Printable Games for Kids

From LoveToKnow Kids

Printable games for kids offer a fun and affordable way to bring a smile to a child's face. While there are many free online games available as well, printable games are a good choice for when you don't want your child to spend hours in front of the computer.

The Internet is a wonderful resource for finding free children's games.

Memory Games

Memory games, also known as concentration games, are a great choice for entertaining younger children since no reading is required to play. All you need to do is match corresponding pairs of cards. DLTK has a great tool for printing memory games that includes seasonal card designs as well as cards to teach the names of animals, flowers, music, and body parts. Cards intended for memory games or concentration games also work well for playing "Go Fish." This makes them extremely versatile options for keeping your children entertained.

Dominoes

Dominoes work well as a first game choice for young children, since the rules are easy to understand. You can find printable dominoes covering fun themes such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Charlotte's Web on the Suite 101 Crafts Web site. Read a story together, then enjoy a game of dominoes.

BINGO

BINGO is a wonderful game to play whenever you need to entertain a large group of children. Kaboose has 24 different free printable BINGO games. The selection includes fun variations such as JESUS, MOMMY, DADDY, PIZZA, SCRAP, and BUNNY themed cards.

Word Searches and Scrambles

Word searches and scrambles can help kids build their vocabulary. The Kidz Page has a number of printable games for kids, including many word searches and scrambles with holiday themes. If you want to create a customized word search puzzle using a specific list of vocabulary words, check out the online puzzle creation tool on the Teachnology Web site.

Mazes

Mazes teach logic skills, as well as the value of patience and persistence. Kids who enjoy mazes will find a number of selections on the Kid Printables Web site. For your convenience, many of the games are labeled with the level of difficulty.

Paper Dolls

In today's modern world, simple paper dolls may not sound like a very exciting toy. However, the flexibility of these creations is a wonderful way to promote a child's creativity. Check out the LoveToKnow Kids articles on Free Paper Dolls, Dress Up Paper Dolls, and Paper Doll Heaven for more information.

Playing Card Games

While many of these games may be too complicated for young children, older kids will enjoy playing the games listed on the Pagat Web site. Create a special deck of customized playing cards by using the "King of Cool" project found on the HP Web site.

Tips for Making Printable Games for Kids

When you're searching for printable games for kids, it may be helpful to keep in mind the following tips:

To prevent injuries, provide close supervision if you plan to allow your child to cut out any game pieces.
If your child enjoys drawing and coloring, print the pages in black and white. He/she can have lots of fun decorating the game pieces with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
Use cardstock instead of regular printer paper to make your game a bit more durable.
Consider laminating frequently used game pieces. If you laminate word searches, mazes, and other puzzles, your kids can use a dry erase marker to play as many times as they want.
If the game has many different pieces, such as a set of BINGO cards, have your child decorate an old cardboard box to use as a storage container.