guides

12 Quiet Games for Kids: Sleeping Lions and More

By Chaz Bagri6 November 20268 min read

A group of young children lie on a carpet with their heads together, smiling up at the camera.

Learn sleeping lions and 11 more quiet games for ages 3 to 8, with clear rules, no-kit options and ideas for parties, classrooms and rainy days.

How do you play sleeping lions?

Sleeping lions is a quiet game in which children lie still while a watcher looks for movement. Anyone who moves joins the watcher, and the last lion wins. The watcher can pull funny faces but mustn't touch the lions. Those are the Play4life rules; you can also play short rounds with nobody out.

Which game suits the children you've got?

Choose for your space and company. These suggestions are for ages 3 to 8: start younger children with copying or guessing, and demonstrate the detective games before handing over. Most need no equipment. For the others, gather paper, pencils, a tea towel and a few large household objects.

Party wind-down, Try first: Sleeping lions, pass the smile; Noise to expect: Mostly silence, possible giggles
Classroom, Try first: Heads down thumbs up, whisper chain; Noise to expect: Quiet voices
A pair at home, Try first: Mirror me, draw what I say; Noise to expect: Silence or spoken clues
Mixed ages, Try first: Colour I spy, sound detectives; Noise to expect: Quiet guesses

Turn off background music while explaining. England's Department for Education guidance recommends a quiet environment when children are learning to listen. For activities without a partner, see our quiet time ideas for home.

If younger siblings join: keep small objects away from under-3s because they can cause choking, as the Child Accident Prevention Trust explains. Use large household items rather than coins, beads or loose buttons.

What are the rules for each quiet game?

Show a practice turn before starting, then agree how you'll finish: after everyone has led, after a short round, or when someone wins. Decide whether you're using the usual rules or keeping everyone in. That saves changing the rules halfway through when someone objects.

1. Sleeping lions

Party wind-down | Group | No kit

Say, "Find a spot away from the other lions, lie down and see how still you can be." Walk between them, looking for movement; anyone who moves joins you, and the last lion wins. Keep the funny faces silent. For a round without winners, try 30 seconds and wake everyone together. Let children keep their eyes open.

2. Wink murder

Party or classroom | Group | No kit

Sit in a circle. Ask the detective to turn away while you silently choose the winker. Say, "If you're winked at, fold your arms to show you're out." The detective turns back and gets 3 guesses to identify the winker, following Scouts' rules. Call it "wink detective" if you prefer, and use a tongue poke if winking is tricky.

3. Heads down thumbs up

Classroom | Group | No kit

Choose 3 pickers. Everyone else sits with heads down, eyes closed and a thumb raised. Each picker gently taps a different player's thumb; that player lowers it. When the pickers return to the front, say, "Heads up." Chosen players guess who tapped them. A correct guess means swapping places with that picker, as Beacon School Support explains.

4. Kim's game

Rainy day | Pair or group | Objects and cloth

Put a spoon, plastic cup, flannel and book on a tray. Say, "Have a good look. What can you remember when I cover them?" Give everyone time to look, cover the tray, then take turns naming the objects. This follows Bedfordshire's NHS memory game. For a change, hide one object instead and ask what's missing. Let your child arrange the next tray.

5. Whisper chain

Classroom or party | Group | No kit

Also called Chinese whispers, this game passes a message along a line or around a circle. Whisper, "The purple penguin wears slippers," to the person beside you. Each person passes on what they heard; the last says it aloud. Compare it with the starting sentence, following the Bedfordshire NHS instructions. Use a shorter message to begin, and laugh at the changed sentence together.

6. Mirror me

Sofa or classroom | Pair | No kit

Sit facing each other and say, "You're my reflection. Can you move when I move?" Slowly raise a hand, tilt your head or make a face, then swap leaders. Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS guidance describes this copying game. Keep the movements small enough to do sitting down. Try making the change so gradual that an onlooker can't spot who's leading.

7. Pass the smile

Party or circle time | Group | No kit

Sit in a circle. Say, "When the smile reaches you, turn and pass it to the next person." Start with a small smile and send it right round. Then try raised eyebrows or a surprised face. It's a version of Oxford Health's facial-expression passing game. Nobody is out for laughing, and anyone can pass their turn by giving a little wave.

