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Simon Says

Adult calls actions - touch your toes, jump three times, spin around. Child does the action. Skip the "tricks" element for younger kids.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child at home: adult calls actions - touch your toes, jump three times, spin around.
  • Age2 to 7 years
  • Time5 to 15 minutes
  • EnergyModerate
  • CostFree
  • WhereIndoors or out
  • PrepNone

Call out movement instructions for your child to follow. For young children, drop the "gotcha" trick element and just use it as a fun movement game. For older children, introduce the rule: only do it if the caller says "Simon says" first.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing your child with enough space around them for movement.
  2. Call out a simple action: "touch your toes," "jump three times," "spin around," "clap your hands," "hop on one foot."
  3. For ages 2-4: skip the trick rule entirely: just call actions and enjoy doing them together. Model each action as you call it.
  4. For ages 4+: introduce the rule: only do the action if you say "Simon says" first. If you say the action without "Simon says," they must stay still.
  5. Vary the pace: slow and silly, fast and energetic, or in a soft whisper.

What you need

  • Clear space

Signs it is working

Your child performs the actions with enthusiasm. They try to do each movement correctly rather than just any movement. For older children, they catch themselves when you try a trick

If it is not quite clicking

Child doesn't know what "touch your toes" means: Do the action yourself first: a quick demo is all they need. The trick element causes frustration in a 4-year-old who keeps "losing": Remove it and go back to pure action calls; the game works well without it. Child wants to be the caller: Let them: even at 3, they love giving instructions, and switching roles extends the game naturally

Make it yours

Younger (2-3y): Use only 4-5 action types and repeat them; novelty isn't the goal at this age, physical engagement is. Older (5-7y): Include more complex multi-step actions ("Simon says: jump twice, then touch the floor") or silly combinations. Siblings: Older sibling can be the caller; younger one just does the actions. Stopping signal: Agree on the number of actions before starting: "Simon will give ten commands, then we're done." Count the commands aloud and announce "last one!" on the final command so your child can prepare for the end.

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