Circle Games

There are many games around the world based on children sitting in a circle. Some of these games include:

CORRE, CORRE LA GUARACA (Chile)
The game name translates to "Run, Run, la Guaraca," but Guaracais actually a nonsense word.

Players: Five or more, ages 5 and up
You need: A handkerchief

Players sit in a circle while a person runs around the circle with a handkerchief. The seated children are not allowed to watch and have to sing "Corre, Corre, la Guaraca who looks back will be bopped on his head!"
Trying not to be felt, the runner drops the handkerchief on a child's back and runs. If he makes it around the circle before the player realizes that it's on her back, the seated player is out.
If the seated player catches on, she must tag the runner. If she succeeds, the runner is out. If she fails to tag him, they play again, but this time the girl is the runner.

Players: Five or more, ages 5 and up

You need: Some leaves

Children are sitting in a circle; one child starts the game by taking some leaves in his hand and runs behind the other children. Suddenly he puts the leaves on the ground in front of a girl and runs around the circle.
The girl picks up the leaves and runs behind the boy as fast as she can. She needs to tag him before he reaches the space where she was first sitting. If she manages to tag him, then the boy starts again. But if not, the girl now must drop the leaves in front of another child.

Players: As many as 25 or as few as six; ages 3 and up

This game is played in many Australian preschools and kindergartens to help teach children their classmates' names as well as good listening skills.
Children sit in a circle and an adult asks one child to go into the middle—she is the first Skippyroo, the kangaroo. Skippyroo crouches forward on the floor with her eyes closed while the kids in the circle chant: "Skippyroo, kangaroo, dozing in the midday sun, comes a hunter, run, run, run."
At this stage an adult points to a child sitting in the circle, who then touches Skippyroo's shoulder and says, "Guess who's caught you just for fun?" and waits.
Skippyroo tries to name the owner of the voice and if she guesses correctly, swaps places. If not, she has another go. The game continues until all the kids have had a chance to be Skippyroo.

Players: As many as 25 or as few as six; ages 3 and up

A group of children sit in a circle, facing inward, while another player, who is "it", walks around tapping each child on the head; calling each one a duck until finally one is called a goose.
The goose must chase the player around the circle and the first one to sit in the vacant spot wins. The child who misses out becomes “it” and begins the game again by tapping each child on the head calling them a duck, until eventually calling out goose.