After-school games for all ages
After-school care is a special setting: a big group of mixed ages, kids who are tired after a full school day, and often little equipment or space. These games were chosen with after-school staff in mind.
The answer to mixed ages is a game with a low floor and a high ceiling: a younger child can join in right away, and an older child still won't get bored. Charades and Hot and Cold work so well for exactly this reason, because they need no prior knowledge, just enthusiasm. When you want more competition in a big group, The Great Team Challenge lets you split kids into mixed-age teams instead of by grade, so big and little kids play together, not against each other.
Practical tip: divide the room into zones before you start, one for free movement and one for quiet activities, so kids who need a break are not stuck in the same space as kids who are running around.
Our top picks
- 💪 Everyone vs. Buga: The whole group takes on Buga in seven challenges, so mixed ages win or lose together.
- 🐉 Invent an Imaginary Pet: A seated, creative activity for the hour after lunch, when some kids are too tired to run.
- 📐 Four Corners: A choosing game with short dashes between corners that lets energy out even in a closed room.
- 🧟 Fold-and-Draw Monsters: Head, body and legs drawn by three different kids: a quiet corner that children come back to again and again.
All 92 games
- ✏️ Describe and DrawAges 6+ · 2-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🎯 People BingoAges 6+ · 8-30 players · 10-20 min
- 🔢 Closest Guess WinsAges 8+ · 2-30 players · 10-15 min
- 💡 Silly Inventions PitchAges 8+ · 3-20 players · 10-20 min
- ❎ Challenge Tic-Tac-ToeAges 7+ · 4-20 players · 15-25 min
- 📖 One-Sentence StoryAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 10-20 min
- 🏆 Bracket BattleAges 6+ · 4-30 players · 10-20 min
- 🖼️ Picture RevealAges 5+ · 2-30 players · 5-15 min
- 🗿 Group SculptureAges 6+ · 5-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🕺 Freeze DanceAges 4+ · 4-30 players · 5-10 min
- ⭐ One-Star ReviewsAges 10+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 💬 Finish the SentenceAges 8+ · 3-30 players · 10-30 min
- 🙊 Excuses, Excuses!Ages 7+ · 3-30 players · 10-20 min
- 🌍 Name, Place, Animal, ThingAges 6+ · 2-30 players · 10-20 min
- 😬 Get Me Out of This!Ages 9+ · 3-30 players · 10-25 min
- 🤔 What Would You Do?Ages 7+ · 2-40 players · 10-30 min
- 🧠 Family Trivia NightAges 7+ · 2-40 players · 10-30 min
- 🕵️ Secret AgentAges 8+ · 6-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🛒 I Went ShoppingAges 6+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🔤 Crazy LetterAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🦁 If I Were an AnimalAges 5+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🎡 Challenge WheelAges 5+ · 4-20 players · 10-20 min
- 🤫 Everyone Knows But MeAges 8+ · 5-20 players · 10 min
- 🙃 Wrong Answers OnlyAges 8+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 📐 Four CornersAges 5+ · 8-30 players · 10 min
- 🔗 What's the Connection?Ages 8+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🎬 One-Minute MovieAges 10+ · 4-20 players · 10-20 min
- 🔄 Who Switched Places?Ages 5+ · 6-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🥄 Six UsesAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🤐 Silent Line-UpAges 7+ · 6-30 players · 5 min
- 😀 Emoji RiddlesAges 7+ · 2-20 players · 10 min
- 🎈 Keep the Balloon UpAges 4+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- ⏱️ Five-Second CategoryAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- ⏲️ Minute to Win ItAges 6+ · 2-20 players · 10-20 min
- ❤️ My Favorite ThingAges 5+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- 💪 Everyone vs. BugaAges 6+ · 5-30 players · 15-25 min
- 👋 Name and MotionAges 4+ · 5-30 players · 5 min
- 👜 Mystery BagAges 5+ · 4-20 players · 10 min
