Check out this fun colour reaction game, kids will have lots of fun finding ways to reach their goal!
Colour Reaction Game for kids!
Ah, the end of the holidays is over, time to reset, refocus and get moving!
It’s a New Year, and what better way than to challenge your kids with a fun colour reaction game!
BACK TO SCHOOL!
For our kids, one moment, it’s all sparkle and cheer, and the next, it’s back to the grind of school routines and early mornings, ouch!
But hey, the fun doesn’t have to stop! Kids still have plenty of energy, and what better way to channel it than with a little game that’s all about movement and colour?
For our kids, one moment, it’s sparkle and cheer, and next, it’s back to school routines and early mornings, ouch!
But hey, the fun doesn’t have to stop! Kids still have plenty of energy, and what better way to channel it than with a little game that’s all about movement and colour?
REACTION GAME – EXERCISE!
The New Year Colour Reaction Game isn’t just a name—it’s a whole lot of action-packed fun activity. It’s perfect for helping kids burn off leftover holiday energy while getting them back into the swing of things.
Plus, it’s a chance to sneak in a bit of exercise without them even realising it- they’ll be too busy having a blast!
WHAT THIS GAME ADDRESSES!
This game is not just your typical playful diversion. It’s a nifty combo of quick thinking, coordination, and focus-building in one neat package.
Kids will be working on their listening skills and practising their ability to react quickly to different commands, all while moving and matching colours. It’s like a workout for their brains and bodies combined.
Click the link below to see how play helps children’s development.
⇓
EASY TO SET UP – FOR ALL NEEDS!
What’s super cool about this game is its simplicity. No fancy tech needed! It’s all about gathering a few colourful bits and pieces you probably already have at home, or can easily find in recycling.
And since it’s easy to adapt, it works for a range of ages and abilities, making it a hit in classrooms and ideal for those much-needed movement breaks.
You’ll see children spinning, jumping, and matching—all the while improving their coordination without even knowing it.
THE NEW YEAR COLOUR REACTION GAME. A Detailed Overview
Spin, Jump & Match’—think of it as an adventure where quick reactions meet colourful fun.
Here’s how to play. You spin a coloured cube, call out a colour, and kids have to find and then perform a specific action, like jumping towards that colour.
It’s a fast-paced challenge that keeps them on their toes.
DEVELOPING A CHILD’S SKILLS!
This game helps to develop skills in a fun way. As kids play, they’ll be practising gross motor skills like jumping, or any other way they like to reach their target, while improving their concentration and ability to follow instructions.
The beauty of this game is its adaptability. You can tweak the actions to fit different ages and abilities, making it as gentle or as energetic as needed.
ADD DIFFERENT SHAPES!
You can adapt this game by assigning each colour a different shape, for example, ‘Orange square’, ‘Green triangle’ or ‘Red rectangle’. Whatever you choose to perform in this game is entirely up to you!
See below⇓ what colours I chose and for what shape.
HAVE AN INCENTIVE!
You can call out any animal, and the child has to mimic it to their destination. It can be on a timer, so they have to act quickly, and when they reach their colour, they can gain points, a sticker or whatever you feel is appropriate to use as an incentive for that child.
CHALLENGE YOUR CHILD!
Whether you’re looking for a high-energy activity or a quieter focus game, there can be different versions of reaching the target. Eg fast slow, or leaping like a frog, twisting, or imitating an animal!
REWARDING CHILD WITH COLOUR REACTION GAME!
You can call out any animal, and the child has to mimic it to their destination.
It can be on a timer, so they have to act quickly, and when they reach their colour, they can gain points, a sticker or whatever you feel is appropriate to use as an incentive for that child.
This child loves her fav. hot chocolate with marshmallows on top, yum yum! 😋
FOCUSING ON THE NEW YEAR!
The New Year is a perfect time for shaking things up a bit, and this game fits right into that fresh start mentality.
It encourages kids to engage with each other, work together, and maybe even help keep those New Year’s resolutions for staying active and healthy going strong.
Here are the coloured shapes I shall use in this game.
HOW TO DRAW THE SHAPES.
DRAW FREE-HAND
With a steady hand and a ruler, you can easily run these shapes off, but hey, it’s for kids, so freehand will do as well
A WAY TO DRAW
I used a plate to draw the circle. The square, the triangle, and the rectangle. I folded any A4 card in half to draw the shapes with equal sides, and once I established the shape I wanted, I cut it out and used it as a guide to redraw that shape on coloured card.
THE OVAL SHAPE
With the oval shape, I stretched the circle. With a sample circle, I cut it in half and redrew it, adding longer, slightly curved sides. If you get it wrong, rub them out and redraw the curves until the oval looks right, then use that shape to copy or draw around on coloured card.
A 5-POINTED STAR
I struggled trying to work out how to draw a star, as I went for a 5-pointed one, but you can get away with a 4-pointed star.
I drew 2 pointed triangles and folded each in half to find the centre, and at the bottom of the triangles, I cut out equal pyramid shapes.
When I put one on top of the other and twisted it around, I achieved a 5-pointed triangle.
