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Simon Says Ideas for Kids: 60 Commands, Including Yoga
Simon says ideas for kids aged 3 to 8: 60 commands sorted by age and energy, from silly warm-ups to yoga poses and a calm finish.
Here are 60 Simon says ideas for kids aged 3 to 8, in six bands of ten, in the order you'd play them: easy ones for threes, then energy, silly, tricky, yoga, and a calm finish so the game ends with everyone lying still. Start with easy actions, burn energy with the loud ones, and finish slow.
How do you play Simon says?
Simon says is a copying game. One player is Simon and calls out actions. Everyone else does an action only if it starts with "Simon says". If Simon just says "Jump" and you jump, you're out. The last player still in wins and becomes the next Simon.
For children under five, play without anyone going out: a mistake gets a laugh, not a seat on the sofa. Some families in Ireland and parts of the UK grew up calling it "O'Grady says". The rules are the same.
How the six bands of Simon says commands work
These Simon says game commands for kids are sorted by age and energy. Start with band 1 for a three-year-old, and go straight to band 2 for a child who's been sitting all day. Always end with band 6.
Every command here is done on the spot, on your own body. No cartwheels, rolls, backbends or running across the room, and nothing that involves touching another child. Clear a little floor and you're set.
Teachers can use any band as a two-minute movement break, and there are more brain breaks for the classroom if you need them. Grandparents can be Simon from a chair. Every command can be called sitting down.
60 Simon says ideas for kids, from easy to calm
1. Simon says ideas for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3 to 4)
One action at a time, and the grown-up does it too. Nobody goes out.
- Simon says touch your nose.
- Simon says clap your hands.
- Simon says stamp your feet.
- Simon says wiggle your fingers.
- Simon says pat your head.
- Simon says wave hello.
- Simon says stand on your tiptoes.
- Simon says sit down.
- Simon says stand up.
- Simon says touch your toes.
2. Get-moving commands (ages 4 and up)
For the first few minutes, when there's energy to burn. All on the spot.
- Simon says jump five times.
- Simon says run on the spot.
- Simon says do three star jumps.
- Simon says hop on one foot.
- Simon says march like a soldier.
- Simon says reach up and touch the sky.
- Simon says pretend to swim.
- Simon says climb an invisible ladder.
- Simon says shake out your arms and legs.
- Simon says turn round once, slowly.
3. Funny Simon says ideas (ages 4 and up)
The ones that get the giggles. Pull a straight face while you call them, if you can.
- Simon says pull your silliest face.
- Simon says quack like a duck.
- Simon says waddle like a penguin.
- Simon says pretend to sneeze.
- Simon says play the air guitar.
- Simon says wiggle your bottom.
- Simon says walk like a robot on the spot.
- Simon says talk like a pirate.
- Simon says pretend your feet are stuck to the floor.
- Simon says laugh like a giant.
4. Trickier Simon says commands for ages 6 to 8
Two or three steps, left and right, and crossing over. NHS children's therapy teams, such as Somerset's, suggest crossed-over commands like the first two.
- Simon says touch your left knee with your right hand.
- Simon says touch your right ear with your left hand.
- Simon says hop twice on your left foot, then clap.
- Simon says turn round, touch the floor, then sit down.
- Simon says write your name in the air with your elbow.
- Simon says make a letter T with your body.
- Simon says point to something blue.
- Simon says stand on one leg and count to five.
- Simon says do what I say, not what I do. (Simon does a different move.)
- Simon says do the opposite. ("Stand up" now means sit down.)
5. Yoga Simon says (ages 3 to 8)
These Simon says yoga poses are the easiest way in, named the way a child would say them. If the yoga round is the hit, here's a beginner's guide to yoga with children.
- Simon says stand tall like a mountain.
- Simon says balance like a tree.
- Simon says hop like a frog.
- Simon says stretch like a cat.
- Simon says moo like a cow, then curve your back.
- Simon says make a downward dog.
- Simon says fly like an aeroplane.
- Simon says wrap up like an eagle.
