16 Simple Hand Clapping Games for Kids of All Ages

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Have fun and fill time with these zero-equipment games for hands
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Back before Nintendo, iPhones, and YouTube, we had hand games—easy-to-learn games that required nothing but your hands. For younger kids, these games are a great way to learn fine-motor skills, bond with a parent or friend, and practice following instructions. For older kids, these games can be a fun way to fill downtime during recess or on a long road trip. Below, we’ll break down 16 of the most iconic and fun hand games for kids of any age!

1

Patty-Cake

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  1. Also known as “Pat-A-Cake,” Patty-Cake is the perfect game for bonding with a baby, toddler, or young child while teaching them fine-motor skills. The lyrics in the song correspond to specific gestures, which we’ve tacked on to the lyrics below in parentheses. [1]
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 1 year+
    • Lyrics for the game:

      Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker's man (clap with opposite hands with your partner)
      Bake me a cake as fast as you can
      Pat it and prick it and mark it with "B" (pantomime the patting, pricking, and marking)
      Put it in the oven for baby and me (pantomime setting the cake in the oven)
      For baby and me (act out rocking a baby)
      For baby and me
      And there will be plenty for baby and me
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2

A Sailor Went to Sea

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  1. A Sailor Went to Sea is very similar to Patty-Cake but it requires fewer motions, making it perfect for kids struggling with Patty-Cake. You sing the song and follow the motions, of which there are only three: “Sea/See,” “Chop,” and “Knee.” [2] To make the motions, “Sea” is a pun on “see”---you raise your hand to your eyes like you’re looking for something. “Chop” involves karate-chopping your forearm, and “Knee” is just placing your hands on your knees. You clap as you play.
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 1+
    • Lyrics for the game:

      A sailor went to sea sea sea, (See x3)
      To see what he could see see see. (See x3)
      But all that he could see see see, (See x3)
      Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea. (See x3)
      A sailor went to chop chop chop, (Chop x3)
      To see what he could chop chop chop. (Chop x3) But all that he could chop chop chop, (Chop x3)
      Was the bottom of the deep blue chop chop chop. (Chop x3)
      A sailor went to knee knee knee, (Knee x3)
      To see what he could knee knee knee. (Knee x3)
      But all that he could knee knee knee, (Knee x3)
      Was the bottom of the deep blue knee knee knee. (Knee x3)
3

Mary Mack

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  1. Also known as “Miss Mary Mack,” Mary Mack is a simple clapping game that is perfect for slightly older young children who have mastered the first two games on our list. It’s a rhythm game, so you just complete the steps in order while singing the lyrics. [3]
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 2+
    • Lyrics for the game:

      Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, (Clap your hands together.)
      All dressed in black, black, black, (Cross your arms in front of your chest.)
      With silver buttons, buttons, buttons, (Clap your hands together.)
      All down her back, back, back (Clap hands with your partner three times.)

      She asked her mother, mother, mother, (Clap your hands together.)
      For fifty cents, cents, cents, (Cross your arms in front of your chest.)
      To see the elephant, elephant, elephant. (Clap your hands together.)
      Jump over the fence, fence, fence. (Clap hands with your partner three times.)

      He jumped so high, high, high, (Clap your hands together.)
      He reached the sky, sky, sky, (Cross your arms in front of your chest.)
      And he never came back, back, back, (Clap your hands together.)
      ‘Till the end of July, ‘ly, ‘ly. (Clap hands with your partner three times.)
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4

Down Down Baby

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  1. Also known as “Roller Coaster,” Down Down Baby is a group clapping game that comes from an episode of Sesame Street. To play, any group of players stands in a circle and claps using the hands of the players next to them while singing the song. The goal is for the players to master the timing and rhythm while doing the proper moves. [4]
    • Number of players: 2+
    • Suggested ages: 2+
    • Lyrics for the game:

      Down, down, baby (Players clap)
      Down by the roller coaster (Players make a roller coaster motion)
      Sweet, sweet baby (Players clap)
      I’ll never let you go (Players clap on their own twice)

      Shimmy, shimmy Coco Pop (Players clap)
      Shimmy shimmy pow (Players make a roller coaster motion)
      Shimmy, shimmy Coco Pop (Players clap)
      Shimmy shimmy pow (Players clap on their own twice)
5

Four White Horses

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  1. Four White Horses teaches cooperation, coordination, and rhythm. Players stand in a square and practice singing the song while clapping on beat. This game also has a creativity element, as there’s no “correct” clapping pattern—players come up with their own pattern and try to match it to the beat. [5]
    • Number of players: 4
    • Suggested ages: 6+
    • Lyrics for the game:
      Four white horses on the river
      Hey, hey, hey, up tomorrow
      Up tomorrow is a rainy day

      Come on and join our shadow play
      Shadow play is a ripe banana
      Hey, hey, hey, up tomorrow
      Up tomorrow is a rainy day
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6

Hand Stacking

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  1. Hand Stacking is a very funny, relaxed social game. You can’t really “win” the game—it’s more about just seeing how long you can keep it going. To play, any number of players put their hands in the middle like they’re in a huddle. Then, whoever is on the bottom has to put their hand on top. Play continues, and players see how fast they can go without messing up the order of the hands!
    • Number of players: 3+ (but more is better)
    • Suggested ages: 3+
7

