Kid Tested Cooperative Learning Games to Play Right Now

We’ve all been there as teachers. It’s game day, Friday free play, or indoor recess, and the kids are arguing and fighting about who wins, who goes first, just about anything! It is frustrating for the kids, and for the teacher! In order to prevent this, strong social emotional skills are important.

One way for children to develop their social skills is through cooperative play.  The key to cooperative play and learning is setting kids up for success!

It’s known that children who engage in cooperative play are more likely to develop empathy and compassion towards others. When children engage in cooperative play, they learn to communicate effectively and respectfully with others. They also learn to listen actively to others’ ideas and consider others’ perspectives. These skills are essential for developing empathy and understanding towards others.

What is Cooperative Play?

So how exactly do we do all of this? We teach them how to play! Young children first need to learn how to play games with one another. That’s where we come in as teachers! Setting up games and expectations helps them to learn how to play without getting upset about the outcome. Children are working together instead of against one another.

This is different from competitive games, where the primary focus tends to be on winning.  Since there is no winner or loser, the pressure is off individual children and helps them to relax and just have FUN! I go in depth about this in my other blog post.

Everyone succeeds and no one gets left out! You will then have a peaceful school year, and your students will be able to play together with less drama and more fun!

Cooperative Play vs. Competitive Play

In competitive play the entire focus is on winning, but with cooperative play, the goal is to complete a task together. Cooperative play has a positive impact, especially for young children who are just beginning to learn how to get along with others.

I’m not knocking competitive play entirely! It’s great for older children after they have the emotional skills necessary to “lose.” Cooperative play is the key to strengthening positive emotional development in the early years. This helps children understand how to play sports and games fairly when they are older. 

Impact of Cooperative Play

• Cooperative play helps children develop social skills such as communication, sharing, and teamwork.

• It fosters a sense of community and belongingness among children, which can positively impact their emotional well-being.

• Through cooperative play, children learn to take turns, negotiate conflicts, and empathize with others.

• It can also enhance cognitive development as children engage in problem-solving and decision-making activities.

• Cooperative play can lead to the formation of strong friendships, which can have a lasting impact on a child’s social life.

Negative Effects of Losing

• Low self-esteem: Losing can make a child feel inadequate and inferior to their peers. This can lead to a lack of confidence in their abilities and a negative self-image.

• Social isolation: Children who lose frequently may feel excluded from their social group, leading to feelings of loneliness and isolation.

• Aggression: Losing can be frustrating and upsetting for a child, which can manifest as aggressive behavior towards their peers or themselves.

• Fear of failure: Children who experience frequent losses may develop a fear of failure, which can hold them back in their future endeavors.

• Lack of motivation: Losing can be demotivating for a child, leading to a lack of interest in participating in future activities or games.

  
  

There’s a time to introduce competitive games as children get older and are better equipped to lose. Playing games with children isn’t about winning or losing, but about spending quality time together and having fun! Finding ways to make games more collaborative or changing the rules to level the playing field can help ensure that everyone has a good time and feels accepted.

As educators and caregivers, it’s important to create a supportive and inclusive environment for children to learn and grow. Encouraging participation and emphasizing the importance of effort over winning can help alleviate the negative effects of losing and promote a growth mindset in young children. Teaching children these important skills will help set them up for a successful and happy school year.

Game Ideas to Promote Cooperative Learning

Games are a great way for children to develop a variety of both cognitive and social emotional skills.  They are having so much fun they don’t even realize they are also learning important life skills! Setting up expectations and practicing how to play early in the year will help make your life much easier as a teacher. Best of all, imagine the children’s excitement when their team achieves their goal!

Ready to play? Here are some simple and differentiated games that you can easily set up and play. Just print and go! 

Here are some super fun games I created to promote cooperative learning with young children (pre-k through 2nd grade):

1. Feed Lubble- Lubble is a very hungry monster! Children will work together to feed.  There are 20 food options, including pasta and a cupcake and 7 non-food choices, including keys.  If Lubble does not get 20 foods by the time the game is over, he will need to be fed again! Students will be proud of themselves as they learn to work together as a team to feed Lubble all the food that he needs before the time is up.

2. 

   Help Lubble – Lubble needs help to learn how to make good choices! He didn’t listen to his mom and got lost! In this game, children will work on helping him get home! They will answer questions about things that can happen in school.  What would you do?…..“There is no room at your favorite center.” This helps students think about navigating situations at school. They will also work on counting and team work. *Variation- Play the game with any set of task cards. There are several blank cards included to help you create your own game.

   
   

3. Acts of Kindness–Cooperative Learning Game - Teach them to be kind! This getting to know you game encourages children to recall a time they were kind by asking different questions such as “Tell about a time you cleaned up your toys.”Children will develop a sense of team spirit, and feel good about themselves! 

   
   

4. Doughnut Race – Who’s hungry? Children work together as they race to collect yummy doughnuts! Kids will practice counting, color recognition skills and cooperation.  Will you end up with more pumpkin doughnuts or more apple doughnuts? Play together and find out! Don’t forget to take some sips of the pumpkin drink while you play! 

   
   

5. Apple Festival – In this game children work on counting, sorting and matching skills while discussing various social scenarios.  The goal of this game is for children to gather 15 apples for the apple bobbing game at the festival before getting the 5 spotted apples. The children pick cards and answer various “What would you do?” questions. This engaging game is perfect for playing in the fall!

   

6. All About Me – Let’s get to know each other! This cooperative game will help students and teachers get familiar with one another, it is perfect for the beginning of the school year. It helps get students talking and helps them feel comfortable within the group.  Students answer questions, and then also ask that question to their neighbor to get them interacting. This is a great game to play at the beginning of the year! 

Save big by getting the bundle which includes all five cooperative learning games!!!

Naturally, children who engage in cooperative play are more likely to develop empathy, compassion, and social skills, which are essential for building healthy relationships with others. Encouraging children to engage in cooperative play is an excellent way to support their emotional and social development.

Cooperative play is an important part of a child’s growth and development. Why not include these fun games in your lesson plans today!