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Phone Designing Games for Kids

Although phones have evolved tremendously over the decades, their basic function still remains the same: communication between two people in different places. Designing a phone might not be a typical activity for children, but it is something that is sure to get their creative juices flowing. Whether they're at home or in the classroom, inspire your children to create and keep them entertained with a variety of phone designing games that will get them thinking about phones in an entirely new way.

Broken Telephone Design Game
- Add a twist to the classic game called Broken Telephone. Before playing the game, have children draw a picture of a perfect phone. Allow them to add whatever features they think are necessary. In the game, children sit in a circle. The first child thinks of a phrase and whispers it to the child next to him. The phrase is whispered around the circle until the final child says it out loud. The phrase has usually changed somewhere along the way, and the group must discover where the change happened. Have each child hold up his picture as he tells the group what phrase he heard whispered to him. Find out which telephone design was "broken."
Build-a-Phone Competition
- This game works best for older kids. Break the class into teams of three or four. Provide each team with a set of supplies such as toothpicks, straws, modeling clay, blocks and other building items. Name a category of telephone, such as "phone of the future" or "a phone that will do your homework." Each group has 10 minutes to build a phone. Have each group present its phone. Give a point for the most practical, most unusual, most inventive and most stylish phone. Repeat with a different category.
Cans and String
- With cell phones so prevalent, most kids probably don't know that they can build a phone that actually works. Supply children with tin cans, string and scissors. Drill holes in the cans for them, and let them figure out what length of string works best. Also supply paper, glue, markers and other decorating supplies so kids can decorate their telephones. Play a game in which groups of two see who can effectively communicate the most number of words in a row through their homemade telephones.
Ringtone American Idol
- Supply the class with small musical instruments, such as recorders, drums, maracas, xylophones and triangles. Break the class into groups of two or three students. Have each group come up with an original ringtone for a cell phone. They can use whatever musical instruments they wish, as well as their own voices. Stage an American Idol--style competition in which groups perform their ringtones for a panel of teachers. Lavish praise on them in the style of television judges.

Kids Games