Grab the finger game

Grab the finger is a game where children try to grab their neighbor’s finger with their left hand while keeping their other neighbor from grabbing their right one. This fun finger game is the perfect way to target a range of fine motor skills in younger children. This is a very simple game that can be played outdoors as well as indoors.

Game sheet

number of players: unlimited
ages: 5+
materials: none
Played indoors or outdoors
Play time: 10 min

How to play the Grab the finger Game?

Have the children sit in a circle on the floor with their arms reached out on both sides. With their left hand, they should hold it open with their palm facing up. Their right hand should be in a fist with the “pointer” finger facing down.
Their finger should be touching the center of their neighbor’s opened palm. Explain to the kids that when you shout “go!”, they need to try to grab their neighbor’s finger with their left hand while avoiding getting caught by the neighbor on their right. Any children with their fingers “captured” should sit out the next round. The game continues until there is only one child remaining.

Variations

Try adding suspense to the game by using different words other than “go!”. For exemple, if you say “green light!” the children should try to grab their neighbor’s finger but if you say “red light!”, they should not. This way, the children never know if they should be on guard or not.
For older children, try adding a rule that if they grab a finger on “red light!”, then they must sit out.
Another way to play the game, is to mix up the pattern of open and closed hands. Try selecting a few children to have both hands open or both hands closed (with fingers pointing). Or try alternating the left and right hands by having the right hand open and the left hand closed. Change it each round to see which kids can remember the hand they’re supposed to move.