Top 20 Activities for 6-Year-Old Kids

In this Article
 Learning Activities
 Art and Craft Activities
 Indoor Activities
 Outdoor Activities

A child is always in a learning mode but it takes a peak when he hits six. It is time for you
to introduce games or activities that would impart cognitive or emotional skills at this
point. Here are some activities that you can try.

A child is always in the learning mode but it takes a peak when he hits 6. It is time for
you to introduce games or activities that would impart cognitive and emotional skills as
this point

Learning Activities
The age of 6 is tender but ripe for grasping new things. Teach them the following most
productive educational activities for 6-year-olds.

1. Creating New Words

Words are always fun and if they are used the right way, they can be used to teach your
kid a lot.

How to Do
Prepare some cards with small words of 3 letters. Ask your kid to come up with new
words that have the same letters.

What Does It Teach?

Your kid is now learning new words. So it will help him memorise spellings and come up
with his own words.

2. Mirror
The game requires only a mirror and nothing else. It’s as simple as it can get.

How to Do
The game requires a lot of mimicking. Act out something in front of the mirror and ask
your child to mimic it.

What Does It Teach?

The game is perfect to develop motor skills. The act of mimicking would develop his
bones and motor skills, as well as teach him to deliver quick responses.

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3. Discuss While Reading

A little background check can always benefit your kid and help him understand things
better. This a very good reading activity for 6-year-olds.

How to Do
Read stories or things that would make him or her interested. Keep asking your child
questions or if they come up with some, give your best to clarify it.

What Does It Teach?

The process would make him curious. It would make him imagine things and the more
of it the better. It would help them with a solid understanding of the subject.

4. Riddles
Riddles are a fun way to talk to someone. You can always create your own riddles to get
your kid engaged.

How to Do
Start with simpler and regular ones. This will make your child curious and if he gets the
answer, he will be elated. Make your own riddles and ask your child to make some new.
What Does It Teach?
This activity teases the brain and it will make your child think in a different way by
exercising his brain.

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5. Finish the Story

You can always ask your kid to finish the story. This is a good way to engage your 6-year-
old in writing activities.

How to Do
Create an impromptu story and stop midway. Then, ask your child to write the end.

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What Does It Teach?

This will be a fun activity. It can help your child in imagining a perfect end for the story.
Also, it will help him develop writing skills.

Art and Craft Activities

Art and craft activities are always a fun way to teach your kids things that would give
them a solid foundation. Following are some of the creative activities for 6-year-olds.
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1. Play with Wind Vane

A simple thing to do, but your child would enjoy this activity a lot.

How to Do
You need a paper, a pair of scissors, a paper cup with a lid preferably, a pencil with an
eraser on one end, few pebbles, a straw, some glue, and a compass.

Cut one square and one triangle out of a large piece of paper. Then, slit the straw on
both ends. Add the triangle piece on one end and on the other, and fix the square one
with glue. Put some pebbles in the cup to make it stable, and then close the lid. Erect the
pencil in it with the eraser side out of it. Fix the straw with a pin on top of the rubber in
such a way that the straw stays away from the rubber tip. Now, take it outside in the
wind with a compass placed beside it. Let your kid note the direction of the wind.

What Does It Teach?

It can give your child exposure to craft while teaching how wind can cause movement.

2. Origami
This old form of Japanese art is both elegant and creative.

How to Do
You can always buy a set or you can cut out square pieces from newspaper and colour
them. Then show your kid how to make little frogs or a bunny.

What Does It Teach?

This little game would keep your child hooked and let him explore his creativity.

3. Act Out Stories

It is a fun way to teach your kid new stories.

How to Do
Just take a favourite story of your kid and play characters in it. Ask him or her to write
their own dialogue and then act. You can always do it in front of your family members.

What Does It Teach?

This will hone their acting skill and help them get involved in characters. It will give them
a different perspective and help them overcome the fear of performing in front of others.

4. Drawing
Colours can always get your kids excited.

How to Do
You just need some paper, a pencil, rubber and colours. You can always get some books
with pictures to colour as well.

What Does It Teach?

It is a creative way to help your kid give colours to his fantasies. As it is more primal in
nature, it will assist your kid in noticing things minutely.

5. Basic Cooking
Involving your kids in the kitchen would be fun to start with. They may make a mess, but
they will learn more.

How to Do
Start with basics like how to flip a pancake or how to make scrambled eggs. Discuss the
steps involved in it and teach them the art of measurement. Gradually, you can grade up
to little snacks.

What Does It Teach?

It will make them responsible and give them the skills to be independent. They will start
showing you respect for what you do in the kitchen.

Indoor Activities
If you involve them in various indoor activities, they will quickly learn to organise things
on their own. Get them interested in these 6-years-old’s cognitive development activities.

