7 Fun Classroom Games For Teaching Following Directions To Kids

Like all other vital educational topics, little ones also need to learn about shapes and directions. Be it to identify different corners of a shelf, or to travel to school themselves, knowledge on directions may be pivotal even as a child. Further to determine where they are or to locate their home, office, or even rooms in their house, the sense and gripping knowledge of directions is necessary.  Kids are often a repository of dreams which often make them pounce upon those learning styles that are creative and engaging. Joining these dots, one can infer that games may provide a credible plan of action for instructing different directions that need to be followed in different tasks. 

With that view, we made a list of a few games for kids. These options are simple and can be effortlessly employed in school or at home. Let’s have a precise view of each of these choices so that you may decide progressively about which is the apt take-in for you.  

Pivotal attributes for little learners- How do following directions assist?

Learning a few life-serving attributes right at a tender age often assists them to deal with scenarios later painlessly, Sense of direction is one of them. To comprehend precisely, it is the ability of the children to search one’s way around swiftly when they are in a new place. Or, it may also be understood as the knowledge to decide to which direction something is facing or moving.  

 The classroom games can implicitly polish these abilities as these campaigns basically imply the students listening to some instructions regarding directions. Fascinatingly, learners may also improve a few attributes with these directional activities and games: 

  • Children may develop better attention. In the following activities, the learner may need to focus on what the mentor orders. This creates a sense of priority keeping distractions away. 
  • Brushed up hearing abilities with prolonged practice.
  • Frequently retaining the information and applying it may assist amplification of working memory. 
  • Healthier Social behaviors as the learners listen to others before acting.  

Easy following directions games- Concocted for tiny learners

Mastering a sense of direction may turn further effortless with the implementation of engaging educating recreations inside the classroom. Here is our list of must-look games that are innovatively crafted for following directions in kids:

1. Music or Stop

Ensuring multimedia in the game may excite young learners with a scope of multisensory learning.  This recreation stipulates the students to follow the music to win. 

  • To start with, the instructor needs to arrange a music source. A mobile phone or a music player will work well. 
  • Students are made to stand in a row at one corner of the class, which can be marked as the start line. 
  • There are instructions given on the board as to what directions students need to move in order to reach the endpoint. 
  • Now, when the teacher starts the music, the little ones start moving forward. Suddenly the music may get paused; here the students need to halt and freeze till the music is replayed. 
  • While the song is being played, the mentor has to keep a check that students are moving in the given directions only.
  • The control of the music is in the hands of the teacher, thereby controlling the direction.
  • The student who reaches the other side of the class first is declared the winner. 

This game is simple and can be implemented easily with young learners in the classroom and at home. 

2. Set the table

Set the table

For students who are new to the school or classroom essence may need guidance to set their particulars. This can be gamified to create motivation in learners for the lecture later. 

  • To start with, the teacher asks the students to take their places in the classroom.
  • Now teachers declare instructions one by one to ensure the students are ready for the class. 
  • For instance, “Open your bag and keep it to your right side,” “take out your book and keep it in front of you,” “grab out a pencil from the pouch and keep it on the left side of your notebook,” and so on.  
  • To make it yet more interesting, they may occasionally instruct random directives like raise/ fold your hands, sit up and stand up. 
  • Keep a check on the children to make sure they follow all these commands along with directions. 


This game may be a preferable icebreaker for students at the start of the day as it lets them make better bonds with the teacher’s pace. 

3. Coloured Shapes

 Coloured Shapes

Measures like drawing are often intriguing for students. This game is woven around the coloring skills of the learners. 

  • To start with, teachers need to arrange crayons, and a set of sheets with multiple shapes like circles, and squares are drawn on them. 
  • They may consider providing copies of printouts to make the game easier. 
  • Each student is provided with one paper and a set of crayons. Now, the teacher starts giving instructions to color these shapes. 
  • Say, the mentor commands “identify the circle on the top right side, mark it as no.1 and color it with red”. The Young learner needs to point out the right-side circle on the top and color it accordingly. 
  • Once all the shapes are colored, the mentor evaluates the responses if the student has followed the sequence and is able to identify different shapes given in different directions.


