in a circle. When the adult pronounces the name of a fruit, the child it represents must stand up and swap places with another child who has the same name.

When the adult says “Fruit salad!”, everyone must change places.

To avoid confusion, you can also play simply by placing fruit cards on the table and asking the children to find the ones named.

10. Memory Game – Memory Game

Objective: to associate images and English words.

Pairs of cards are prepared with animals, objects, food or colours. The cards are placed face down on the table.

In turn, each child flips two cards trying to find a matching pair. When they find one, they must pronounce the vocabulary word in English.

A variant consists of matching the image to the written word, for example a picture of a cat to the card with the word cat.

11. What's in the Bag? – What's in the Bag?

Objective: to learn the names of everyday objects.

Some familiar objects are placed in a bag, such as a spoon, a pencil, a toy car and a ball.

Without looking, the child takes one and tries to guess what it is by using touch.

The adult can ask: “What is it?”. The child tries to answer: “It's a ball!”.

For older children, you can add clues like “It's round” or “You can play with it”.

12. Find the Pair – Find the Pair

Objective: to learn vocabulary and associations.

Cards are prepared with pairs of connected elements: sun and sky, dog and bone, toothbrush and teeth, or cup and tea.

The cards are distributed to the children, who must find the correct partner by pronouncing the words in English.

The game can be adapted to the language level: younger children can match identical images, while older children can explain why two elements are connected.

13. The Weather Game – What's the Weather?

Objective: to learn weather-related expressions.

Cards are prepared with images representing the sun, rain, clouds, snow and wind.

Each child picks a card and describes the weather using a simple sentence:

• It's sunny.
• It's rainy.
• It's cloudy.
• It's windy.
• It's snowy.

You can also create a small weather calendar to update every morning, turning the game into a daily routine.

14. Jump to the Number – Jump to the Number

Objective: to learn numbers in English.

Papers with numbers from 1 to 10 are placed on the floor. The adult pronounces a number and the child must jump on the corresponding paper.

To increase the difficulty, you can ask for small operations: “Two plus one!”. The child will have to reach number 3.

It is important to use a space free from obstacles and choose movements suitable for the age.

English games for children aged 7 to 10 years

Older children can take on more complex language games, riddles, dialogues and small group challenges. The aim is to encourage them to actively use words and to build increasingly complete sentences.

15. Guess Who? – Guess Who?

Objective: to practise asking questions in English.

One child mentally chooses an animal, a character or an object. The others must guess what it is by asking yes or no questions.

Examples:

• Is it an animal?
• Is it big?
• Can it fly?
• Is it brown?
• Does it live in the jungle?

The game helps you practise asking questions and describing characteristics.

16. Word Chain – Word Chain

Objective: to expand vocabulary.

The first player says a word in English, for example cat. The next one must pronounce a new word that begins with the last letter of the previous word.

Cat → tiger → rabbit → table.

If the child doesn't know a word, they can ask for a hint. For beginners you can choose a specific theme, such as animals, food or school objects.

17. English Pictionary – Draw and Guess

Objective: to learn vocabulary through images and descriptions.

A child picks a card with an English word and must draw it without pronouncing it. The others must guess the vocabulary word.

You can use words like house, elephant, bicycle, ice cream, rainbow and airplane.

For older children, you can introduce expressions like “ride a bike” or “brush your teeth”, to be represented through a drawing.

18. The Shopping Game – Let's Go Shopping

Objective: to practise everyday conversations.

A small shop is organized with toy objects or pretend food. One child plays the shopkeeper and another plays the customer.

The expressions to use can be:

• Hello! Can I help you?
• I'd like two apples, please.
• How much is it?
• Here you are.
• Thank you!

You can use fake coins and price tags, also introducing numbers and first expressions related to money.

19. Story Cubes – Make Up a Story

Objective: to stimulate creativity and oral production.

Illustrated dice or cards with images of animals, people, places and objects are prepared.

Each child picks some images and must invent a story in English that contains them all.

For those with a beginner level, it is enough to create short sentences like “The cat is in the garden”. More experienced children can invent stories with a beginning, a development and a conclusion.

It is not necessary to correct every mistake during the story: it is preferable to encourage the child to communicate and then offer the correct forms.

20. Treasure Hunt – Treasure Hunt with Clues

Objective: to understand instructions and read simple sentences in English.

A small prize is hidden and a series of clues are prepared that lead to the treasure.

For example:

• Look under the chair.
• Go to the kitchen.
• Find something blue.
• Look inside the box.

Each clue leads to the next one. Children must read or listen to the instructions and work together to reach the goal.

For 7-year-olds, you can use short sentences accompanied by images; for older children, the clues can become more structured.

How to Choose the Right Game?

Not all games are suitable for every child. The choice depends on age, English level, personal interests and the context in which the activity takes place.

Here's a quick guide:

• 3–5 years: Recommended games: Simon Says, Colour Hunt, Animal Sounds, Musical Statues; Main objective: Listening, movement and first words
• 5–7 years: Recommended games: Bingo, Memory, What's in the Bag?, Jump to the Number; Main objective: Vocabulary and comprehension
• 7–10 years: Recommended games: Guess Who?, Pictionary, Shopping Game, Story Cubes; Main objective: Conversation and sentence building

These age ranges are indicative: an older child who is just starting to learn English can also have fun with simpler games.

5 Tips for Teaching English Through Play

1. Use short sentences. At first, simple instructions are easier to understand than long explanations.

2. Repeat words in different contexts. A child can learn apple with an illustrated card, find it during the supermarket game and use it during snack time.

3. Alternate quiet and active activities. After a board game, suggest a song or a physical activity.

4. Don't turn every game into a test. The goal is to create a positive experience and give the child the opportunity to try without fear of making mistakes.

5. Value progress. A new vocabulary word remembered, a spontaneous answer or a sentence pronounced with greater confidence are all small important steps.

Conclusion

English games for children aged 3 to 10 years are a simple and fun way to approach a foreign language. From songs for the youngest to treasure hunts and conversation games for the older ones, each activity can become an opportunity to listen, speak and learn new words.

You don't need expensive materials or long lessons: all it takes is a bit of creativity, the desire to play and activities suited to the child's level.

The most important thing is to make sure that English is perceived as a tool for communicating, exploring and having fun, rather than as a task to be completed.