- Simon says sit on an invisible chair.
- Simon says number seven. (On a mat with numbered poses, any number works.)
On our Sun Salutation mat the fifteen standing poses are numbered, so a six-year-old who can't think up ten commands can be Simon by calling numbers, and everyone checks the picture. Without a mat, call the names. The game works exactly the same. There are more yoga games for kids if you want to keep going.
6. Calm-down commands to finish (ages 3 to 8)
Slower and slower, quieter and quieter. Always the last band.
- Simon says move in slow motion.
- Simon says flop forward like a rag doll.
- Simon says curl up small like a mouse.
- Simon says stretch up tall and yawn.
- Simon says breathe in to smell a flower, and out to blow out a candle.
- Simon says sit cross-legged.
- Simon says whisper your name.
- Simon says close your eyes and count three sounds.
- Simon says put your hands on your tummy.
- Simon says lie as still as a statue for five.
Simon says rounds for after school, parties and the seasons
A five-minute after-school reset
Two minutes of band 2, one of band 3, two of band 6. The NHS says children under five "should not be inactive for long periods, except when they're asleep", and that 5 to 18 year olds should "break up long periods of not moving with some activity". A few rounds of Simon says is one easy way to do that after a day at a desk or in the car.
A party round
Start with band 3 so the giggles come early, play band 4 for older guests who want to be caught out, then finish on band 6 before the cake comes out. Let the birthday child be Simon for the last round.
Pumpkin says and Reindeer says
Change the caller's name for the season: "Pumpkin says" at Halloween, "Reindeer says" at Christmas, with commands to match (creep like a cat, gallop like a reindeer, shiver like a snowman). If you're choosing a present, here are some presents that come with their own game, and still get used after Boxing Day.
Let your child be Simon
If you'd like your child to run the yoga round themselves, Sun Salutation is a mat your child can follow on their own: fifteen standing poses, numbered one to fifteen, laser-engraved into the surface, so there's nothing to set up and no screen. It's designed for ages 3 to 8. If your game always ends on the floor, Freedom Flow is the floor design. Each mat is £34.99 with free UK delivery, and two Simons get 10 per cent off two or more.
What age can kids play Simon says?
No official body sets an age for Simon says, so this is our own view. Three-year-olds enjoy copying the actions. The catching-out part ("I didn't say Simon says") tends to land from about four or five, so play without anyone going out until it does. Sevens and eights want it fast and tricky, and they want to be Simon.
A mixed group of ages works if the youngest just copy and the older ones play the full rules. Nobody minds.
What if your child keeps getting out, or won't join in?
Make them Simon. A child who keeps getting caught often loves being the one who catches. Or swap going out for points, so a mistake costs a point rather than a turn.
Anyone who's out can become Simon's helper and spot the wobbles. Some children hate being watched, so let them play from the sofa doing only the hand commands. Don't force it. If your child would rather sit and do one quiet thing today, that's fine too, and we have ideas for helping a child settle to one thing.
Frequently asked questions
What are good Simon says commands for kids?
Good commands are quick to say, done on the spot, and easy to see whether someone's done them. Six to start with, one from each band: touch your nose, star jumps, waddle like a penguin, touch your left knee with your right hand, balance like a tree, and lie as still as a statue.
Why is it called Simon says?
Nobody knows for certain where the name comes from. What is clear is that the name changes from place to place. Some families in Ireland and parts of the UK call it "O'Grady says", and in French it's "Jacques a dit", which means "Jack said".
What games are like Simon says?
Follow the leader, where everyone copies the person at the front. Traffic lights, where green means go, amber means walk and red means stop. Musical statues, where you freeze when the music stops. And "do this, do that", where you copy "do this" and ignore "do that". There are more in our other listening games.
Can you play Simon says with just one child?
Yes. Take turns being Simon, and swap the moment either of you is caught out. With one child, keep score instead of going out: first to five catches wins. It's a good game for a grandparent too, because Simon can call every command from a chair while the grandchild does the moving.
