The Goldfish Game

ages 2-6

Supplies

Goldfish crackers or any animal-shaped food

Activity Detail

My children all played this precious snack-time game at their preschool, and it has remained our favorite way to eat goldfish crackers. How to play: Explain to your child that you're going to tell him a story while he eats, but he has to be patient and only eat when the story tells him to (sometimes this can be hard, so make sure your little one isn't starving when you start!). Pour a small pile of goldfish crackers into a bowl for your child and weave a tale about a little tuna fish who roamed the seas with lots of huge fish. "He wanted to be bigger, so he ate 3 goldfish [here you cue your child to eat 3 crackers]. That did help him grow, but he wanted to be even bigger, so he ate 5 goldfish," and so on. You can structure the story any way you like; sometimes the protagonist is a tuna, sometimes a fisherman or an octopus, or sometimes the goldfish escape down the drain to the ocean. After each swallow, ask your child how many goldfish are left - help them count if necessary. We've adapted this game to dinosaur crackers/chicken fingers and any other animal shaped food, all with fun results!