Today’s children spend an excessive amount of time staring at screens. Do you recall the hand games you played with your friends or parents? Hand games are straightforward, engaging, and entertaining. What’s more, they can play these games without toys. Go through the 22 fun and interactive hand games for kids. No extra device, no extra waste! Your kids can play with their siblings, friends, and other family members, either inside to limit screen time or outside, especially when you are waiting in a queue!
Table of Contents
What Are the Hand Games and their Benefit
Hand games are games in which the players mainly use their hands, such as hand clapping, finger tapping, hand dancing, etc. The games interest many elementary and academic cultures for music and social-emotional education. Here are some benefits of hand games.
Suitable for Children in Brain and Physical Development
Hand games are excellent for teaching kids hand-eye coordination and other coordination abilities by singing rhythm and clapping to the beat. Many clapping games introduce your child to listening and following directions. Certain games require your child to only show hands when a specific word is spoken, for example, Rock paper scissors. These games help kids improve their listening skills.
The hand games will also aid in developing your child’s vocabulary. For example, many clapping games include singing and clapping, which will help them learn new words with each song they sing. Along the way, their understanding and thinking will improve, and they will learn to communicate more effectively. Playing a variety of fun and educational games will boost their cognitive abilities.
Teaching your child how to make shadow puppets can help them strengthen their muscles. Educational games like finger counting and multiplication can help your children improve their math skills.
Last but not least, when playing with others, your child will develop excellent social skills. They will learn to collaborate, teach new children the moves, and develop patience and understanding when they or others get the activities wrong.
Hand Games Saved Money, Time and Energy for Parents
You can spend quality time with your kids at zero cost, zero waste, and nothing to clean up! Kids will entertain themselves in any situation – on a road trip, in a long queue, or waiting for a doctor. The best part? No screen as well!
What Do Experts Say?
There are different studies about hand games. For example, hand-clapping can enhance blood circulation, reduce hair fall, and improve skin health, immunity, and breathing. Hand clapping appears to work like acupressure or acupuncture to help the energy circulation, improve focus, and reduce tension. The benefits are not only for children but also for adults as well. Jane McGonigal has been presented in TED talks on the ten benefits of thumb wrestling by making the group activity.
Hand games can be musical, creative, educational, or focus on physical exercise. Let’s have a look!
A. Classic Hand Games
1. Rock Paper Scissors (All ages)
“Rock paper scissors” is not only the most classic but also considered the oldest hand game. In 206 BC, the Chinese people introduced this game to Japan in the 1700s. This game has deep roots in Japanese culture, as people use it to settle disputes and make decisions. The game has evolved and moved worldwide under different names, but the fundamentals remain the same—this enjoyable game for elder kids by anticipating your opponent’s moves and outwitting them.
2. Thumb Wrestling (All ages)
Thumb wrestling is an official game or an actual sport with rules. It even has a world championship. It is unclear who invented thumb wrestling because two persons claimed it. American copywriter Julian Koenig claimed that he invented the game when he was a boy at summer camp in 1936. Another man named Paul Davidson claimed that his grandfather invented this game. If your thumb pins down your opponent’s thumb for three seconds, then you win!
3. Hand Or Fist Stacking (All ages)
The players make a fist or put their hands flat. The player stacks the fist or a hand, and stacking goes higher and higher until the underneath hand or fist does not get any higher. The game can play as stacking downwards.
4. Hand slaps (All ages)
Hand slap is a two-player game that needs concentration and quick reflexes. Two players stand face to face. Both players keep their hands in front, one palm facing upward at the bottom. The other player put his hands right on top, facing downward. The person has hands on the bottom, flips his hands, and tries to hit the person’s hands on top. The person on top tries to get away by moving his hands quickly. They can exchange places if they are indecisive or their hand gets slapped.
B. Musical Hand Game
5. One Little Finger (2-4 years old)
One Little Finger is a modern song that teaches children about their body parts. It is prevalent among children and is very educational because it teaches body parts at a slower pace than other songs such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
The song is simple to remember and adaptable, as body parts can be changed or added at any time. There are also similar songs such as “head shoulders knees and toes“, “if you’re happy“, and “finger family song“.
6. Double This, Double That (4-6 years old)
This is one of the best hand-clapping games for kids. You will need to sing the rhyme “Double-double this this, double-double that that, double this, double that, double-double this that” while clapping. You can also go faster or slower or create different clap patterns as in the below video.