Pass the Clap

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  1. Pass the Clap is a classic improv game designed to get players comfortable with one another while honing reaction time skills. To play, players stand in a circle. Then, a player claps and the player to their right must clap after. The player to that player’s right claps and the clap goes all the way around to the starting point. Then, change direction! You can even mix it up further by allowing players to clap in a random player’s direction to send the clap all over the place. [6]
    • Number of players: 3+ (but more is better)
    • Suggested ages: 5+
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8

Where Are Your Keys

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  1. Where Are Your Keys (WAYK) is a language-acquisition game. It is originally used to teach students learning a new language, but anyone can play. To play, one player chooses a location for the “keys.” Then, the other player comes up with a gesture that stands in for a word (if you’re learning a new language, you say the word out loud). Then, the next player “takes” the key and chooses a new gesture. Play continues like this until players have a full vocabulary and can start using the gestures to “find the keys” on the other player. [7]
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 8+
9

Slide

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  1. If you’ve ever seen a group of young girls sitting facing each other and clapping in a weird pattern, they were probably playing Slide. [8] Players sit and face each other.
    • Then, they complete these steps in order:
      • Players clap once on their own.
      • Players clap their right hands together.
      • Players clap on their own.
      • Players clap their left hands together.
      • Players clap both of their partner’s hands.
      • Players “slide” their hands down one another.
      • The round starts over, and play goes faster.
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 6+
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10

Rockin’ Robin

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  1. Rockin’ Robin is an old-school game based on the 1958 song Bobby Day classic “ Rockin’ Robin .” The game requires four players who stand in a square and complete the following sequence of movements to match the beat of the song: [9]
    • For the hook:
      • Players clap using the hands of the players on either side to the beat of the song so that each “tweet” gets a clap.
    • For the verses:
      • Players clap above and across.
      • Players clap below and across.
      • Players clap to the right.
      • Players clap to the left.
    • Number of players: 4
    • Suggested ages: 6+
11

Rock, Paper, Scissors

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  1. Rock, Paper, Scissors is a classic. Here’s how it works: two players make a fist. You move the fist up and down while counting down “rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” On “shoot!” both players make a rock, paper, or scissors motion. Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beats paper. Players typically go best out of five.
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 6+
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12

Thumb War

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  1. Also known as thumb wrestling, thumb war is a competitive game that requires strength and dexterity. Players wrap their four fingers around the other player’s four fingers using their dominant hands. They stick their thumbs up and shout “1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a thumb war, 5, 6, 7, 8, try to keep your thumb straight.” Then, players try to wrangle the opposing player’s thumb to pin it down for at least 5 seconds. [10]
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 8+
13

Chopsticks

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  1. Chopsticks is a fun, competitive math game. Two players start facing each other with one finger out on each hand. When a player taps another player’s hand, they add that number to their hand. Turns continue until a player’s hand has all five fingers sticking out, which “kills” that hand. The first player to lose both hands is the loser.
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 8+
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14

Morra

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  1. Morra is a centuries-old hand game using any number of players. Players take turns guessing the total sum of all numbers players are going to throw out as they all display any number of fingers at the same time. If someone correctly guesses the number, they get a point. If nobody guesses the number, they get nothing. Play continues until you reach a certain score (normally five). [11]
    • Number of players: 2+ (4-6 is ideal)
    • Suggested ages: 8+
15

Concentration 64

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  1. Concentration 64 is a mind-bending trivia clapping game for two players. You use the same clapping pattern the whole game: clap your partner’s right hand with your left, and left hand with your right. Then, you both flip each palm over and clap hands again. Then, you clap on your own 3 times quickly. You start off by saying “Concentration 64” three times, then name a category (like “animals” or “movies”). You keep clapping, and players take turns reciting answers with each clap rotation. The first player to not think of an answer loses. [12]
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 10+
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16

Red Hands

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  1. Red Hands is that “slap game” you probably already know. There are two players—one on offense, one on defense. The defending player puts their hands flat with the palm down on top of the offending player’s hands, which are facing palm up. The goal of the game is to slap the defending player’s hands, but once the offending player moves their hands, the defense can too! Once one player is slapped, the positions change.
    • Number of players: 2
    • Suggested ages: 13+ (younger players can take this too seriously and slap too hard)

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/pattycake/
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/SCfRcWZjtAg?t=14
      3. ↑ https://dltk-kids.com/games/miss_mary_mack_clapping_game.htm
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/5K-FpmUUc7U?t=3
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/E9etGzNH2SM?t=6
      6. ↑ https://www.elementarymatters.com/2016/09/pass-clap-fun-game.html
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/RGdwSlpjjMs?t=2
      8. ↑ https://folklore.usc.edu/slide-game/
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/n5BgrGEQaBQ?t=18
      1. ↑ https://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/thumb-wrestling.html
      2. ↑ https://www.heilwood.com/people/fun-games/morra/
      3. ↑ https://www.olivebloss.org/apps/video/watch.jsp?v=8872

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