1. LEGO
A good activity to start with is LEGO. It is one of the finest activities for 6-year-olds at
home.

How to Do
Playing with LEGO blocks is fun. This will challenge your child and provoke him into
using his imagination. Guide him as little as possible.
What Does It Teach?
The game helps kids understand shapes and precision. This can also lead to arguments
where they would start thinking rationally.

2. Treasure Hunt
It is an extremely motivating game that can get your kid excited.

How to Do
Hide some object or a reward somewhere inside the house and leave clues for him. Let
him decode clues on their own.

What Does It Teach?

You kid will learn to focus and pay attention to details to solve a problem.

3. Make Cards
Be it any occasion, ask your child to make a card.

How to Do
You only need paper and some colours. If you kid feels like, he can add glitters and other
things.

What Does It Teach?

Making a card for someone would create an association. Your child will get to know the
value of occasions and culturally it would enrich him.

4. Writing in a Diary
Ask kids to maintain a diary every day.

How to Do
Buy your kid a nice diary with pages providing ample space for days to write about.

What Does It Teach?

A diary would help him to vent out his personal things. It can also make him more
empathetic. He will start noticing things closely and feel them in detail.

5. Chute and Ladder

This Indian game can help you make your kid’s boring days cheerful.

How to Do
Buy a chute and ladder board game and play the game with your child.

What Does It Teach?

This game is a perfect way to teach your kid about probability and luck.

Outdoor Activities
Boxing your kid up inside the house would do no good. It is time to let him understand
how things work outside.

1. Visit the Zoo and Museum

This outdoor activity can open up his imagination.

How to Do
Visit these places with your kid and tell him fascinating stories about animals in the zoo
or the historical artefacts in the museum.

What Does It Teach?

This will teach your kid about past and heritage, and also introduce him to the natural
world.

2. Take a Snap
This can later even become his profession.

How to Do
Buy him or her a camera and let him explore and take pictures of whatever catches his
fancy

What Does It Teach?

This can really get him intrigued and help him learn technicalities. Kids will start noticing
things in a better way and create their own perceptions of them.

3. Go Camping
Go into the wild with your kids. Don’t think of it as just boy-centric, this can be a fun
activity for a 6-year-old girl as well.

How to Do
Choose a safe place away from the city. Get the essentials with you and set off. Teach
your kid about little things in detail. Give him small chores to do.

What Does It Teach?

This will teach kids to be self-sufficient and how to manage things in adverse situations.
Also, it will teach them survival tricks.

4. Go Fishing
Have fun while fishing.

How to Do
Get some angling rod, a bucket and bait for fishes.

What Does It Teach?

Fishing can teach your kid a lot of patience.

5. Plant a Tree
Gardening can be super fun. And yes, it will allow him to play with dirt.

How to Do
Get a sapling and your garden tools and some water. Let him dig the ground and put the
sapling. Then, allow him to water it.\

What Does It Teach?

It will bring your kid close to nature and teach him to take care of other beings.

It is the right time to start exposing your child to various activities and get him intrigued
to promote development. Be innovative in your approach and have fun to the fullest.

Child development at 5-6 years: what’s happening

Playing and learning
Even as children get older and start school, play is important. It’s still how children
learn and build social, emotional and thinking skills.

Your child’s pretend play is more complex now, filled with lots of fantasy and drama. You
might also notice that your child can play with others to achieve a common goal – for
example, working together to build one big sandcastle. Your child might also be able to
work things out if another child doesn’t want to play a particular game.

Your child is becoming more social and prefers to play with friends rather than on their
own. Your child can share, although they might find it hard to share favourite toys and
other things.

Games with rules sometimes challenge your six-year-old, and your child might even
accuse others of cheating sometimes.

Feelings
At this age, children can express feelings, although they might need help and time to
identify and talk about tricky emotions like frustration or jealousy. They often have much
better control over feelings too and might have fewer unexpected outbursts of anger and
sadness.

You might see more patience, and your child might even be open to reasoning with you.
This means there could be fewer disagreements in the future.
Although your six-year-old loves to be independent, they still need your love and
attention. Connecting with you and family is the most important thing in your child’s life.
Your child is proud of their own achievements, wants your approval – and probably
doesn’t take well to criticism or discipline.

Your child’s growing understanding of the world around might lead to some fears. For
example, some children might be afraid of supernatural things (like ghosts), criticism,
tests, failure, or physical harm or threat.

Thinking
School-age children can pay attention for longer now.

Your child understands simple concepts like time (today, tomorrow, yesterday), knows
the seasons, recognises some words by sight and tries to sound out words. Your child
might even read on their own.

Your child is better at seeing other people’s points of view, which helps your child to
make friends and meet new people.

Talking and communicating

At this age children talk a lot, sometimes even when nobody is in the room.

You’ll hear your child using full and complex sentences and having adult-like
conversations, although they might still find it hard to describe complex ideas or events.
Your child understands jokes and riddles – jokes about poos and wees are particularly
funny. Your child also enjoys the opportunity to do ‘show and tell’ at school.

