Tigers provide lots of inspiration for kids' games.
Tigers are the biggest cats in the world and their fiercesome reputation and remarkable coats have made them renowned but endangered. Kids' tiger games offer a great opportunity to teach children about these remarkable animals and the dangers they face. Combine with creative games such as mask making or face-painting so they can be dressed as tigers as they play other tiger-related games.
Tiger Tag
A fun game of "catch" that also teaches children about the relationship between animals, humans and the natural environment. Divide the children into two teams, trappers and tigers. Mark off four sections at different corners of the playground: Two areas are forest which are safe for tigers and two areas are villages which are safe for trappers. The rest of the playground is chopped-down forest, which is safe for no one. No child can stay in their safe area for more than a count of five. They then have to run to another area. Tigers can only catch trappers, and trappers can only catch tigers. Pick one child to be "it." Whoever they catch, then becomes it.
Tiger Face Painting
Six different sub-species of tiger exist, each of which has different physical characteristics. But every tiger is unique when it comes to their markings. Teach children about the different types of tiger and get them to draw their own tiger faces using face paints. Make tiger ears by cutting out semi-circles from cardboard and coloring them in with crayons. Cut a small hole half way across the ear, about one inch from the bottom and thread a hair-band through the slits. Position the hear on each side of the child's head.
Tiger Mask
Cut a triangle (approximately a quarter-segment) from the bottom of a paper plate. Cut two small semi-circles from the spare segment and glue on the top of the plate as ears. Cut two small eye holes in the plate. Cut an oval of orange card about half as long as the plate is wide, and with the plate base up, stick the orange oval into the center of the plate so that part of it over-laps the point where the wedge was cut from. This will be the tiger's muzzle. Draw a black nose in the center of it. Cut out small triangles of black and orange card and glue them round the edge of the plate (points facing towards the plate's center) as stripe. Make two small holes on opposite sides of the plate, and thread through elastic or string and knot. Use this to tie on the mask.
True or False
Make a list of true and false facts about tigers such as: Tigers live in Indonesia, tigers can Swim, and tigers can't see in the dark. Set aside a corner of the room for those who get their question right and another for those who get their question wrong. Ask each child a question in turn. If they get it right, they get to give a tiger roar and run to the right corner. If wrong, they have to hold their arm out behind them like a tail and "turn tail" and run to the wrong corner.
