8 Games That Work When the Kids Are Different Ages

Put a six-year-old and a twelve-year-old in the same room and most games stop working: one finds it too hard, the other finds it too babyish. The trick is picking games where each age group can play at their own level. These 8 flex for a wide age range.

Games that scale up and down

1. Charades. Little kids can act out animals; older kids can act out movie titles. Same game, different words.
2. Sleeping Beauty: The Freeze Spell. Dancing and freezing needs no reading, no skill, and no explaining — toddlers and teens can both do it.
3. The Floor Is Lava. Little ones step on big pillows; older kids take the "Handicap Edition" with the cup of water or blindfold for more challenge.
4. Sleeping Beauty: Don't Laugh. Everyone understands a silly face, whatever their age.

Games where older kids can help

5. Twenty Questions. Younger kids can ask any question they like, and older kids can coach them toward better ones.
6. Would You Rather. Pre-readers can answer out loud, and older kids can write the questions.
7. Wacky Wardrobe Relay. Pair an older kid with a younger one on each team so the race stays fair.
8. Sit, Stand, Lie Down. Older kids can be the cast while younger ones are the audience calling out when to switch.

Tips for mixed-age play

• Give the harder version to the older kids. Adjust the challenge, not the little ones' enjoyment.
• Let the youngest go first. It keeps them from waiting and getting restless.
• Pair across ages. Mixed pairs encourage kindness and make for better teams.
• Change a rule if needed. A game that isn't working can be fixed with one small tweak.