Games About Helping Others

With kids games, entertainment can quickly turn to education if the game teaches children a valuable lesson. Use games to teach children the importance of helping others. While the games require kids to offer assistance, it’s the pre- and postgame discussions that will really drive the point home. Explain to kids what the game’s theme means in terms of their everyday lives.

Use this game to teach small children that many hands make light work. Place three rugs in the center of the room. Cover the rugs with spare toys, books and clothing. Assign each child to one of the three rugs. Assign two children to the first rug. Assign five children to the second rug, and assign the rest to the third rug. Tell kids that when you say “go” they must run to their rug, grab one thing and put it away as quickly as they can. Ask kids to predict which group will finish first. After the game, discuss why the group with more helpers finished first.

Start this activity by asking kids to make several lists on a sheet of paper. Ask them to list five toys they don’t play with anymore. Then have them list five books they don’t read anymore and five clothing items they no longer wear. The child who completes his list first wins a small prize. Explain how there are kids who don’t have toys and books and clothes. Tell kids they can help these children by donating their unused possessions to a local homeless shelter or relief organization. As a class, create a collection box that holds donations. Ask kids to donate items from their list with a parent’s permission. Challenge girls and boys to donate more than the other gender.

Older kids will enjoy playing this food-related game. You will need access to a kitchen. Divide the kids into several groups. Give each group a simple recipe and the accompanying ingredients. Tell kids that they have a certain amount of time to successfully make the recipe. They must finish before time runs out, but they mustn’t rush to ensure the meal is properly made. Encourage kids to cooperate during the process. When each group is finished, donate the meal toward someone in need, such as a bereaved family, a new mom or a local homeless shelter.

Use this game to teach kids how to clean litter and trash from the floor. Divide kids into groups and give each a brown paper bag. Challenge each group to pick up as much litter as they can from the floor. You can also play this game outdoors. Kids must bring as much litter as they can back to the group and put it in the bag. The group with the most litter wins. Before you let kids loose, warn them about anything they shouldn’t pick up with bare fingers, such as chewed bubblegum. Give each child a squirt of hand sanitizer after the activity, or supply inexpensive plastic gloves prior to the activity.