Educational Safari Games for Kids
An educational safari can be an incredibly enriching experience for kids, blending adventure with learning about wildlife, conservation, and diverse cultures. Here are some educational safari games and activities suitable for children, both for preparing for a safari and engaging them during the trip:
Games for During the Safari (In the Vehicle)
- Safari Bingo (Sightings & Behavior):
- How to Play: Create bingo cards with pictures or names of animals, birds, trees, or even behaviors (e.g., “giraffe eating,” “elephant spraying water,” “lion sleeping,” “zebra crossing the road”).
- Educational Aspect: Encourages observation, identification, and understanding of animal behavior. You can have different cards for different age groups or themes (e.g., “Big Five Bingo,” “Bird Bingo”).
- Animal Fact Guessing Game:
- How to Play: One person thinks of an animal seen on safari and gives clues (e.g., “I have a long neck,” “I eat leaves,” “I live in herds”). Others guess the animal.
- Educational Aspect: Reinforces animal characteristics, diet, and social structures. Guides can also provide fascinating facts to expand on the game.
- “I Spy” Safari Edition:
- How to Play: Classic “I Spy” but focused on safari elements. “I spy with my little eye something that is brown and tall” (tree or giraffe).
- Educational Aspect: Improves descriptive language, observation skills, and vocabulary related to the environment.
- Animal Sounds Guessing:
- How to Play: Play recordings of animal sounds (downloaded beforehand) and have kids guess the animal. Or, if you’re lucky enough to hear them naturally, try to identify them.
- Educational Aspect: Teaches recognition of animal calls and expands knowledge of less visible species.
- Safari Scavenger Hunt (Visual Checklist):
- How to Play: Provide kids with a printable checklist of animals and items to spot (e.g., “a bird’s nest,” “an acacia tree,” “a dusty elephant,” “a vehicle with a pop-up roof”). They check them off as they see them.
- Educational Aspect: Develops keen observation skills and introduces specific features of the safari environment.
- Counting Animals (Math Skills):
- How to Play: Designate a specific animal (e.g., “Let’s count how many zebras we see today!”). Keep a running tally. You can even do this for different categories (e.g., mammals, birds, reptiles).
- Educational Aspect: Simple counting for younger kids, or more complex tallying for older ones, integrating math into the experience.
- Storytelling Safari:
- How to Play: Start a story with a safari theme, then each person adds a sentence or two, incorporating animals or events they’ve seen.
- Educational Aspect: Encourages creativity, descriptive writing (even if spoken), and imaginative play based on real experiences.
Games for Pre-Safari Preparation (and Post-Safari Reinforcement)
- DIY Safari Binoculars:
- How to Make: Glue two toilet paper rolls together, attach a string, and let kids decorate them.
- Educational Aspect: Encourages imaginative play and gets them excited about “spotting” animals.
- Animal Track Matching:
- How to Play: Print out pictures of various safari animal tracks and their corresponding animals. Kids match them up.
- Educational Aspect: Teaches animal identification through signs, crucial for trackers on real safaris.
- Habitat Matching:
- How to Play: Create cards with safari animals and cards with different habitats (e.g., “savannah,” “river,” “forest”). Kids match animals to their correct habitat.
- Educational Aspect: Teaches ecological concepts and how animals are adapted to their environments.
- Safari Animal Puzzles & Memory Games:
- How to Play: Use purchased safari-themed puzzles or create your own memory game with printed animal pictures.
- Educational Aspect: Develops problem-solving skills, memory, and animal recognition.
- Role-Playing Safari:
- How to Play: Set up a “safari camp” at home with stuffed animals, blankets, and flashlights. Kids can take turns being the guide, photographer, or a specific animal.
- Educational Aspect: Encourages imaginative play, fosters an understanding of safari roles, and allows them to act out what they’ve learned.
- “Who Am I?” Animal Charades:
- How to Play: Write different safari animals on slips of paper. Kids pick one and act out the animal, and others guess.
- Educational Aspect: Reinforces animal characteristics and encourages creative expression.
Educational Board Games (Store-bought)
There are several excellent board games with safari themes that are highly educational:
- NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC My First Safari Board Game: Designed for younger kids (4+), this cooperative game encourages teamwork to complete a safari before the sun sets. It comes with a learning guide packed with animal facts.
- Creative’s World Safari Educational Board Games: Focuses on general knowledge and quizzes about the world, often including safari animals and habitats.
- Safari-themed Bingo Games: Many printable and physical bingo games are available that focus on identifying various safari animals and their names.
- Animal Kingdom: A classic type of game where players learn about different animals, their habitats, and characteristics.
Tips for Maximizing Educational Value:
- Engage the Guide: Your safari guide is a living encyclopedia! Encourage your children to ask questions and your guide to share interesting facts and stories.
- Bring Field Guides: A child-friendly field guide to the animals and birds of the region can turn every sighting into a learning opportunity.
- Journaling/Sketching: Provide a small notebook and pencils for kids to draw the animals they see or write down observations.
- Discussion: After each game drive, talk about what you saw, what surprised you, and what new things you learned.
- Patience is Key: Don’t force it. Let the games be fun and spontaneous. Sometimes the best learning comes from simply observing and asking questions.
By integrating these games, you can transform a safari into an interactive and unforgettable learning adventure for your children, fostering a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and conservation.