101 Pep-Up Games for Children: Refreshing, Recharging, Refocusing(Smartfun Activity Books)

Children often find it difficult to make it through an entire day of structured activity -- be it school, daycare, camp, or a boys/girls club. These games and activities are they remedy. Refocusing a child's mind after a long lesson or event, they re-energize youngsters and improve the mood of any group. Many incorporate call-and-response and improvisation, strengthening a child's cognitive skills while relieving fatigue and facilitating concentration. Each game requires only the children, a leader, and a heavy dose of enthusiasm -- no props or preparation necessary! The book is clearly written and easy to follow, and its infectious sense of fun makes each of these activities the perfect antidote to late-afternoon weariness.

Review :
Do you have a bunch of kids that are getting rambunctious? Are you planning a kids party and don't want to play the same old games? Or perhaps you are a teacher who wants to give your students a break from the usual classes and revitalize their interest? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is the book for you. 101 Pep-Up Games for Children is an awesome resource for anyone who is looking for games for kids in groups of just a few or a whole bunch. The book is separated into sections showing appropriate number of kids or what props you will need. There are some games in the book which require props, some where physical contact might be involved, some requiring a large space, some outdoor play and others which need music. Recently I was placed in charge of coming up with kids games for our church's picnic. 101 Pep-Up Games for Children has been an invaluable resource. The kids were able to have fun and in some instances learn something new too. My daughter is planning on being a teacher and she already wants to be sure to have this book in her "teacher stuff" that she will someday use in her classroom. This is a must have for any teacher, parent or adult who works with kids ages 6 to 10. It is a part of the SmartFun series and I can't wait to read more in this series! - Lori Plach for Reader Views As a theatre director and professor, I've had ample opportunity to witness the usefulness of games for energizing and focusing groups of people. Now, as the mother of an extremely energetic one year old (one of her primary nicknames is the Energizer Bunny), I'm even more aware of the basic human need to *move* sometimes. Educational theory backs this up: kinesthetic learning is increasingly recognized as an important and valid learning style. (In my parenting group, our coordinator told us that some districts are even encouraging kids to chew gum late in the afternoons because the motion helps them focus!) Along these lines, 101 Pep-up Games for Children is an excellent resource for moms, pre-school and grade-school teachers, daycare providers, and theatre folks like myself. The games are well-organized, making it easy to find the right kind of game for your specific purpose. They're ordered from simplest (for the youngest children) to most complex (for kids aged 9-10... or immature performer-types like myself). Each game is coded with clear icons delineating how many people the game is for, whether props or music are needed (mostly they're not), whether the game is played outside, and whether or not there's physical contact involved. There are also nice indexes in the back in case you want to find a game by name or requirement. Best of all, the games are simple to learn and play, and many incorporate learning concepts that make them easy to adapt to current classroom lesson plans...Overall, this book is a great resource and one I'm sure I'll turn to with my own kid and with future students and actors. - Elise, LibrayThing Early Reviewer As a second grade teacher, anything that helps with energy and classroom management is a good thing. My mind just doesn't function in inventing exercise games very well, so 101 Pep-Up Games was a great one from which to get ideas. This book really helps with quick, useful activities that kids can do in the classroom. No extra teacher thinking necessary. The activities are especially useful for rainy days! The layout of the book is also nice and pleasing to the eye. There isn't a lot of text clutter, and it has appropriate attention-getting images to accompany each exercise. The book's instructions and symbols are straight to the point and easy to understand (which I appreciated). I recommend this for any beginning teacher (like myself)! - Colombe, LibraryThing Early Reviewer As both the mother of four young children, and an intermittent Sunday School teacher, I have often found myself at wit's end while cooped up with antsy youngsters. Many are the times I have simply run out of curriculum or activities, while time slowly ticks until dismissal. Though I'm sure I must have played many games in my own youth, at these times, "Duck, Duck, Goose" is the only children's game I can ever remember on the fly. For all these reasons, 101 Pep-Up Games for Children by Allison Bartl is going to be an invaluable resource for me...Designed for children ages 4-11, this book is the ideal tool for various-sized groups of mixed age kids. In many cases, the games require absolutely no preparation or props, which for someone like me, is perfect. The book is well-organized, with easier games towards the beginning and more advanced games towards the end. Pre-defined symbols indicate what size group a game is best suited for, or other special requirements such as space to move or necessary props. Whimsical drawings are found on every page. All of the games are specifically designed to release pent up energy, or to re-energize a listless group by moving the body. The description of each game is so straightforward and brief that I'm often left wondering, "Why couldn't I think of that?" But the truth is, thinking of children's games is not my strength, and that is why 101 Pep-Up Games for Children is going to be such a fabulous tool. - Alaskabookworm, LibraryThing Early Reviewer