This game not only stipulates the student to identify various directions but also assists them in recognizing different colors and shapes simultaneously. 

4. The directional race

Outdoor games may be preferable on a clear day.  This game may be an admirable take-in as an alternative to the usual running race. 

  • To start with, the teacher divided the whole class into pairs and procure a few stools. A race track is prepared, and some stools are placed as obstacles on the track.  
  • Now, each pair stands on the start point of the track. Once a player is blindfolded and is the runner, the other one is the guide. Once the timer starts, the runner moves forward on the track with the instructions of the guide. 
  • It is the duty of the guide to move the runner away from obstacles and reach the end line. To ensure this, they may give out commands to change directions to the runner. 
  • For instance, they may say “turn right” at an obstacle and then “turn left” to pass beside it.  
  • The team which reaches the end line first is the winner. 


Apart from directional knowledge, this game ensures a sense of trust in the team members along with the physical activity. 

5. Grid and cups

Grid and cups

The teacher draws a combination of 25 grids (5*5) on the floor for each student and arranges a set of paper cups. 

  • Each student is provided with a couple of cups, which they need to hold with either hand. 
  • Each student sits beside their grid with their cups in the center.  
  • The game starts with the teacher giving instructions to move their cups. For example: move your right cup to one step on the right side. 
  • The learners carefully listen to it and then follow the same. 
  • As the game proceeds, the speed of instructions increases. 
  • In between the game, Teacher may check students if they’ve placed the cup in the right position.

This game may improve attention in little ones as they may need to focus appropriately on what the instruction is to avoid wrong moves. 

6. Place the plaything 

Place the plaything 

The practice of directions may also be ensured with toys like animal and car miniatures. 

  • Before the game starts, the teacher procures 10 toys: say, a car, truck, zebra, and a few other pieces of paper.  
  • Now, they make a poem on the sheet that implicitly describes the directions. These will help the kid to understand the direction. 
  • To start the game, the mentor arranges 10 toys in a row facing towards the kids and the sheet of poem is handed over to the child. 
  • The student is called upon and given a minute to observe the toys and the directions that the poem points towards. 
  • As the timer is started, the student needs to turn the toys in such a direction as depicted by the verse..  
  • For instance, the poem reads – Arrow beside the zebra faces left and the zebra is facing right to the car on the left side, then the learner needs to turn the playthings as directed.
  • This game may be employed with multiple students simultaneously, and the one who turns all the ten toys frst may be declared the winner. 


With this option, the students may sensibly comprehend the directions with a text cue, thereby ensuring innovative practice. 

7. Direction Racecars

Educators can turn teaching interesting by employing toys as a part of their lesson. How about a car race? 

  • Before starting the game, the teacher procures say, 5 remote-controlled car toys, and then divides the children into groups of 5. Each group starts playing lap races with cars with a set of directions. 
  • To start with, the instructor takes the students to the open ground or garden and marks a start and end line for the race. 
  • And, multiple paths are drawn connecting the start and end line. 
  • As the timer starts the kids start controlling their cars with the remote towards the end line. 
  • But, there is a twist. When there is split in the path, the little ones need to follow the instructions stated by the mentor. 
  • For instance, they may call out ‘Turn your cars to the right path. 
  • Listening to this, the students need to turn their path to the right one and not the left one.
  • The one who reaches the end line first following all the directions may be declared the winner. 

This game may be an enticing outdoor sport that kids may like. They may learn and practise the sense of direction as the game proceeds.  

Summing up,

Approaches like games may be the appreciable choice for implanting crucial skills in kids. These strategies often channel creative energies in the right direction. For that reason, exhilarating games in the classroom may create an opportunity to learn and apply directions rationally. Appreciating the same, the options that we stated are worth considering not only because they are facile but also due to their effectiveness. Take a detailed gaze on these games to aid your expedition and discern if any of these are befitting for your little one. 

References:

  1. Dunham, S., Lee, E., & Persky, A. M. (2020). The psychology of following instructions and its implications. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(8).

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