Contributed by Tim Brugger, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru

Kids, animals, games; right up there with peanut butter and jelly as an all-time winning combo.

Animal games for kids have been around for as long as there have been kids, as many of the Top 10 list animal games below demonstrates.

10. Leapfrog

Not exactly the most inventive of all animal games for kids, but it’s somehow made it through generations of kids, and it’s still going strong. Most school playgrounds and parks across the country still feature this energy-burning classic. Sure, there are quicker ways to get from point A, to point B, but not nearly as much fun.

9. 20 Questions Animal Style

This is a great game for kids to learn, from each other, about the animal kingdom. As each question narrows the focus, it’s up to the child inquisitor to determine which wild beast is the subject of this game. And no, using platypus is not fair.

8. Fox and Hound

If you haven’t heard of this animal game for kids, here’s how it works: using a checkerboard, a child selects one black checker as the fox, the other picks 4 red checkers as hounds and each are on opposite ends of the board. The objective is to try to stop the fox from reaching the other side before being pinned in by the hounds. Great variation on an old theme.

7. Cat’s Cradle

Having never been able to master this game using funky string shapes, does not detract from the kids who could. It really gets crazy when more than one child plays and they’re able to transfer the funkified shapes from one to the next. Perhaps the dexterity required for cat’s cradle is a precursor for surgeons?

6. Mousetrap

Constructing this game with the little rolling metal bearings, that then are snatched up by a descending mouse cage, makes this one of the classic animal games for kids. This game has been around since before man walked on the moon, and will probably still be here the next time we make it over that way.

5. Pin the Tail

A birthday party favorite, pin the tail can include any of your child’s favorite animals, though it’s most closely associated with the donkey. To add a layer of fun for the children, don’t run out and buy one of the pre-packaged pin the tail games. Instead, begin this animal game for kids by making a project of it. Using construction paper, scissors, a pencil and a little imagination, they’re on their way to developing their own pinnable animal.

4. What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?

This game takes a bit of room, but will get a lot of kids involved and help burn excess energy; making this a favorite of parents too. It goes like this: one person is Mr. Wolf and stands away from the other kids. As they get closer, they yell out ‘what time is it?” Mr. Wolf replies “its 1 o’clock” as the kids continue to get closer. When the reply becomes “dinnertime,” the chase is on. The child caught by Mr. Wolf now takes her place as the ultimate animal timekeeper.

3. H-O-R-S-E

Like pin the tail, this game involving the shooting of baskets can use the spelling of any animal. P-I-G is also a popular choice, particularly if a shorter game is needed, or for younger kids that aren’t likely to drain too many three pointers from the corner. Unless agreed upon prior the opening shot, it’s usually a good idea to limit reverse 360 dunks to a minimum; you could put an eye out.

2. Duck, Duck, Goose

Once the kids are sitting in a circle, they are officially the ducks. The fox is the one child left standing and slowly circles the group, tapping each on the head, dubbing each a duck. At some point, the fox taps one of the sitting ducks (no pun intended) and shouts “goose” setting off what can only be described as animal games for kids mayhem. The goose now has to jump up and sprint around the circle until the fox gets to the recently vacated spot, before the goose corrals him.

1. Old McDonald

Not only is this a catchy little ditty, it’s a great way for young kids to learn about animals. It’s difficult to say if there is actually an ending to this song, particularly with the advent of ostrich, emu and other newer farm animals that can keep this going until the kids fall over from exhaustion. These types of farms weren’t necessarily considered when the limerick was first made famous. If there is a formal cessation, it usually coincides with “lunch time!”