8. I spy with colours

Waiting room or sofa | Pair or group | No kit

Choose something everyone can see: "I spy something yellow." Take quiet guesses until someone spots it, then swap the chooser. East Kent Hospitals suggests using colours as well as starting sounds. Keep your chosen object in view throughout the round. If there are lots of yellow things, add a clue about its shape or where it is.

9. Animal charades

Rainy day | Pair or group | No kit

Say, "Show us an animal without making its noise." Try a rabbit's ears with your hands or an elephant's trunk with an arm; everyone else guesses quietly. This uses the miming-and-guessing activity suggested by Oxford Health. Take turns choosing the next animal. For a quieter version, agree the choices beforehand and let players answer by copying the same gesture.

10. Draw what I say

Kitchen table or classroom | Pair or group | Paper and pencils

Say, "Draw a circle. Put a door inside it. Add a chimney." Give each instruction separately, then compare the imaginary houses. Cambridgeshire's NHS service suggests drawing from spoken instructions. Swap the speaker so your child gets to invent the next picture. Keep the drawings hidden until the end; the different interpretations give you something to talk about.

11. I went to the shops

Sofa or rainy day | Pair or group | No kit

Start, "I went to the shops and bought a banana." The next player repeats that and adds something: "A banana and a hat." Carry on adding to the list, as in Bedfordshire's NHS shopping game. Allow hints instead of knocking anyone out. For a shorter round, agree to stop once everyone has added an item.

12. Sound detectives

Kitchen table | Pair or small group | Household objects

Show your child paper, a plastic cup and a book. Ask them to turn away, then rustle the paper, tap the cup or turn a page. Say, "Which one made that sound?" This adapts the Department for Education's listening treasure boxes. Let your child become the sound-maker next. Keep it to soft sounds and quiet guesses, with no need for music.

How can you fill a short gap with these games?

Choose a pair of games and tell everyone what's coming next. These suggested timings include explaining and swapping roles, so you don't need to squeeze in extra rounds. Finish at the agreed point, or earlier if the children have had enough.

Party, 5 minutes: spend 2 minutes passing smiles, then 3 minutes on short sleeping lions rounds. Let different children watch, and wake everyone together before collection. Our indoor party games cover the livelier part of the party.
Classroom, 6 minutes: try 3 minutes of heads down thumbs up, then 3 minutes drawing from spoken clues. Have paper ready before you begin.
Rainy day, 8 minutes: allow 4 minutes for Kim's game and 4 for sound detectives, swapping who hides or handles the objects. There are more variations in our listening games for children.

A rug is enough for sleeping lions. If you'd also like a separate yoga activity afterwards, explore the Freedom Flow mat: its sequence is mostly on the floor, with 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface.

What if a child prefers to sit one out?

Let them watch a round, hide an object or choose between mirroring and drawing. Sit alongside them rather than asking them to perform in front of everyone. They can join later, and you can leave the invitation there without asking again.

Offer pointing instead of speaking, drop the scoring, or let them lead while you guess. Allow a little movement too: NHS guidance notes that some children listen better when they can move freely.

If neither game appeals, put the objects away and try another day. You don't need to complete a session just because you've set it up.

Frequently asked questions

Can you play sleeping lions without anyone being out?

Yes. Set a short round and let anyone who moves settle back down. At the end, wake everyone together and choose a new watcher. You can also let children sit instead of lie down. Agree these changes before you start, so everyone knows what to expect.

What quiet games can you play without any equipment?

Try sleeping lions, mirror me, pass the smile, I spy with colours, animal charades or the shopping game. For a group, add wink murder, heads down thumbs up or a whisper chain. Choose mirroring when you want no talking, or I spy when quiet conversation is welcome.

Which quiet games work with just two children?

Mirror me, I spy, Kim's game and draw what I say all work as pair games. Let the children swap who leads after each turn. If they're different ages, use the simpler rules for both to begin with, then let the older child choose a harder clue on their own turn.

How long should a round of sleeping lions last?

Try 30 seconds for the first round, then ask whether everyone wants another go. That's a suggested starting point, not a target your child has to reach. End sooner if they want to stop, and change the watcher between rounds so the same person isn't always watching.

Sources

Shop the mats →