We experienced a very wet Sunday this weekend jut gone. Even though it’s May and the sun should be out. But we live close to Manchester and the weather hates us here.
Anyway, I was on my own with the kids and had zero inspiration as to how to keep them entertained. I’m usually alright with this sort of thing but my mind just went blank.
So I did what any self-respecting parent would do in that situation: I went to visit a Mum friend and outsourced the issue to her 😝
It was here that I discovered a new ‘rainy day game’ that I had genuinely never come across before: doing dares for kids.
Now, before you start worrying we had them knocking on doors and running away or eating tubes of toothpaste, they weren’t those kinds of dares. These were definitely U rated dares. In fact, they were hardly ‘dares’ at all, more like challenges, but to a 6 year old they felt like dares.
It’s a great way to kill an hour because doing dares is an easy game for the parent to run, kids find them funny, and each dare is different. We got through absolutely loads of them last Sunday and this game is now firmly in my tool box of boredom beaters.
You can give it a go next time you are stuck with kids who need entertaining, because I have listed 100 dares for kids below. Enjoy!
List Of Dares For Kids
Some of these are physicals dares, some are more like mental challenges, some are very silly, some are more creative – there’s a real mix.
You can make your own up of course, but this list should hopefully give you some inspiration too!
- Walk across the room like a penguin.
- Sing the chorus of your favourite song in a robot voice.
- Pull your silliest face and hold it for ten seconds.
- Hop on one foot while counting to 20.
- Pretend to be a newsreader reporting on something ridiculous, like a runaway banana.
- Do your best animal impression and let everyone guess what you are.
- Balance a soft toy on your head for 30 seconds.
- Say the alphabet backwards as far as you can.
- Make up a superhero name for yourself and explain your superpower.
- Do ten star jumps.
- Talk in a whisper for the next two minutes.
- Pretend the floor is lava and get from one side of the room to the other.
- Draw a picture with your eyes closed.
- Speak in a posh voice until your next turn.
- Make up a dance move and teach it to everyone.
- Build the tallest tower you can using cushions, books or blocks.
- Pretend to be a waiter taking everyone’s imaginary food order.
- Say three nice things about someone in the room.
- Try to touch your nose with your tongue.
- Do your best evil laugh.
- Pretend you are a cat for one minute.
- Make up a joke on the spot.
- Spin around three times and then try to walk in a straight line.
- Say “toy boat” five times quickly.
- Pretend to be a statue until someone makes you laugh.
- Do your best impression of a teacher.
- Invent a new word and explain what it means.
- Walk backwards across the room safely.
- Pretend to be a dinosaur looking for snacks.
- Name five things that are blue before the timer runs out.
- Put on an imaginary fashion show using whatever you are already wearing.
- Try to make someone laugh without touching them.
- Speak only in questions until your next turn.
- Do a dramatic reading of a cereal box, book cover or random object nearby.
- Balance on one leg while saying your name three times.
- Pretend you have just won an award and give a speech.
- Make the sound of three different animals.
- Do a slow-motion race across the room.
- Act out brushing your teeth like it is the most exciting thing ever.
- Make up a handshake with another player.
- Pretend to be a pirate searching for treasure.
- Say a tongue twister as quickly as you can.
- Create a funny advert for a boring household item.
- Do your best silent movie acting for 30 seconds.
- Pretend you are walking through sticky mud.
- Name as many fruits as you can in 20 seconds.
- Try to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time.
- Make up a silly song about socks.
- Pretend to be a sports commentator describing someone making a sandwich.
- Do five squats while pulling a funny face.
- Speak like a baby until your next turn.
- Invent a new dance for your favourite animal.
- Pretend to be an alien visiting Earth for the first time.
- Try to say your full name with your tongue sticking out.
- Act like a chicken laying an egg.
- Make up a bedtime story in 30 seconds.
- Pretend to be a very dramatic weather presenter.
- Do a crab walk across the room.
- Name three things you are grateful for.
- Pretend your shoes are magic and explain what they do.
- Make a funny hat out of something safe nearby.
- Talk like a pirate for one round.
- Do your best victory celebration.
- Pretend to be a dog who has just heard the word “walkies”.
- Say “red lorry, yellow lorry” three times.
- Create a new rule for the game.
- Act out your favourite film without speaking.
- Pretend to be a grumpy old wizard.
- Make a silly sound every time someone says your name for the next two minutes.
- Do a tiny dance every time you take a step.
- Pretend to be a chef explaining your weirdest recipe.
- Make up a rhyme using the word “banana”.
- Walk like a robot until your next turn.
- Give a serious speech about why biscuits are important.
- Pretend to be a royal waving to your people.
- Make your best surprised face.
- Try to keep a straight face while someone else acts silly.
- Pretend you are stuck in slow motion.
- Name five animals that live in the sea.
- Give your best superhero landing pose.
- Speak in an accent or silly voice for one minute.
- Pretend to be a monkey looking for a lost banana.
- Make up a magic spell and say what it does.
- Try to clap a rhythm and get everyone to copy it.
- Pretend to be a tour guide showing people around your living room.
- Do your best impression of a baby learning to walk.
- Balance a book on your head while walking carefully.
- Pretend to be a detective solving the mystery of the missing biscuit.
- Make up a funny nickname for yourself.
- Act like you have just stepped into a freezing cold swimming pool.
- Pretend to be a pop star waving to fans.
- Say the days of the week in a funny voice.
- Create a silly pose and hold it while everyone counts to ten.
- Pretend to be a horse trotting around the room.
- Give a compliment to every player.
- Act like a balloon slowly deflating.
- Make up a new sport and explain the rules.
- Pretend to be a very excited puppy.
- Do your best “I’ve just seen a ghost” face.
- Let another player choose a safe, silly dare for you.
That last one is essentially letting one child invent a dare for another, with the parent acting as a health and safety official. In other words, if the dare is dangerous or unfair you step in and ask them to come up with something else.
How To Play
You don’t really need rules when playing dares for kids, but a bit of structure.
We set it up a bit like a stage, so there was a ‘performance’ area, and the other kids sat in front and watched and laughed. Us parents sat of to the side coming up with the dares and kind of running things.
When the kids understand the setup, the parents take turns giving out dares. This gives plenty of time to think up your next dare. If you’re on your own you will just have to think fast – sorry! 🙃
The kids also take turns to do a dare each, so it goes round in the same order and each child isn’t waiting too long until it’s their go.
Nice and simple, but very effective and loads of fun.