- 🏷️ Who Am I?Ages 6+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🐉 Invent an Imaginary PetAges 5+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 👂 Who Made That Sound?Ages 5+ · 6-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🥤 Cup Tower ChallengeAges 5+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🎲 Challenge DiceAges 5+ · 3-20 players · 10-20 min
- ⚽ Speed Ball PassAges 5+ · 8-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🔍 What's Missing? (Kim's Game)Ages 5+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🔥 Hot and ColdAges 4+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🦸 Invent a SuperheroAges 6+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🧹 This Is Not a BroomAges 6+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🖍️ Drawing ChainAges 6+ · 4-20 players · 10-15 min
- ⌛ Speed MeetingAges 8+ · 8-30 players · 10-15 min
- 🙈 Blind DrawingAges 6+ · 4-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🏃 Egg and Spoon RaceAges 5+ · 4-20 players · 10 min
- 🪞 The Mirror GameAges 5+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- 👀 What's Changed?Ages 5+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🔁 Do the OppositeAges 6+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- ⚙️ The Human MachineAges 7+ · 5-20 players · 10 min
- 📝 What Will Everyone Say?Ages 8+ · 5-20 players · 10 min
- 🎭 One Line, Three EmotionsAges 8+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 📸 Freeze FrameAges 7+ · 5-20 players · 10-15 min
- 💃 Dance SwitchAges 4+ · 4-30 players · 10 min
- 👏 The No-Instrument OrchestraAges 5+ · 5-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🧦 Sock BasketballAges 5+ · 2-20 players · 10 min
- 🐒 Copy MeAges 4+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- ✈️ Paper Airplane ContestAges 6+ · 4-30 players · 15 min
- 🏅 The Great Team ChallengeAges 7+ · 10-30 players · 20-30 min
- 🤸 Add-a-MoveAges 5+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🚫 The Yes/No GameAges 7+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🤹 CharadesAges 6+ · 4-20 players · 10-20 min
- ✅ Fact or Fib?Ages 6+ · 2-30 players · 5-15 min
- 🤷 Would You Rather?Ages 7+ · 3-30 players · 10-15 min
- 👑 Simon SaysAges 4+ · 4-30 players · 5-10 min
- 🙋 Find Someone Who...Ages 6+ · 8-30 players · 10-15 min
- 📊 This or ThatAges 6+ · 5-30 players · 5-15 min
- 🐘 Walk Like a...Ages 3+ · 4-30 players · 5-10 min
- 😉 The Secret WinkerAges 8+ · 8-20 players · 10 min
- 🧍 Human MemoryAges 6+ · 8-24 players · 10-15 min
- 🚦 Red Light, Green LightAges 4+ · 5-30 players · 5-10 min
- 👯 Find Your TwinAges 7+ · 8-30 players · 10 min
- 🖊️ Drawing TelephoneAges 7+ · 6-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🪑 Musical Chairs With No One OutAges 4+ · 6-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🌈 Color HuntAges 3+ · 3-30 players · 5-10 min
- 🏝️ Shrinking IslandAges 5+ · 5-20 players · 10 min
- 🙅 Forbidden WordsAges 7+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🤥 Three Truths and a LieAges 8+ · 4-20 players · 10-15 min
- 📞 TelephoneAges 6+ · 6-20 players · 10 min
- 🧩 Word LinksAges 8+ · 2-20 players · 5-15 min
- 🎊 Invent a New HolidayAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🧟 Fold-and-Draw MonstersAges 5+ · 4-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🔀 Switch Places If...Ages 5+ · 8-30 players · 5-10 min
- 📺 Sell Me This!Ages 8+ · 3-20 players · 10-20 min
- 🐮 Who's in My Group?Ages 7+ · 10-30 players · 5-10 min
- ⭕ Tic-Tac-ToeAges 4+ · 2-30 players · 5-15 min
Frequently asked questions
How do you play with a group that has both 1st graders and 5th graders?
Choose games that need no prior knowledge, like Charades or Hot and Cold, and split into mixed-age teams instead of by grade to balance the level.
How long should an after-school game block be?
Usually 20-30 minutes per block, with the option to extend if a game really takes off with the group.
What do we play when it rains and we can't go outside?
Pick games that suit a room: Four Corners, Shrinking Island or Sock Basketball for movement, and Fold-and-Draw Monsters or What's Missing? for quiet time. Switch between the two every 15-20 minutes.