Preschools commonly use file folder games to help entertain and to teach kids numbers, shapes, counting, etc. Parents can also make great file folder games to help entertain their kids in quiet places like Church or even in the car. File folders games are wonderful for parents that are on a budget and need some fun activities for their kids and are needing some help for teaching opportunities. In the summer you have great themes to consider like the Fourth of July along with fun things like hiking, camping, boating, etc. Kids also love to explore in the summer and they can learn about various animals and reptiles like snakes, alligators, bears, and several others.
File folder games can be very simple and easy for your younger children to understand but they can also become quite complex in order to challenge your older children. The great thing is you can find a lot of the templates for file folder games online but you can also find some others at your local craft stores and library.
To create file folder games you want to start with the basic genre of what you want the games to cover. It’s already themed for summer so now you just need to create what the game will cover. Here are the common subjects for file folder games:
- Reading
- Writing
- Math
- Science
- History
Once you have a theme in mind you will then need to gather up all of the supplies you need to get started. Here are the commonly-used supplies for the file folders:
- Glue sticks
- Several manila or colored file folders
- Laminate paper
- Cardstock
Using the various pieces you will then print out templates or the things you need such as shapes or pictures in order to create the games. So where can you find printable file folder templates? It helps to look online as there are several websites you can choose from. Here are some of the most popular sites:
- ChildcareLand.com
- PreschoolPrintables.com
- PrintPlace.com
Of course you can easily find others just by doing a Google search for file folder templates. Once you have the templates ready, the next thing to do is to get the file folders assembled. This entails basic things like gluing, coloring, and laminating. Depending upon the game you are using you may also need to opt for some other things as well like Velcro.
Use a plastic bag or a nice bag to store all of the file folder games. This is a great way to keep them all safe and in the same place so they are easier to transport with you. To make it easier to identify the various file folders you should use a color theme for the various subjects. This way you have file folders for things like history and science and they can go in the green folders or holiday goes in the red folders, etc. It also helps your kids to see which genre of games they want to play.
For a fun summer game why not try doing one that is based on the various states and National Parks or other vacation destinations like adding Mickey Mouse ears for DisneyLand and DisneyWorld. This game is focused on helping your child learn their states and capitals. To create it you can either choose a blank template for the states and then have Velcro states that they will need to then attach to the other states. Another fun idea is to turn it into a license plate game if you are traveling and have them attach a state each time you see a different state’s license plate. If you are headed to a National Park like Yellowstone or Yosemite you will be able to mark off a lot of the license plates.