For aftercare, clubs and classes
One adult, a room of children of different ages, a few devices, and pickup at any minute. Pick the moment the room is in. Each one has a card to read aloud in thirty seconds, four games that work with one shared screen, and a question to send home.
On a projector or one big screen? Room-ready games have a Campfire screen button: bigger words, louder sounds, nothing extra on the page. Open one straight in campfire mode: TandemTots · CarryPals · FireflyTots · FoldoverPals · SwarmQuest · MentorDojo table mode · FunctionForge RampQuest · CallerTots SlapPals karuta.
Snack time
Everyone at tables, hands busy: something to listen to and answer out loud.
Say it in thirty seconds
Put the phone where you can see it. Say: “I’ll read one, you answer with your hands up, no shouting.” Read one riddle or choice per bite. Stop when snack does.
- RiddleRealm Ages 9–14One riddle read aloud; tables answer together.
- RatherPals Ages 6–8Two choices, a show of hands, and one reason from each side.
- CallerTots Ages 3–5The youngest at the table calls the pictures.
- FoldoverPals Ages 6–8Pass the screen round the table; each child adds one part of a silly sentence.
For the ride home: Ask: which riddle did nobody get?
Homework hour
Quiet, one task at a time, for whoever finishes early.
Say it in thirty seconds
Say: “Finished your homework? Pick one of these four, play one round, then show me.” One device can rotate; each round is short and saves on that device.
- MentalForge Ages 9–14A short round of mental maths, done in under five minutes.
- TimesQuest Ages 6–8Times tables, one fact family at a time.
- LogicQuest Ages 9–14One logic puzzle, then stop.
- ReadPals Ages 6–8A decodable reader for six-to-eights: sound out one page.
For the ride home: Ask: what was one thing you got right today, and how did you know?
In the gym
A big room and a lot of energy: the device calls, bodies move.
Say it in thirty seconds
Number the corners one to four. Say: “I read a question, you walk to your answer, you can change your mind until I say freeze.” Nobody is out.
- CornersForge Ages 6–8Walk to the corner you think is right; everyone stays in.
- WiggleTots Ages 3–5A whole-body movement game with a freeze, for the youngest.
- ClapPals Ages 6–8Read a rhythm, then clap it together as a room.
- DanceQuest Ages 9–14Build an eight-count dance phrase, then teach it to the room.
For the ride home: Ask: which question made you change corners?
Club time
A longer weekly block: older children run a table for younger ones.
Say it in thirty seconds
Pick one Captain per table, aged nine or up. Say: “Your job is to run it so the youngest at your table gets a real turn.” Check in once halfway.
- HuntForge Ages 9–14Build a hunt that another table has to solve.
- DeduceQuest Ages 9–14Crack a hidden code together; a wrong guess is a clue, not a miss.
- CipherForge Ages 9–14Codes to make and break with a paper wheel.
- MentorDojo Ages 15–18Teenagers practise explaining a game to a younger player.
For the ride home: Ask: what did you teach someone today?
Winding down
Lights lower, voices lower: calm, short things.
Say it in thirty seconds
Dim the lights if you can. Say: “This one is quiet. Listen first.” Play one, then let the room sit for a minute before anyone moves.
- HushTots Ages 3–5A listening walk: what can we hear if we are very still?
- LanternTales Ages 3–5A cozy story the room helps to tell.
- DialTots Ages 3–5Check in on how your body feels right now.
- FireflyTots Ages 3–5A dark meadow on the big screen: fireflies come out while the room is gentle.
For the ride home: Ask: what was the quietest sound you heard today?
Waiting for pickup
Children leave at any minute: games anyone can drop out of without breaking.
Say it in thirty seconds
Say: “When your grown-up comes, just go. The game keeps going without you.” Pick a game with no teams and no score.
- OddOneTots Ages 3–5Which one doesn’t belong — anyone can answer, anyone can go.
- GuessTots Ages 3–5Guess how many, then count together; no score to leave behind.
- SevenPals Ages 6–8Put ladybirds on the numbers, roll two dice, see why seven wins.
- CallerTots Ages 3–5A new caller every round, so leaving never stops the game.
For the ride home: Ask: what was the last thing we played before you left?
Nothing to hand?
No devices, no materials, twenty minutes to fill: The Back Pocket, on our sister site for grown-ups, has twelve playground games with a script to read aloud, a way to bend each one for mixed ages, and your phone as the caller. Every card links to the app here that teaches the same idea.
A mystery for the whole room
SeasonTales: The Quiet Bell runs across four club sessions. Each one has an episode to read aloud or play (about five minutes), one printable, and three things to hide in two minutes. Every age has a job: the youngest find, the middle ages decode and measure, the oldest run the case board. Each episode solves one clue and ends; nothing expires if you miss a week. The staff page for each episode is under Across the Table: episode one, two, three, four.
Every age has a job
A mixed-age room is a ladder: each age teaches the one below.
| Who | Their job |
|---|---|
| Ages 3–5 | Do it. Hands on the big buttons. |
| Ages 6–8 | Help. Show a younger child how. |
| Ages 9–14 | Run a table for younger children. |
| Ages 15–18 | Run the game hour and coach the table-runners. |
| Staff | Open the room and pick the moment. |
| Home | Hear the ride-home question, and bring a game from home. |
How the room works
- No child accounts or logins. To play across devices, one device opens a room and shows a short code; nothing personal attaches to it.
- No chat and no free text between children. Rooms use picture reactions only.
- Anyone can leave mid-game. Nothing breaks and nothing scolds.
- Progress stays on the device that played. The only exception is an optional account a teenager (13 or older) can choose to sync their own games; nobody younger has one.