There are plenty of fun games and activities that you can engage with your children. As a child, you probably played Simon Says as least once in your life. The game has transcended all concepts of time and age and is played by young and old alike. It is a great activity that is now available in printable versions as well, allowing you to keep your kids engaged.

It’s just one of many games that children like to play from an early age. It teaches them the concept of listening to each other, and of course, being in the moment. Simon Says also teaches kids how to be alert and listen to instructions. For those who are reading about this for the first time, it’s pretty simple to play as well.

How to Play the Simon Says Game

The game of Simon Says is quite simple. You have to designate one person as Simon, and all the others are designated as players. Simon must stand right in front of all the players, and then tell them what they need to do. An activity sheet could be used to guide them about what they have to do.

There are many fun ideas that you can implement when playing the game. For instance, you can come up with Simon Says with a Twist games to put a fun spin on the traditional game. The real reason why this game is so popular is because the players are only supposed to obey commands that start with the words, “Simon says.”

For instance, if “Simon says” jump, all players are supposed to jump. But, Simon can also just say “jump!” and the person who ends up jumping is ruled out. As a result, the game requires you to be very focused. The person who is left at the end is the one who wins.

Common Examples

Common examples include:

• Simon says jump
• Simon says lean forward
• Simon says clap quickly

As you can easily notice, each of these commands starts with a “Simon says.” The player who is playing the role of Simon is also going to try and actively trick the players. For instance, they may quickly say one thing starting with Simon says and another without the prefix.

If a child follows them both, they are going to be eliminated because the Simon Says was purposely removed from the first one. Simply put, the winner will be the last person standing in the line.

More importantly, that person will also play the role of the next Simon. But, you should know that there are a few exceptions. For instance, there is a big chance that no one actually wins. When that happens, the current Simon will retain their title until someone else is able to win the round.

Benefits of Simon Says

Play therapy has been around for quite a while and the benefits that it offers are indisputable. For starters, Simon Says doesn’t require anything; you don’t need a pen or paper. You just need a group of friends to begin with. It is the ultimate game that is going to help greatly in your child’s development. Here are some major benefits that it offers.

Develops Body Awareness and Motor Functions

One of the reasons why Simon Says is so popular is because it is an excellent way for a child to practice improving their body awareness. Your child is going to have the chance to maintain a position for a sustained period of time or adopt a new one on the fly.

By looking at others as they move around, children will be able to learn new things as well. Children are able to practice different things and work on their motor skills. There is also little doubt in the fact that the Simon Says game also improves motor skills dramatically.

Developing Sportsmanship

Losing is obviously difficult for children, and when playing Simon Says, it is quite hard for one person who loses out to stand on the sidelines and wait for the game to end. However, Simon Says is actually one of the best games for children to understand the concept of losing and winning.

Instead of directly enforcing a winner, Simon Says can also be played by children who want to take turns in selecting a winner or a loser. This makes it easy for them to know when their turn is coming, and it also greatly improves the concept of sportsmanship.

Following Directions

Simon Says is one of the best games for children to learn how to follow and give directions. This is the entire core model of the game, so it also shows the visual modeling concept. For example, the person playing the role of Simon has to act out the instructions when they say them out loud.

This is a fantastic way for children to understand what they have to do, and it shows that they are able to follow instructions in the right manner.

Sequencing Skills

Simon Says is one of the few games that can be played with varying levels of difficulty. For example, you can always increase the difficulty of these games by adding different kinds of sequences. A common example is: “Simon says touch your nose, then touch your toes, and then sit down!”

Kids who don’t do the activity in this order are ruled out and then have to wait for their turn. More importantly, the brain learns how to do things in particular sequences.

Learning How to Articulate Instructions and Use Past Tense Verbs

More importantly, Simon Says teaches children how to articulate instructions in the right manner and it also teaches them how to use verbs in the past tense directly. Using irregular verbs in the past tense could disqualify the Simon in the game, so it’s important that children learn how instructions are relayed.

Modifications

There can be a number of different modifications that can be made to the Simon Says game, and it can really improve the overall experience. The Simon Says activity can prove to be a very bonding experience for your loved ones and it also improves verbal communication by a significant margin.

Using visual boards, for instance, is a great idea and will help you improve and modify the game by a considerable margin. The Simon Says game is a fun activity that is going to promote unity amongst the kids and make it easy for them to engage with each other.

Children who find it difficult to get along with others in the same environment will find it considerably easy to play in a group, and it is also going to promote their confidence as well. The Simon Says game is one of the few games that children can play without getting bored at all. These are just some of the fun things that you should know about the Simon Says game and how it benefits kids.