[For 4-year-olds] Ideas for group games and craft activities that can be done indoors
Four-year-olds are at a stage of major growth toward independence, developing social skills as they learn to express their feelings and thoughts in words and deepen their relationships with friends.
In this article, we’ll share plenty of indoor play ideas that help promote the development of four-year-olds.
From group games that are fun while following rules with friends to creative projects that let them express themselves freely as their imaginations grow, we’ve gathered lots of activities that children can join with excitement!
Even on days when you can’t go outside, let’s spend fulfilling time with children by incorporating a variety of indoor games.
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[For 4-year-olds] Ideas for group games and craft activities that can be done indoors (41–50)
balloon volleyball
https://www.tiktok.com/@bear_kids_official/video/7453046550651079954Tap the pom-poms and balloons to build motor skills and balance! Here’s a balloon volleyball idea.
All you need is a net and some balloons.
It’s a fun way to get moving! With this simple game using a net and balloons, kids will try not to let the balloon fall, reacting quickly and working to send it into the opponent’s court.
It not only boosts physical ability, but also serves as a great activity for learning cooperation and teamwork.
Give it a try!
[For 4-year-olds] Ideas for Group Games and Craft Activities You Can Do Indoors (51–60)
Come-here game
Even though the rules are super simple, let’s try playing the “Come Here, Come Here Game,” which kids are guaranteed to love! Divide into a teacher and children.
The teacher gently beckons to the children, saying “Come here, come here.” While the teacher is saying it, the children move slowly toward the teacher without running.
When the teacher suddenly says, “Come here, come here…
It’s a ghost!” the children have to run away so they don’t get caught.
Once everyone gets used to it, you can make it even more exciting by faking them out with similar-sounding words to “ghost,” like “pot” or “mother.”
Treasure-Grabbing Game
Let’s play with excitement! Here’s an idea for a treasure-grabbing game.
This unique activity can be enjoyed by both kids and adults, so teachers and guardians should join in with the children and have fun together.
It’s a simple game where you spread two colors of hula hoops around the room and move markers into the hula hoops of your team color.
The key rule is that only one marker can be placed inside each hula hoop! Give it a try!
Play with tissue paper flowers
Here’s a rainy-day activity using tissue paper that kids can enjoy.
Prepare light-colored construction paper, tissue paper, and a spray mister.
Tear the tissue paper by hand.
Let the children choose their favorite colors.
Tearing the tissue into thinner pieces helps the colors bleed more easily and makes the tissue fluffy—highly recommended.
Gather the torn tissue pieces on the construction paper, then mist them with water.
As the tissue becomes damp, the colors blend together so kids can enjoy the color changes, as well as the tactile sensation of the paper transforming.
Once it’s completely dry, the tissue pieces stick together, creating a single, very colorful sheet.
It’s an activity with tissue paper that’s fun right to the end.
Chestnut Ogre
A tag game perfect for autumn! Here’s an idea called Chestnut Tag (Kuri Oni).
It’s similar to Freeze Tag, but the twist is that you transform into a chestnut! Choose one person to be ‘it’ (the oni), and everyone else runs to avoid being tagged.
If you’re about to be tagged, you can transform into a chestnut to create a barrier.
If a teammate touches you, you can start running again.
However, if you get tagged before transforming into a chestnut, move to the spectator area.
Daikon Game
Let me introduce the “Daikon Game,” a fun activity you can enjoy indoors while moving your body! Get everyone excited by having them pretend to be daikon radishes.
Lie down in a circle holding hands.
Stay in character as daikon and don’t let go of your friends’ hands so the ‘oni’ can’t pull you out.
The child who stays until the end wins! Rules vary by region, but if you link arms instead of holding hands, you can become even stronger daikon! It’s also fun to let the kids come up with ways to avoid being pulled out, so I highly recommend it.
Red Light, Green Light
Let’s play by adding new rules! Here are some ideas for Daruma-san ga Koronda.
Daruma-san ga Koronda is a traditional Japanese game played with one child as “it” (the oni) and the other children as players.
The oni turns around while saying, “Daruma-san ga koronda.” The participants can move forward until the oni finishes saying “Daruma-san ga koronda,” but the moment the oni turns around, the participants must freeze.
By customizing this rule with elements like balance beams, hula hoops, or balls, you can keep the game fresh and fun.