Fun File Folder Games for Kindergarten

Freebies, Literacy, Math

Incorporating file folder games into your kindergarten classroom can be a game-changer! These simple, low-prep activities are an engaging way to help young learners practice important kindergarten skills. Plus, they offer a hands-on, independent learning option for students during center time, early finishers, or small group rotations. Here’s why file folder games are a must-have for every kindergarten teacher, along with some recommendations (and freebies!) to get you started!

Why Should Teachers Use File Folder Games?

Having used file folder games in my kindergarten classroom and as a K-2 special education teacher, I love them for so many reasons. They’re an easy, grab-and-go learning tool that can be created for practically any skill. Here’s a little more about why I love them!

1. Interactive: File folder games provide an interactive learning experience. Kindergarten students love to manipulate pieces, match items, and solve puzzles. These games allow them to apply their knowledge in a fun and interactive way!

2. Skill Reinforcement: File folder games can target specific learning objectives and skills to reinforce and review concepts already taught in the classroom. Once your students understand the instructions, they can play the games on their own or with a partner. This makes them great for centers, morning work, or even as an early finisher activity.

3. Differentiation: File folder games can be designed for any subject area.. Whether you’re working on letter recognition, counting, or addition, you can create or find a game to fit your students’ individual needs and learning styles.

4. Easy to Store: File folder games are easy to organize, allowing for easy classroom use and access. This portability also makes them perfect for classroom learning centers, intervention, and more. Once prepped and laminated, they can be used over and over again. And because they fold up neatly into a folder, they don’t take up much space—just pop them in a bin or crate!

Tips for Using File Folder Games in Your Classroom

Introduce the game first: Make sure to model how to play the game before placing it in a center. Walk through the steps for the game as a class. You could also consider playing it with students in a small group setting before placing the game in learning centers.
Rotate games: Keep things fresh by rotating the games in and out of your centers. This helps maintain student interest and provides opportunities to revisit previously learned concepts.
Set expectations: As with other classroom activities like morning tubs and centers, set expectations for how the games should be handled. Show students how easy the pieces are to put away and store appropriately. Also, if the games are used with a partner, practice how to take turns.

5 Fun File Folder Game Ideas for Kindergarten

My File Folder Games pack has over 40 games for you to use all year long. Here’s a look at a few of my favorites!

1. Flower Match-ups: This is an uppercase-lowercase letter matching game. Students will complete each flower by finding and placing the correct letters on the board.

2. Cookie Counting: This game practices counting with 1:1 correspondence for numbers 11-20. Each piece has a number of chocolate chips from 11-20. Students will count the chocolate chips and place the piece on the cookie with the matching number.

3. Fishing for Digraphs: This file folder game practices beginning digraph sounds ch, sh, th, and wh. Students will sort pictures based on the beginning digraph.

4. Popping Shapes: This game practices real world 2D shapes. Students will sort pictures of real world objects based on their 2D shape.

5. Make a Sandwich: Students will love “making sandwiches” in this fun Short A CVC game! They will read each word and place the piece on the correct picture.

Give File Folder Games a Try!

I love to try things before making an investment in them, and maybe you do, too! I created these two free file folder games just for my email subscribers!

Syllable Salad: This file folder game reinforces counting 1, 2, 3, or 4 syllables in a word. Students will pick a game piece, count the syllables, and sort it to make little salads!

Number Shells: Number representation activities play a huge part in building number sense. This game has shells with different number representations for numbers 1-5. Students will sort each piece based on the number it shows.

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File Folder Games are the Perfect Learning Tool!

File folder games are an excellent way to keep your kindergarten students engaged, learning, and having fun! They offer flexibility in your classroom, provide valuable hands-on practice, and are easy to prepare and store. Whether you’re reinforcing literacy, math, or other skills, file folder games are a fantastic addition to your teaching toolkit. Start small with a few games, and soon, your classroom will be filled with excited, independent learners!