6 Fun Games Like Simon Says
The classic game Simon Says is a super fun activity loved by children of all ages. Simon Says is great for teaching listening skills, cognitive skills, and to teach children how to follow instructions. In this post, we list our favorite games like Simon Says that kids really love. Most of these games like Simon Says can be played both offline and online via Zoom. If you’re not sure how to play the original Simon Says game, then check out our post on How To Play Simon Says.
Fun Games Like Simon Says
1. Touch Your Nose, Please.
This first game like Simon Says has all the same rules as Simon Says with one difference. Instead of saying ‘Simon Says…’ each time, the student playing ‘Simon’ must say ‘please‘ instead. For example, rather than say “Simon says touch your nose.”, a student would say “Touch your nose, please.”. If ‘Simon’ does not say ‘please’ then the students should not do the action. What’s great about this Simon Says variation is that it teaches students how to ask for something politely.
2. Do As I Say, Not As I Do
If the classic Simon Says game is too easy for your students, a great game like Simon Says is ‘Do As I Say, Not As I Do’. The title of this game says it all really. Students must listen to the teacher carefully and do what the teacher says, not has he/she does. For example, the teacher might say ‘Touch your nose.” and at the same time touch his/her head. This variation of Simon Says is a little more difficult and can be a really fun challenge for kids.
3. Follow The Leader
This game is a little like Simon Says in that students must follow what the ‘leader’ is doing. The leader can be the teacher or another student. This game is best played outside or in a place with lots of space. The leader will walk around in any direction they wish, and the rest of the students will follow. The leader can also walk or act in anyway they wish and everyone must copy. For example, the leader might begin walking in slow motion, and then change to moving along like a train, and then change to walking like a monkey. The sillier the better! This game is great as a warm up activity if your class has lots of energy.
4. What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?
‘What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?’ is a fun game like Simon Says because students must listen carefully to the ‘wolf’ and follow what he/she says. This game is best played outside or in a space large enough for students to run around safely. To play, choose one student to be the ‘wolf’. This person will stand at one end of the playground facing away from the other students. The other students will be standing on the other side of the playground. Now the game can begin.
All students will shout “What time is it Mr. Wolf?” and the wolf will answer “It’s one o’clock.”, “It’s five o’clock.”, etc. The students must then take steps forward towards the wolf. The number of steps the students take should correspond to the time. So, if the wolf says ‘It’s three o’clock.”, then students should take three steps forward. Once students are close enough to the wolf, the wolf can shout ‘Dinner Time!” and then turn around and chase the other students. If the wolf catches a student, then that student becomes the wolf and the game starts again.
5. Simon Says Draw
This game like Simon Says is great if you’re students like to draw. To play, give each student a piece of paper and a pencil. Next, draw a picture of a face on a white board, but don’t show the students. Now the game can begin. Tell the students what to draw so that they make a face just like the one you drew. For example, you can say “Draw two big blue eyes.”, “Draw a big nose.”, “Draw short curly hair.”, etc. Once students have finished their drawing, reveal the face that you drew and see how similar they are.
6. Simon Says Spell…
This next game is a variation of Simon Says designed to practice spelling. This is a great way to review vocabulary from the lesson. To play, go around the class and ask each student to spell a word from the lesson by saying ‘Simon says spell banana.” This may sound a little boring, but to make it more fun tell students that if you don’t say ‘Simon says…’ then students should not spell the word, but should instead shout the word.” If a student spells the word when they should shout, or shout when they should spell the word, then they are out.
Thanks for reading. I hope these games like Simon Says have given you some inspiration for your next classroom game. Before you go, you may also be interested in these related articles: 10 Fun Time Filler Activities, 5 Fun Virtual Classroom Games.