In the meanwhile, there are also other songs suitable for this age group, such as “Tic-tac-toe“, “Little Liza Jane” and “Bim Bum” “Patty Cake“.
7. Seven (6-8 years old)
This game has seven rounds, and each round has seven claps. You can sing “Old MacDonald had a farm” along with it after you are familiar with the clapping.
How to play?
- The first one is hitting the table 7 times. do that twice with a gap of about one-hit long in between each
- Then you hit the table and clap: hit, clap, hit, slap, hit, slap, hit. do that twice with a gap of about one-hit long in between each
- Then you hit, clap, click, hit, clap, click, hit. Twice.
- Then: hit, cross your hands over and hit, hit, clap, click, clap, hit. Twice.
- Step 3 again
- Step 2 again
- Step 1 again
8. Mochi (8+ years old)
It is getting more complex with Mochi, but for elder kids, they can definitely try and have fun!
C. Creative Hand Games
9. Where is mama finger (1 to 3 years old)
Does your toddler know the finger family? Papa-finger (thumb), mama-finger (index) etc. Go through the fingers and use your left hand to hold your right hand. Ask them to find where mama-finger is from the top view. Then change the sequence and play with them again.
10. Catch my fingers (1 to 6 years old)
Spread your finger like an umbrella, ask your kids to use the index finger to stick to it. Sing a lyrics and try to catch to catch the index finger in the end of lyrics. In the meanwhile, the other party should be run in the meanwhile.
11. Where is my fingers (6+)
It is a fantastic and easy magic trick that to play with schoolers. You don’t need anything for this but practice in advance to perform it right. Once your kids know, they will laugh and try to create their version and impress everyone.
Hold out one hand and bend your thumb. The other hand places fingers over the other thumb. Try to move it back and forth to pretend the thumb is separated.
12. Hand magic tricks (All ages)
Inspired and amazed by the above tricks? Here are 10 more! Such as removing and restoring your pinkie finger, folding your thumb in half, pushing one hand through the other, etc. All of these magic tricks are very visual; however, some of them require you to be careful about your angles and need to practice first.
13. Where is the coin? (All ages)
For this one, you need to find something small to hold in your hand, put your hands behind your back and swap the hand. Make fists of both hands, bring them to the front, and ask the kids to guess which hand has the object. Then they can do the same trick, and you can have a guess. You can have fun for hours in this game, especially in the car and the long queue.
14. Shadow puppets
Shadow-puppets play at night or in a dark room with a single light source (torch or candle) and cast on a blank wall. You can be creative in making different animals or other things.
The best part about shadow puppets is that they can combine with other games, such as rock paper scissors! If you need some help for inspiration, check here!
D. Spelling Hand Games
15. Finger Spelling (2 to 4 years old)
Fingerspelling can be a good game if your toddler learns the alphabet and numbers.
- The two players hold hands while one of them closes their eyes and with hand palm facing upwards.
- The other player draws a letter or a number on the palm of the first player with the finger.
- The first player needs to guess the letter or number. You can also draw words for advanced-level children.
16. Concentration
The hand game can help your children improve their concentration levels by setting the rhythm. Two or more players must sit in a circle to begin the rhythm. Slap your knees first, then clap your hands in a rhythm. You could also include finger snapping. The leader determines the game’s category. Animals, names, pet names, food, or locations are all possibilities. Each player must say a word from that category when it is their turn, and it must be done without disrupting the game’s flow. If a player cannot tell a related word or repeat a word before the rhythm changes, they are disqualified until the last winner.
E. Mathematical Hand Games
17. Chopsticks (Finger counting)
This game is suitable for kids to have a basic math concepts. Every player starts with one finger on each hand and takes turns tapping hands. The other play must put out the same finger number on her hands. If the number exceeds 5, then the hand is out. You lose the game if both hands are out. However, you can switch your finger number between your left and right hand.
18. Inspiration Hand Math: How High Can you Count on Your Fingers?
F. Performance Hand Games
Now let’s see some hand-show performance by masters
19. Feminine Fingers
20. Hand Shadow Act
21. Hand Clapping Skit
22. Hand Dance
Conclusion
Here we showed the 22 hand games for five big categories, hope you enjoy and don not forget to tell us which one did you tried！
About Me
Hi, there. I am Lin. Together with my husband and two kids, we live in the beautiful Netherlands in Europe. I am dedicated to self-development, creating quality time for the whole family, and fully supporting kids with their potentials and possibilities with all I have learned from engineering, MBA, and 10+ years of working experience in the energy sector.
