🦁 If I Were an Animal
"If I were an animal, I'd be a cheetah, because I'm always in a hurry." Each player picks something that represents them and explains why. It is a gentle, imaginative way for kids to get to know each other, and it often sparks real conversations.
What you need
Equipment: Nothing. Sit in a circle. Choose the category for the round: animal, food, country, superhero, kitchen gadget or season.
How to play If I Were an Animal
- Model it yourself first: "If I were an animal, I'd be a cheetah, because I'm always rushing around."
- The first player chooses an animal and explains in two sentences why it represents them.
- The group may ask one question about the choice.
- If two players choose the same animal, they explain how they are different.
- Keep going around the circle until everyone has shared.
- Round two: a new category, going around in the opposite direction.
- Advanced round: each player chooses an animal that represents someone else in the group and explains why. That person responds.
Scoring and wrapping up
To finish: In the last round, everyone says which of the others' choices surprised them most. It opens real conversations and brings the group closer.
By age
- Ages 5-6: animals only, and one sentence of explanation is plenty.
- Ages 7 and up: change category each round and add the advanced round.
Variations
- Big group: share in small circles of 4-5, then each circle introduces one member to everyone.
- Capy twist: players act out their animal without words, and the group guesses before the explanation.
Tips for the adult in charge
- When everyone has answered, ask: "Who was the tiger? Who was the dolphin?" Kids love remembering.
- In the advanced round, ask for kind reasons only.
🖨️ Printable If I Were... prompts
Draw one prompt per round. Everyone answers it and explains why.
- If I were an animal, I'd be...
- If I were a food, I'd be...
- If I were a superhero, my power would be...
- If I were a kitchen gadget, I'd be...
- If I were a season, I'd be...
- If I were a color, I'd be...
- If I were a kind of weather, I'd be...
- If I were a toy, I'd be...
- If I were a song, I'd be...
- If I were a country, I'd be...
- If I were a sport, I'd be...
- If I were a vehicle, I'd be...
- If I were a dessert, I'd be...
- If I were a cartoon character, I'd be...
- If I were a musical instrument, I'd be...
- If I were a plant, I'd be...
- If I were a building, I'd be...
- If I were a shape, I'd be...
Questions and answers
Is If I Were an Animal good for the first day of school?
Yes. It is low pressure, every answer is right, and kids learn something real about each other through the reasons they give.
What age is it for?
From around 5. Preschoolers enjoy naming animals, and older kids enjoy the deeper rounds about others in the group.