Your child understands more words than they can say, and they’re learning as many as
5-10 new words each day. Vocabulary growth is so rapid at this age that your child’s
brain often thinks faster than your child can speak.

Moving
Five-year-olds are more coordinated and love to show off new physical skills – you’ll
often hear shouts of ‘Look at me!’

Your child can learn how to ride a bike, jump rope, balance on one foot for a short period
of time, walk downstairs without needing to hold your hand, skip and catch a large ball.
Many six-year-olds will also be interested in playing team sports like soccer.

Does it seem like your six-year-old can’t ever keep still? Wriggling while watching TV, at
the dinner table or even while sleeping is pretty normal.

Your child’s fine motor skills are improving, which leads to more independence with
things like tying shoelaces, using zips and buttons, and brushing hair. Your child might
still find it hard to cut up food with a knife but enjoys the chance to practise.

Daily life and behaviour

At this age, children are becoming more independent and love making small decisions,
like what clothes to wear or what to eat for lunch.
Starting school opens up a whole new social world, which comes with a new set of rules.
This might be demanding or challenging for your child. School can be tiring so don’t be
surprised if your child is easily upset, especially after a long day. On these days you
might want to keep your child quiet at home after school and aim for an early bedtime.

Whether your child is feeling worried about starting school or bursting with excitement, a
bit of planning and preparation can ease the transition.

At this age, your child might also:

 copy simple shapes with a pencil

 copy letters and write their own name
 say their full name, address, age and birthday
 draw more realistic pictures – for example, a person with a head with eyes,
mouth and nose, and a body with arms and legs
 read simple picture books
 understand the importance of rules, and the simple reasons behind rules
 understand that people often expect girls and boys to behave in certain ways
because of their gender.

Helping child development at 5-6 years

Here are some simple things you can do to help your child’s development at this age:

 Encourage moving: play different sports and do recreational activities together or

with others. These teach social skills like taking turns, cooperating,
negotiating, playing fairly and being a good sport.
 Include your child in simple household chores: setting the table or helping you to
put clean clothes away develops moving and thinking skills, while also teaching
cooperation and responsibility. These skills are important for school.
 Set aside some time for free play: even if your child has started school and other
structured activities, play is still very important at this age. Let your child choose
how to spend this free playtime.
 Play with your child each day, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Playing together
gives you the chance to enter your child’s world and find out about their thoughts
and feelings. It also shows your child that you care about them and want to spend
time together.
 Practise classroom behaviour: for example, you could give your child small tasks
that need attention or involve following simple rules or instructions. Have
conversations about your child’s favourite animal or sport and encourage your
child to listen, respond and question. This all helps your child get ready for
school.
 Arrange playdates: spending time with other children, especially if they go to the
same school, helps with social skills and gets your child used to being apart from
you.
 Talk about feelings: you can help your child work out why they’re feeling
something and help them put words to these feelings. This will help your child
form friendships and show empathy.
 Talk with your child about treating boys and girls equally and respecting girls and
women.
Parenting a school-age child
As a parent, you’re always learning. It’s OK to feel confident about what you know. And
it’s also OK to admit you don’t know something and ask questions or get help.

When you’re focusing on looking after a child, you might forget or run out of time to look
after yourself. But looking after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally will help
your child grow and thrive.

Sometimes you might feel frustrated, upset or overwhelmed. It’s OK to take some time
out until you feel calmer. Put your child in a safe place, or ask someone else to look
after your child for a while. Try going to another room to breathe deeply, or call a family
member or friend to talk things through.

Never shake, hit or verbally abuse a child. You risk harming your child, even if you
don’t mean to.

It’s OK to ask for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the demands of caring for your
child, call your local Parentline. You might also like to try our ideas for dealing with
anger, anxiety and stress.

When to be concerned about child development at

5-6 years
See your GP if you have any concerns or notice that your child has any of the following
issues at 5-6 years.

Communicating and understanding

Your child:

 is difficult to understand or isn’t speaking in full sentences

 has trouble following simple directions like ‘Please put your pyjamas on your bed
after you’ve put your clothes on’.

Behaviour and play

Your child:

 uses lots of inappropriate or challenging behaviour – for example, has a tantrum

whenever they don’t get their own way
 shows no interest in letters or trying to write their own name
 is very withdrawn, worried or depressed or gets very upset when separating from
you
 doesn’t interact well with others – for example, is aggressive or shows no interest
in interacting with other children or adults.

Everyday skills
Your child:
  still wets or soils their pants during the day, but note that night-time wetting is
typical up until the age of 6-7 years, especially for boys
 has difficulty falling asleep at night or staying asleep.

You should see a child health professional if at any age your child experiences a
noticeable and consistent loss of skills.

Children grow and develop at different speeds. If you’re worried about whether your
child’s development is ‘normal’, it might help to know that ‘normal’ varies a lot. But if you
still feel that something isn’t quite right, see your GP.