Obedience Games for Kids

Obedience is an important lesson that should be learned as early as possible. Disobedience can cause children to get hurt, if in the presence of danger they do not listen to someone telling them to be careful or stop what they are doing. By learning about obedience, children will see the value in listening to their parents and teachers.

Red Light, Green Light

Create a start line, a finish line and a game track about 25 feet long that runs from start to finish. The instructor should stand at the finish line with one green and one red piece of paper. Line the children up evenly at the start line. The instructor will then call out a command of “green light” or “red light.” If the command is green, the players should walk toward the finish line. If the command is red, they must stop. The instructor continues to switch between the two color commands. Children who do not follow the command are disqualified. The first to reach the finish line are winners.

Simon Says

Simon Says is a classic obedience game in which the player who obeys every command wins. All of the players should be standing for the game at the start. One person gives a command such as "Simon says raise your right hand.” The players should only obey the commands for which Simon Says. If a command is given such as “put your hand down,” the players who follow that command are out of the game because Simon did not say to do so. Commands are given until only one player is left.

Mother May I?

Mother May I, also known as Captain May I, teaches obedience by requiring that the children ask permission before taking action. All of the children should be lined up in a row. The instructor or “mother” calls on one child at a time and asks them to step forward or backward. Before the child can do so, he must reply “Mother may I” and wait until permission is granted before taking a step. If the child forgets to ask, then he or she is out of the game. The last one left has won the obedience game. This game is also good for teaching manners.

Silence

Silence is a variation of the original Montessori Silence game. Calm the children down and have them all sit in a chair. It might help to play some soft music while they are getting situated. Give them all a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Instruct them to remain completely silent and face forward and then move to the back of the room. The teacher should occasionally make a noise with items such as a bell, a balloon, a rubber band and more. The children should write down on the piece of paper what it is they hear. If they speak, they are disqualified. The children left who have guessed the most noises correctly win.