Below is a template of the star
I put together a PDF of a 5-pointed star template to make it easy for you to print off or draw your own.
ARE YOU READY TO START MAKING SHAPES?
RESOURCES
Small packaging box/cube shape.
Different coloured papers/card
Packaging card
Scissors/Ruler
Glue stick/Metal ruler
Pencil, black pen/rubber
Space to play.
ADDED NOTE
Whatever shape you decide to choose, you should repeat the same shape in a smaller size to add to the cube.
ADD SMALL SHAPES ON THE CUBE, OR ALL COLOURS.
If duplicating these shapes is too difficult, then just add the same colour on each side of the cube, and write or add the name of the shape on top of that colour.
Eg, The Square shape is in Orange, so one side of the cube will be Orange, and the name of the shape will be a ‘SQUARE’ written on top of the colour Orange.
Here is a template of a 5-pointed star, my way of creating it. This is one of the 6 shapes for the New Year Colour Reaction Game for Kids!
Click the image below to print off th PDF of a 5-poiinted star.
The template is a guide and can be resized when printing if needed.
Cut out and add one triangle on top of the other triangle, turning it around until you create a star.
When the left bottom point meets the right point underneath it, you form a 5-pointed star.
Then glue them together. Colour them in yellow, or use this as a template to trace around on coloured card, then cut out the 5-pointed star.
SHOW SET UP SOON!
When the weather improves, and it’s not a wet day, this game can be played outside; otherwise, find a large enough space indoors.
I will add pictures to show this game set up when our weather improves, too!
As our British weather has been so wet, I decided to show a quick example indoors.
The dice landed on a Red Rectangle, and my grandson skidded towards it lol!
This game can become quite interesting if you double up on all shapes, so there is a choice, making it more challenging!
CRAFTING THE GAME/SOME TIPS!
Creating ‘Spin, Jump & Match’ is super simple and totally budget-friendly!
The best part is you’ll mostly be using things you already have lying around—perfect for all those recycling opportunities you’ve been looking for.
CONSTRUCT GAME!
- The shapes need to be attached or stuck down firmly so they don’t move when the child jumps onto them, or better still, suggest that children should not jump onto the shapes.
- If you can laminate these shapes, they will last longer, and won’t matter if they get wet on rainy days.
- Alternatively, cut your selected shapes, as shown in the demo above, and stick them on some packaging card, then cut them out again; this way, the shapes will be more solid and easier to stay put on the ground.
THE CUBE
- In your recycled bag, look for a small cube-shaped box that would work for a spinner. Glue or paint the coloured shapes onto the box, or simply stick on the coloured paper. This is now your spinner.
WHERE TO PLAY
- Finally, you need to find an open space to play the game. You can use a large open space in your dining room, kitchen, garden, or in a school playground, or a large hall.
USE A WALL
- No space, you can use a blank wall. Instead of jumping to each shape, they can run and touch the shape, which works just as well!
- At random, lay out all the coloured shapes, spreading them apart from each other at a distance, and you are good to go!
- Leave enough space between each shape so the child can run to it. That’s it!
HOW TO PLAY NEW YEAR COLOUR REACTION GAME!
Now, get creative with the actions. Will they spin around like a tornado upon finding the right colour? Or maybe do a leap in the air? It’s all about mixing fun with movement.
You might create a list of possible actions and call them out loud to cue the players.
ADAPT THE GAME!
This game can easily be adapted for different age groups.
Younger kids can benefit from a slower pace to help with learning coordination, while older kids can add a competitive element with time challenges or more complex movements.
MY INTENTION!
Setting up this game isn’t just about having fun—it’s an opportunity for kids to team up and make decisions together, enhancing social skills.
Plus, for classroom settings, it’s a fab way to encourage teamwork and collective problem-solving.
BOND WITH THE FAMILY!
This is an ideal way to engage kids at home, even with grandparents joining in action! It’s a great bonding activity that’s sure to bridge any generation gap and spark heaps of laughter.
CHILDREN WITH NEEDS!
This game is not only a crowd favourite in classrooms, but also a brilliant way to incorporate special needs (SEN) friendly movement breaks.
By adapting the pace and actions, you can create a comfortable space for all abilities.
It’s about inclusion and ensuring all kids get to join in the fun.
LET KIDS DECIDE!
To enhance this playful learning experience, encourage kids to come up with their own rules or variations of the game.
Kids’ creativity often surpasses expectations, and they might just surprise you with a new twist that you hadn’t even thought of.
THE LAVA IS COMING!!!
Check out another way to keep your kids proactive, with a popular game, ‘The Lava is coming!’ A simple set-up with soft placement mats and instruction cards. But act quickly, this is selling fast!
Read more and view the game on Bargain Max ⇓
This fun ‘Lava’ game for kids by Bargain Max is great for getting kids moving. Check it out HERE
It’s at an affordable price and a great way to keep kids busy, having fun and enjoying reaching their goal!
Hey there, when you click on links in this post, and you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission that l can use towards resources (other than throw-outs) for project making within my website😀
TO CONCLUDE!
In this post, I present a New Year Colour Reaction Game for Kids, which is easy to construct, and you don’t need many resources either.
