Ideas for indoor activities, games, and group play that 5-year-olds enjoy

Come-here game

[Toddler Play] “Come here, come here” game — a play activity that even 3-year-olds can do!

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.”

Tag game where the number of chasers increases (Infection tag)

We tried playing tag where the number of chasers keeps increasing!

Here’s an introduction to “Fuyashi Oni,” a heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat tag game where the number of taggers (oni) keeps increasing.

The rules are very simple: if you’re tagged, you become an oni, so the number of oni steadily grows—making it a game you can play with any number of people.

If you play with 30 people, before you know it there might be 29 oni and you’re the only one still running, surrounded and on pins and needles.

It can even turn into a psychological battle: an oni who’s been tagged might pretend not to notice and act like they’re still a runner, sidling up to someone and tagging them.

You don’t need any special equipment, so give it a try!

Don Janken

After-school Children’s Classroom Physical Activity Program: “Don Janken”

Let’s try playing Don-Janken, a quick and exciting game you can enjoy anywhere! The rules are very simple: split into two teams and line up at opposite ends.

At the signal, the first person from each team runs forward, and when they meet, they play rock-paper-scissors.

If you win, you keep going; if you lose, the next teammate starts running.

You continue advancing by playing rock-paper-scissors, aiming to reach the opponent’s side.

It’s called Don-Janken because when you meet, you both stretch your hands forward, touch with a “don!” and stop.

Play carefully to avoid injuries.

Pyramid Rock-Paper-Scissors

Pyramid Rock-Paper-Scissors: Guaranteed to be a hit! A recreational activity

Guaranteed to be a blast—let’s play Pyramid Rock-Paper-Scissors! First, split into a defense team and an offense team.

Draw pyramid-shaped lines on the ground and place the defenders on the lines.

For example, if there are 15 defenders, put 5 people on the longest bottom line, then 4 on the next, and so on, ending with a single person at the top—that person is the King! The offense team starts by challenging anyone among the 5 at the bottom to rock-paper-scissors; if they win, they move up.

At the end, they play rock-paper-scissors with the King, and if they win, they clear the game.

If they lose at any point, they go back to the starting point.

Losing to the King also sends you back to start.

It’s a fun game where luck is put to the test!

Morning Noon Night game

Indoor games for large groups starting from age 3! Even elementary school kids can have fun while practicing moving quickly!

Here’s an introduction to the Morning-Afternoon-Night game.

You can play it anytime, anywhere, with any number of people, so it’s perfect for filling small gaps of time! When the teacher says “morning,” the children stand up.

For “afternoon,” they sit in seiza (kneel with legs folded under).

For “night,” they lie down right where they are.

The fun is in doing each action as quickly as possible.

Once they get used to it, try adding twists like “duck” or “monkey.” How will the children respond? Will they imitate the animals, get confused, or tell you, “Teacher, that’s wrong!”? That uncertainty is part of the fun of this game.

Fish, Birds, Trees

[20 Easy Classroom Activity Ideas No.20] Gyōchōmoku (Fish-Bird-Tree)

Do you know the game called “Gyocho-moku”? It’s read “gyo-cho-moku.” First, everyone stands in a circle and choose one person as the leader; the leader stands in the center of the circle.

The leader says, “Gyocho-moku, mousu ka, mousanu ka,” and everyone else replies, “Mousu, mousu.” The leader then points at someone while saying one of “gyo” (fish), “cho” (bird), or “moku” (tree).

The person who is pointed at must answer accordingly—for example, if the leader says “gyo,” you should quickly name a fish; if they say “cho,” you might answer “duck”; if they say “moku,” you could say “cherry tree.” There are endless ways to tweak the rules and enjoy variations, so give it a try!

giant ball

@nacchi_asobi

Super excited! 😍 We played for another whole hour!!! ▫️Giant Ball▫️ ▷▷Materials • Trash bags (This time we used 45L and 30L 🫶🏻) • Vinyl tape ▷▷How to make it 1) Inflate the trash bag. Tip: Fill it up until it’s nice and firm with air! 2) Wrap 3–4 strips of tape all the way around. That’s it! 💓 ▷▷Tips for fun Throw it, roll it, kick it—when you toss it high, it floats down slowly and everyone gets super excited!! 😍 Please give it a try! ♡♡ ⚠️Safety Note Be careful to prevent accidental swallowing. Always have an adult supervising. Put it away out of reach after playtime. Please be mindful of choking and ingestion hazards! 𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃𓂃🎨 Thank you so much for viewing ♡♡ This account shares: / Play-at-home ideas for 1-year-olds from a childcare-worker mom 🎈 \ I hope this helps when you’re wondering, “What should we play today?” and need ideas for at-home time 🥰#AtHomePlaySimple PlayParentingStruggling with parenting1 year old#1-year-old play#BoyMomBalloon Play100-yen shop toy#HandmadeToys#DaisoPurchases#Seria purchases

♬ Turkish march 8bit game sound(910193) – KAN TAKEUCHI

Let me introduce a giant ball that kids will be super excited about.

The method is very simple: inflate a garbage bag and tie it off to make a large ball shape.

Wrap duct tape around it, and you’re done.

If you change the colors of the tape as you stick it on, it becomes a visually fun ball as well.

Hold it, throw it—use your whole body and play freely with the giant ball.

Another plus is that, since it’s made of plastic, it won’t hurt even if it hits your head or body.

It might also be fun to make several of the same kind and play with them like a maze.

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