It also addresses many key areas, and the child will be learning as well as having fun while playing it!
With this activity, children can welcome the New Year with a renewed zest to play, learn, and grow.
So let’s get our kids thinking, be active, as well as burning off some of that pent-up energy and enjoy their learning through play!
Here’s another New Year activity, which is for kids to create their own ‘Vision Board’. Check it out here!
Hi Julia,
I love your article as always.
This seems like a great way to inspire kids to focus on working on themselves, and choose goals that will help them improve in both their academic and personal lives.
I have shared this article with my friends who have a 5 year old and now a 9 year old (he was 9 on Sunday:)). I will let you know what they think and what the kids thought of it.
Keep up the amazing work you do for young people.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom, so glad you like my take on a New Year fun activity for kids to play, as well as learn at the same about shapes and colours, and of course it’s about getting kids to be more proactive, and positive in their decision making. In this way they can plan ahead about what moves to make next. So in hand this simple floor game gives kids an opportunity to do that! I am glad you always share my posts, as I like to think I can inspire children with projects that can make them think in all sorts of wonderful ways!
Thanks for your great comment, and a belated Happy 9th Birthday to your friends son!
Julia.😀
What a fun and thoughtful way to ease kids back into routines after the holidays. I enjoy the way you turn something as simple as colours and shapes into a full-on movement, thinking, and bonding activity. Creating learning, exercise, and creativity together so naturally that kids won’t even realise they’re building skills while they’re playing was well received. The “Spin, Jump & Match” concept feels energetic without being overwhelming, which is perfect for that post-holiday reset.
What stood out most for me was how adaptable the game is. From using recycled materials to adjusting the pace for different ages and SEN needs, it’s clear you’ve designed this with real families and classrooms in mind. The added incentives, animal movements, and shape variations are such smart touches that they keep the game fresh and let kids take ownership of how they play. And the family bonding angle, especially grandparents getting involved, was just lovely to read.
Julia, have you noticed whether kids tend to engage more with the colour-only version or when you introduce shapes and animal movements together? It would be interesting to hear which variation keeps their focus the longest, especially in a classroom or group setting.
David
WOW! thanks for your super comment!, I am glad you liked this post, and especially how adaptable this ‘Spin, Jump and Match’ game is. My aim was to incorporate everything you mention, play a game whilst having fun as well as learning at the same time! Regarding what children go for, whether it’s colour or shape first, well I played this with my grandson whose 4 years old, (my model, or Guinea pig,) and found he saw the shapes first, then I’d call out what colour is it and he would shout back, the colour and race towards it. As for what he chose on how to get to his target I threw some ideas in the air and he chose a lion, and roared all the way there! Older than 4, I’d say shapes too, and younger might be colour first until they become familiar with 2D shapes, although a star or circle seem to be in their diary as they are the most easiest to know. So it also depends on the child’s ability and how knowledgeable they are, which in its self, they can learn through doing this game numerous times and they will learn about shapes and their colours. I haven’t yet played this in a group setting, in doing so I would probably mass produce a few of each shape and colour so making the game more challenging and then it could be play with 2 – 3 children at a time! And the beauty of all this you would be using your recycling in a productive way too!
Once again thanks for your take on this, and please share it if you know of any children that might enjoy this game!
Happy Crafting!
Julia. 😀
“Spin, Jump & Match” is such a catchy way to describe it. Kids love hand on! I also like the incentive idea (stickers or points) and the animal movement add-on. Kids would go all in on hopping like frogs or waddling like penguins.
My Grandkids would love this! I am bookmarking!
Michael
How lovely, Michael,I’m so glad you enjoyed this project and you are going to give it a try with your Grandkids! We need to focus that super energy kids always have stored up or bring it out to the forefront! Just think how many different ways kids would try to get to their shape! You just need to space the shapes further apart. Although if the weather is rather grim and wet, then there’s always indoors or even on a spacious wall, use plenty of blu-tack I found while playing with my grandson, he got quite eager to throw the cube, it got a bit battered, so may need to give it some loving care and check it over after each game!
Thanks for your input, and please do pass this game on, it’s a great fun interactive game!
Julia.😊
Hi Julia,
I just love the Reaction Game for kids. It keeps thing simple without any need for tech and gets back to basics of having fun and strengthening the connections. within the family.
I also like that it is easy to construct with a few resources.
It’s a fun way to learn.
Thanks for your super comment Joseph. Simplicity is the word, with just a few resource you can produce something that cover lots of developmental areas for kids, working out different strategies to get to their target as well as learning about colours and shapes and why not pull in all members of your family. Grandparents would find this game a blast!
Happy Crafting!
Julia.😊
What a fun game!!! I look forward to playing it with some littles! I appreciate any game that engages movement ant builds all the senses. Thanks for the ideas!
Hi, thanks for your lovely comment! I’m also glad that you appreciate the concept behind the game, especially when something so easy can also address so many different areas. Please feel free to pass on this activity to anyone who has little ones, I am sure they will love it and have lots of fun in their learning too!
Happy Crafting.
Julia.😊